Issue 17-5

Tom Simpson, the bowler-hatted Brit from a Northern mining town, was a superstar of his day. From Andy McGrath’s new book on Simpson, 50 years after the tragedy of Mont Ventoux. 

Plus veteran Tour de France photographer John Pierce, Hammer Series, Tour street art from Luxembourg, Specialized in California, Esteban Chaves and more.

Tom Simpson might have been a great racer, but the public persona of the bowler-hatted Brit made the man from a Northern mining town a superstar of his day. From Andy McGrath’s new book on Simpson, 50 years after the tragedy of Mont Ventoux.

Few can lay claim to working on 50 Tours de France – and certainly not photographers. John Pierce’s route to the half-century via his extraordinary mother, a lottery win and a Lambretta...

“I have no idea what is going on, but it’s bloody great to watch.”The Hammer Series kicks off in Holland, but will it take off?

Also featuring: Tour de France street art from Luxembourg, radical Californian thinking at Specialized, Esteban Chaves, debunking Tour myths and legends, women improving with age and cool clothing for a hot summer. Plus columnists Matt Seaton, Matt Rendell and Robert Millar.