Tour

Though the world of competitive cycling these days seems far too high tech to come under the remit of a bucolic lifestlye blog, the Tour de France retains a history and romance which fits in very nicely here at Pastoral Review. The biggest of all the European tours it still vividly evokes a thrilling golden age of cycling style and masculinity, so celebrate the start of the 99th Tour de France tomorrow with this tasty edit. Firstly, something cycle specific but whimsical nevertheless:

Front...

...and back.

Tour de France cycling cap by Look Mum No Hands, an East London cafe/bar/bike shop who will also be screening the Tour live too, like a football match in a pub. They also have a great set of mugs in winner's jersey colours:

Now there's only one choice for the, ahem, soundtrack. The full-length (below) was released in 2003 to mark the 100th year of the Tour - note, not the 100th Tour - and I cannot reccommend it highly enough. I don't really need to justify the nostalgic credentials of Kraftwerk, but if you think its not pastoral enough, you should try it on a train buzzing through provincial hedgerows, or very late at night watching the distant, twinkling lights of a remote fishing village. I've also just seen some pictures of cycling jerseys with this artwork, but alas none for sale.

And finally, a 'winning' look which I wholeheartedly endorse and will probably be 'sporting' tomorrow:

No Tour de France lifestyle accessory roundup would be complete without a yellow jersey - this one by Libertine Libertine at Urban Outfitters - and yellow on yellow is always a strong choice.