In the autumn of 2020 Ned Boulting (ITV head cycling commentator and Tour de France obsessive) bought a length of Pathe news film from a London auction house. All he knew was it was film from the Tour de France, a long time ago. Once restored it became clear it was a short sequence of shots from stage 4 of the 1923 Tour de France. No longer than 2.5 minutes long, it featured half a dozen sequences, including a lone rider crossing a bridge. Ned set about learning everything he could about the sequence, studying each frame, face and building until he had squeezed the meaning from it. It sets him off in fascinating directions, encompassing travelogue, history, mystery story, to explain, to go deeper into this moment in time, captured on his little film. Join him as he explores the history of cycling and France just five years after WWI.
