Combining elements of bicycle racing at the pinnacle of the sport and the roadside personalities who help make the spectacle with black and white photography is a formula that just can’t fail to inspire and entertain.

‘ALLEZ LE TOUR!’ is a photo series shot on traditional black and white film by Nicola Mesken, a German photographer based in Barcelona. This is the resulting film of the book of the work in progress, and with the Tour starting this weekend it’s a timely piece of art that might have you looking beyond the racing over the next three weeks.

This book is for all the Tour de France fans whom I met along the way, from 2005, when I began this project, to 2017, when I decided to have it published.

This series includes ten years of black and white analog photography, capturing the energy of the fans on the roadside of the most famous cycling competition in existence. This first edition depicts a selection from over 3,000 negatives.

Thanks to all the followers who appear in this book, either riding their bicycles, relaxing by their mobile homes along the way, or supporting my endeavors with either a smile or a cold drink on those scorching days while I lugged my camera and films over my shoulder up and down mountains.
This book is dedicated to them, and to all cycling and photography enthusiasts alike.