The cyclist Tom Simpson was an Olympic medallist, world champion and the first Briton to wear the fabled yellow jersey of the Tour de France. He died a tragic early death on the barren moonscape of the Mont Ventoux during the 1967 Tour. Almost 35 years on, hundreds of fans still make the pilgrimage to the windswept memorial which marks the spot where he died. A man of contradictions, Simpson was one of the first cyclists to admit to using banned drugs, and was accused of fixing races, yet the dapper "Major Tom" inspired awe and affection for the obsessive will to win which was ultimately to cost him his life. This is an authoritative evaluation of Simpson's death, and of the life that led to it, revisiting the places and people associated with him.
- ISBN10 0224061860
- ISBN13 9780224061865
- Publish Date 20 June 2002
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 12 January 2010
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Vintage Publishing
- Imprint Yellow Jersey Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 256
- Language English