Few sporting contests have roused such blind passions and filthy suspicions as the Tour de France. From Lance Armstrong's incredible comeback from cancer, to Tom Simpson's death on the slopes of Mont Ventoux, the Tour has been the stage for some of sport's most monumental triumphs and the scene of some of its darkest hours. Since Maurice Garin's inaugural victory in 1903, hundreds of thousands of kilometres have been covered in pursuit of the yellow jersey - cycling's holy grail - and few have been without incident or drama. "Blazing Saddles" is a no-holds-barred look at the wheeling and dealing, the rivalries and controversies that have given the century-old race its unique colour. Matt Rendell's vivid and entertaining narrative chronologically combines the Tour's golden legends with tales from its dark side, capturing the capture the indomitable, inimitable spirit of the world's greatest race.
