For A Yellow Jersey: The Scandalous History of the Women's Tour de France
Jun 2026 · Hachette UK
Ebook
400
Pages
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Eligible
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infoThis book will become available on June 4, 2026. You will not be charged until it is released.
About this ebook
For a Yellow Jersey narrates the many remarkable lives of the women's Tour de France. A race which has, in its various incarnations, acted as a microcosm of the women's bike racing scene as a whole. Like the careers of many of its participants, the race itself represents an inspiring story of survival against the odds and in the harshest possible conditions.
Paul Maunder tells this a chequered story which dates back to 1955 and features false starts, media indifference, financial mismanagement and institutional sexism. Above all, however, this is the story of the phenomenal athletes who have competed in these races. From Marianne Martin's surprise win in the 1984 event, to the intense rivalry of Jeannie Longo and Maria Canins in the late 1980s, to the modern-day Dutch dominance, there are as many dramatic tales in the women's race as the men's. We meet the key personalities who have made women's racing so entertaining over the past forty years.
It's time to celebrate the history of the women's peloton. Women's racing has its own fascinating culture - tough, collaborative, political, maverick. Those who have campaigned for equality are driven, bloody-minded and above all, passionate about cycling. This is their story.
Paul Maunder tells this a chequered story which dates back to 1955 and features false starts, media indifference, financial mismanagement and institutional sexism. Above all, however, this is the story of the phenomenal athletes who have competed in these races. From Marianne Martin's surprise win in the 1984 event, to the intense rivalry of Jeannie Longo and Maria Canins in the late 1980s, to the modern-day Dutch dominance, there are as many dramatic tales in the women's race as the men's. We meet the key personalities who have made women's racing so entertaining over the past forty years.
It's time to celebrate the history of the women's peloton. Women's racing has its own fascinating culture - tough, collaborative, political, maverick. Those who have campaigned for equality are driven, bloody-minded and above all, passionate about cycling. This is their story.
About the author
Paul Maunder is the author Angel of the Mountains, the critically acclaimed biography of Belgian 1958 Tour de France winner Charly Gaul. He has also written Rainbows in the Mud, a study of the world of Belgian cyclocross, and The Wind at my Back, a memoir on the connections between landscape, cycling and creativity. A graduate of the Royal Holloway creative writing programme, and the Faber Academy, Maunder lives in London with his family.
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