The Breakaway - Cycling The Mountains of the Tour de France

“A joyous balance of wit, frivolity, sweat and serious introspection.”

At some point in time most amateur cyclists will dream of riding the high roads of the Tour de France, discovering first-hand what it’s like to tackle Alpe d’Huez or the Tourmalet.

Not many get round to turning that notion into reality. Rolf Rae-Hansen and his best friend did just that, adding 20 of the most feared and revered mountain passes to their palmarès.

Climbing three times the height of Everest was no idle ride. Just days into their adventure and it became clear these two distinctly amateur cyclists had bitten off more mountain than they could comfortably chew. As they ticked off the climbs one by one, their fitness and friendship were tested to, and then beyond, destruction.

Through moments of laughter, sadness and exhilaration Rolf Rae-Hansen documents the highs and lows of tackling the biggest names in cycling, from Alpe d’Huez to the Galibier, to Mont Ventoux, the Stelvio and beyond.

With themes both personal and universal, The Breakaway is a book for cyclists and non-cyclists, a story of (mis)adventure, friendship and overcoming grief.

“Not only had I an insatiable desire for the mountains, I also had a newfound respect, a realisation that from now on the names I would champion would be those from the parcours and not the peloton. The paint on tarmac will fade to be replaced in a continual cycle of renewal but the names printed white onto brown summit signs will never desert me — always there, for all of us.”