'Paris, 4 July 2003: My first Tour de France. I had never seen a bike race. I had only vaguely heard of Lance Armstrong. I had no idea what I was doing there. Yet, that day I was broadcasting live on television. I fumbled my way through a few platitudes, before summing up with the words, "...Dave Millar just missing out on the Yellow Jumper." Yes, the Yellow Jumper.' Follow Ned Boulting's (occasionally excruciating) experiences covering the world's most famous cycling race. His story offers an insider's view of what really goes on behind the scenes of the Tour. From up-close-and-personal encounters with Lance Armstrong to bewildered mishaps with the local cuisine, Ned's been there, done that and got the crumpled-looking t-shirt. Eight Tours on from Ned's humbling debut, he has grown to respect, mock, adore and crave the race in equal measure. What's more, he has even started to understand it. Includes How Cav Won the Green Jersey: Short Dispatches from the 2011 Tour de France

The 1890s was the peak of the American bicycle craze, and consumers, including women, were buying bicycles in large numbers. Despite critics who tried to discourage women from trying this new sport, women took to the bike in huge numbers, and mastery of the bicycle became a metaphor for women's mastery over their lives. Spurred by the emergence of the "safety" bicycle and the ensuing cultural craze, women's professional bicycle racing thrived in the United States from 1895 to 1902. For seven years, female racers drew large and enthusiastic crowds across the country, including Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Kansas City, and New Orleans-and many smaller cities in between. Unlike the trudging, round-the-clock marathons the men (and their spectators) endured, women's six-day races were tightly scheduled, fast-paced, and highly competitive. The best female racers of the era-Tillie Anderson, Lizzie Glaw, and Dottie Farnsworth-became household names and were America's first great women athletes. Despite concerted efforts by the League of American Wheelmen to marginalize the sport and by reporters and other critics to belittle and objectify the women, these athletes forced turn-of-the-century America to rethink strongly held convictions about female frailty and competitive spirit. By 1900 many cities began to ban the men's six-day races, and it became more difficult to ensure competitive women's races and attract large enough crowds. In 1902 two racers died, and the sport's seven-year run was finished-and it has been almost entirely ignored in sports history, women's history, and even bicycling history. Women on the Move tells the full story of America's most popular arena sport during the 1890s, giving these pioneering athletes the place they deserve in history. Purchase the audio edition.