Official Tour de France guide hits UK shops

The only UK official Tour de France guide – endorsed by Tour organisers ASO and lovingly put together by the team behind Procycling magazine – hits the shops today.

And, boy, was it worth waiting for! It’s so much bigger and better this year that it has become The Official 2009 Tour de France Survival Pack.

Okay, so there’s no Swiss Army Knife or silver-foil survival blanket included, but otherwise there’s everything you need to make following the 96th edition of the Tour more enjoyable than ever.

Besides the massive 228-page official programme that you know and love, the pack contains an exclusive race history DVD, which includes footage from last year’s race, a giant wall chart on which you can fill in each day’s stage results, four stunning glossy black-and-white photographic prints from Tours past, plus the official, fold-out race route map to stop you getting lost on the roads of France should you be lucky enough to be there.

Phew! So, there’s more than enough there to keep you busy between now and the start of the race in Monaco on 4 July. And that’s without even addressing those 228 pages that make up the magazine itself: exclusive interviews and profiles of all the main contenders, all the stage details and team information you could possibly need, Tour history, profiles of the major climbs, and an exclusive extract from British sprint sensation Mark Cavendish’s new book, Boy Racer.

The Official 2009 Tour de France Survival Pack, containing the Official UK Tour de France Programme, is available from 4 June from all good newsagents in the UK, priced £9.99. It’s guaranteed to sell like hot cakes.

The large fold-out race route map

The exclusive race history DVD includes footage from last year’s race

An example of the stunning black-and-white photographic prints from Tours past

Inside: We look at the divided loyalties within the Astana team

Inside: An interview with Mark Cavendish, green jersey favourite

Inside: A complete guide to every Tour de France team

Buy it online and have it delivered to your door. Click here to buy now