The world of road cycling often celebrates the second-place riders as much, if not more, than the winners. Few embody this sentiment better than the… Read More »The battle on Puy de Dôme: Raymond Poulidor’s closest chance at Tour de France glory
Since its introduction to the Tour de France in 1952, Alpe d’Huez has been the scene of many legendary moments in cycling history. Among the… Read More »Hand in hand on the top of Alpe d’Huez
Italian cyclist Alfredo Binda was widely regarded as one of the greatest riders of his era, particularly in the 1920s and 1930s. He dominated the… Read More »The cyclist who was paid to skip the Giro d’Italia
The 1973 UCI Road World Championships in Barcelona is remembered as a significant event in cycling history, marked by the ongoing rivalry between Eddy Merckx… Read More »Felice Gimondi outsprints the Belgian duo (World Championships 1973)
The 1969 edition of the Tour de France was Merckx’s first. Coming off wins in other prestigious races such as the Giro d’Italia, Merckx had… Read More »Eddy Merckx’s epic solo victory in the Pyrenees (Tour de France 1969)
In 1910, Henri Desgrange, the Tour’s founder and director, decided to introduce mountain stages into the race to make it even more challenging. The Pyrenean… Read More »When Octave Lapize called the Tour de France organizers “murderers”
The history of the Tour de France is filled with monumental stages and dramatic moments that have shaped the race into the iconic event it… Read More »Tour de France’s first visit in the Alps (1911)
The more I dvelve into the history of road cycling races the more I convinced that the stories born on the slopes of Col d’Aubisque… Read More »Inexperienced cyclist in yellow jersey rescued from the ravine (Wim van Est, Tour de France 1951)
Vintage Cycling Stories is a website about the history of road cycling races. It’s the very heart and soul of the original PelotonTales project. But… Read More »Are you curious about Tour de France 2025?
Tour de France has always been more than just a test of physical endurance. From its inception, the race has been a battleground not only… Read More »The mystery of the poisoned bottle at Tour de France 1911