Tour de France Hall of Fame

Secured his place in the Tour's history by winning the first-ever race in 1903. As you can see from this newspaper's impression of the inaugural event, things have changed somewhat in the intervening years.

Italian-born chimney-sweep Garin, pictured in the foreground in the light-coloured jacket, also won the 1904 Tour but was disqualified for reasons that were never fully explained. There was  a suggestion he completed part of the route by train!

Entered into a rivalry with fellow Italian Fausto Coppi that quickly became a famous part of the Tour's rich history, and divided the Italian nation. Bartali was innately conservative and devoutly religious, and enjoyed the support of the agricultural South. Coppi was more progressive in his methods and his world view, and was thus the golden boy of the affluent North.

Bartali won two Tours, three Giros, four victories in the famous Milan-San Remo classic, and countless other successes. Fascinating facts about his activity during the Second World War have recently come to light; Bartali used his cycling to carry information to members of the Italian resistance.

Coppi, as detailed in the description of Bartali above, played an equal part in one of the great Tour rivalries. The Giro remembers Coppi every year with the "Cima Coppi", a mountain bonus awarded to the first rider over the race's tallest summit.

Some cycling experts would reject claims for Eddy Merckx and Lance Armstrong, and put Coppi at the top of the all-time greats. Won the Tour de France in 1949 and 1952, and notably held the world hour record from 1942 until Jacques Anquetil broke it in 1956.

Regarded by some as the most stylish bike rider ever, Anquetil was a supreme time-triallist and highly thought of be his fellow riders in the peloton, although he never quite won over the cycling public.

Anquetil was a strong proponent of performance enhancing substances before they were outlawed - and led the resistance to the introduction of dope testing by the cycling authorities. Raymond Poulidor was his closest rival throughout his career - and Anquetil always beat him into "The Eternal Second".

Poulidor was so good, he had two nicknames: "PouPou" and "The Eternal Second". Let's face it, neither do him any favours. Hailing from rough peasant stock, Poulidor never managed to win the Tour or indeed wear the yellow jersey even for a day, despite years of honest effort.

He finished second four times (1964, 1965, 1966 and 1974), and third five times (1962, 1966, 1969, 1972, 1976). Poulidor triumphed in one Tour of Spain, and six Tour stages overall, but was unfortunate to ride in the great Jacques Anquetil's era. Impressively, he managed to finish third in his final tour at the age of 40.

There was something different about "The Cannibal". The Belgian dynamo's fierce resolve saw him to victory in five Tours, five Giro d'Italias, one Tour of Spain, three world championships. He conquered all before him in the 1970s. Many of his records stand to this day - a massive 525 career race wins, a record of 54 wins in just one season, and a record 34 Tour stage wins.

Merckx also boasts the record of wearing the yellow jersey for the most days - a gargantuan 96. In an era when the buying and selling of race victories was commonplace among cyclists, Merckx was famous for never compromising, and never being bought. He wanted to win every time he got on the bike.

Widely regarded as the last of the 'all-rounders', before pros really started to specialise in sprinting or climbing, Brittany-born Hinault won five Tours between 1978 and 1985.

"Le Blaireau" (The Badger) was so named because like the vicious animal, once he got hold of his prey, he never let go. Often regarded as arrogant by the public, Hinault did not care - his priority was to win. He was the genuine boss of the peleton - when he spoke, his contemporaries listened.

Five years of dominance in the Tour de France with largely colourless riding was impressive, but never endeared him to cycling purists. His victories between 1991-95 saw him destroy his rivals on the time-trial stages before digging deep in the mountains.

In 1996 a bout of bronchitis in the first week arguably denied him a sixth straight Tour success. His physical capabilities are the stuff of legend: standing at 6ft 2ins, his lung capacity and resting heart rate were simply phenomenal. Also won two Giro d'Italias.

The Californian became the first American rider to triumph in the Tour in 1986, and went on to win it three  times. This was despite being shot and seriously injured by his brother-in-law in a hunting accident in 1987. Lemond recovered and returned stronger.

Also won three gold and two silver medals competing for the USA at the World Championships between 1979-1985. On a slightly different note - don't you love the subtle colours of his team-mates' jerseys! Lemond has been a strong critic of doping, infamously having a run-in with champion Lance Armstrong in 2001. 

Perhaps the most dominant of all the Tour Hall-Of-Famers, the steel-willed Armstrong won a staggering seven straight tours, all the more incredible considering he battled back from a severe bout of testicular cancer, which spread to his brain, before embarking on his sensational run.

At times a highly controversial figure, and suspected by some of possible involvement in the doping sagas that have plagued the sport, Armstrong's impact on the race was undeniable, and his place in the pantheon of greats is assured.