Future Perfect
Ned Boulting on cycling's odd love affair with its own past — and why a sport steeped in nostalgia is also endlessly obsessed with the future.

As the Tour de France returns to Lille for the Grand Départ, we look back at the last time the city hosted the start of La Grande Boucle in 1994 and focus on one of the key stories from that year's race
Photography by James Startt
1 DECEMBER 2023 | UPDATED 09.39 AM BST
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Le Tour de France: a race defined by colour, passion and history, whose drama and romance continue to shape the identity of cycling’s greatest stage.


Le Tour de France: a race defined by colour, passion and history, whose drama and romance continue to shape the identity of cycling’s greatest stage.
Le Tour de France: a race defined by colour, passion and history, whose drama and romance continue to shape the identity of cycling’s greatest stage.


Le Tour de France: a race defined by colour, passion and history, whose drama and romance continue to shape the identity of cycling’s greatest stage.