A LEGENDARY TOUR

In the middle of July, the Tour de France celebrated its centennial. Despite the scandals that have tarnished its image, it has lost none of its allure. Indeed, it has become a myth for the spectators that throng its circuits or closely follow events on television screnns. To understand how this legend has regularity built on itself, this film invites us to take part in the “great loop” from the inside. To personify this saga, we will be spotlighting two cyclists who could not be more dissimilar first, a veteran champion, Gilberto Simoni, winner of the Giro d’Italia 2003. He embodies the audacious cyclists who dares to defy the master, Lance Amstrong. The second cyclist is the Frenchman Philippe Gaumont, who in the Tour resumes his place among the humbles. He became the focus of the latest doping scandal. The third subject is Jean-Marie Leblanc, the head of the Tour. It is trought Leblanc that we come to understand the human, logistics, media and political issues at stake within the race. The fourth person could only be Lance Amstrong. The American cyclist has stood over all competitors for the past years and wins the race. He takes his place in the pantheon alongside Hinault, Merckx, and Indurain and stands to become the first racer to win six victories. But following the big race also means listening its music. “The music of the Tour de France” and its many moods, the many provincial anecdotes that occur during the stages. This film captures a host of impressions and sensations that make it a fresco, a film whose script is developed off the cuff.