Tom Simpson (1937–1967) was one of Britain's most successful professional cyclists. He began his career track cycling, specializing in pursuit races. In this discipline he won a bronze medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics and a silver at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. In 1959 Simpson moved to France and turned professional in road racing. In the 1962 Tour de France he became the first British rider to wear the yellow jersey. In 1965 he became Britain's first world road race champion. He won three Monument classic races: the 1961 Tour of Flanders, the 1964 Milan–San Remo and the 1965 Giro di Lombardia. At the 1967 Tour de France, he collapsed and died during the ascent of Mont Ventoux. He was 29 years old. The post-mortem examination found that he had mixed amphetamines and alcohol. He was known to have taken performance-enhancing drugs during his career, when no doping controls existed. Despite this, he is held in high esteem by many cyclists for his character and will to win. (Full article...)