In "Gironimo! Riding the Very Terrible 1914 Tour of Italy" British humorist Tim Moore decides that it would be a good idea to cycle the entire 1914 Giro d'Italia route on a period race bike, unsupported. Lacking any real knowledge of 98 year old race bikes and appropriate technical skills Moore sets off to acquire and restore a suitable machine for retracing " the hardest ever grand tour".

A great read for anyone interested in the history of the sport, really old bikes, the culture of Italy, eating pizza, carving brake pads from wine bottle corks, and the real meaning of "HTFU".

Highly recommended.

Looks like a great read... just ordered it.

Yes that has been on my list. His "French Revolutions" about riding the Tour route is a good read too.