In all, 54 men have shared 87 Tour de France wins between them, riding thousands of kilometres in search of their holy grail, the yellow jersey.

Their tales, and those of the heroic failures, are told in 10 parts here.

Few sporting events compare with the Tour de France for sheer excitement and daring deeds.

The Tour's road has gone on for almost 100 years

And few have a history as fascinating as that of the world's greatest sporting adventure.

From the pioneers and the appalling treatment of riders in the early days there has always been something to talk about.

The biggest sporting event outside football's World Cup and the Olympic Games has plenty of secret stories.

Click on the links here to discover them.