23 Days in July

A riveting day-by-day account of the 2004 Tour de France "filled with expert detail and rich with history, as Wilcockson knows the Tour as well as any journalist alive." -ESPN.com

Taking place over twenty-three days in July and across more than 2,100 miles of smooth blacktop, rough cobblestones, and punishing mountain terrain, the Tour de France is the most grueling sports event in the world. And in 2004, five-time champion Lance Armstrong set out to achieve what no other cyclist in the 100-year history of the race had ever done: win a sixth Tour de France.

Armstrong had four serious challengers who wanted nothing more than to deny the man the French call Le Boss from achieving his goal. The major threat among them was the only other former Tour de France champion in last year's race, Germany's Jan Ullrich- The Kaiser. But when the race was over, Lance Armstrong once again wore the yellow jersey of victory.

"With unabashed ease Wilcockson chronicles Lance Armstrong's unprecedented sixth straight victory.... Scandals and intense rivalries are also a part of the Tour's appeal, and Wilcockson weaves them all together in an entertaining account of the race- 20 stages, and 2,107 miles of madness and magic." -Sports Illustrated