Tour de France Femmes – or the women’s Tour de France – is a race which has, in its various incarnations, acted as a microcosm of the women’s bike racing scene as a whole. Like the careers of many of its participants, the race represents an inspiring story of survival against the odds and in the harshest possible conditions. In ‘For a Yellow Jersey’, Paul Maunder tells a chequered story which dates back to 1955 and features false starts, media indifference, financial mismanagement and institutional sexism. Above all, however, this is the story of the phenomenal athletes who have competed in these races.