Category: Cycling

After 21 stages and 3,338km, this year’s Tour came to an end in Paris. Here are our favourite images from the last three weeks

Continue reading...

If ever a cyclist was suited to the intensity of the modern, made-for-TV format of the Tour, it is Tadej Pogacar

Fourth Tour wins are, I once wrote, “more for the record books than the heart … the penultimate step to cycling greatness, [they] often do little to warm the soul at the time”. The past three weeks suggests that nothing has changed. It’s far from the four stages of grief, but you could argue that a first Tour victory is met with surprise and delight, a second admiration, the third respect, the fourth resignation.

As Tadej Pogacar’s fourth Tour win approached with the inevitability of a steamroller this week the chief cycling writer at l’Equipe, Alex Roos, grumbled about the Slovene’s lack of joie de vivre. “For the last few days, his sulks, his grumbles, his bad mood have blurred and eaten away at the ambience of the end of this Tour, because how can you get enthusiastic if the Yellow Jersey himself gives the impression of being bored and going through something painful …?”

Continue reading...

• Mavi García breaks clear with 10km left and clings on

• Kim Le Court Pienaar takes yellow from Marianne Vos

The veteran Spanish rider Mavi García claimed victory in a demanding second stage of the Tour de France Femmes on Sunday, attacking solo in the closing kilometres to secure a dramatic win in Quimper after a 110.4km ride from Brest.

The 41-year-old Liv-AlUla-Jayco rider launched her decisive move with 10km remaining, opening a gap of about 20 seconds on the chasing pack. She held on through the explosive final climb, crossing the line three seconds ahead of her pursuers.

Continue reading...

The legendary Dutch rider took the win at the line after a speedy and treacherous first stage

49.5 km to go: And Rijnbeek takes the two mountain points on offer while back in the field there’s a couple of near-collisions. It’s a nervous peloton, and last year featured some heavy crashes.

55km to go: The gap is closing, and at 20 seconds, the peloton are within sight as the escapees split. Rijnbeek decides to leave behind Tomasi, and in chase of polka points on that cat.4 climb. She opens up a gap again, to 30 seconds or so.

Continue reading...

• Updates from 184.2km penultimate stage

• Email John with your thoughts

165 km to go: This third-category climb, the Col de la Croix, isn’t easy. The weather overnight has caused some debris on the road. And the rain is pouring down now. Jonathan Milan has dropped off, saving his powder for Paris, no doubt. Asgreen is caught, and Thibau Nys of Lidl and Harry Sweeny go off the front. This is grim for all concerned. Raul Garcia Pierna of Arkea-B&B Hotels makes it a breakaway trio in the pouring rain.

170km to go: Fred Wright leads the pack up the climb as Asgreen forges on. Dropping back, and rather worryingly, Arnaud De Lie is way off the back of the peloton.

Continue reading...

• Pair separated by four seconds last year favourites again

• Reusser, Gigante and Longo Borghini also in contention

The fourth edition of the Tour de France Femmes begins in Brittany on Saturday with defending champion Kasia Niewiadoma facing a range of new challengers as Demi Vollering seeks to avenge last year’s cruel four-second defeat on Alpe d’Huez.

While the Polish star has stated her wish to win back-to-back Tours, Vollering, who moved to the French team FDJ Suez at the end of last season, is determined to again conquer the race she won in 2023. Their duel on the slopes of Alpe d’Huez at the climax of last year’s race was one of the most gripping in the history of any Tour de France and led to the narrowest margin of overall victory ever, in either the men’s or women’s race.

Continue reading...

Thymen Arensman clinched his second stage win while Tadej Pogacar comfortably defended his GC lead

“Clearly the only strategy Visma have left is to try to run Pogacar over with their team car,” emails Bob. “That will definitely work.”

“Oh.”

Continue reading...

The overall race remains fully in the hands of the Tadej Pogacar despite the Australian’s breakaway to Courchevel

“Today is another chance,” Jonas Vingegaard tells Matt Stephens. “We will fight until the end. Today is going to be a proper hard stage, and we’ll do everything we can.

“The last, what is it? Five, 6km or so, is super-steep [on the final climb]. Before that, there is a flatter section. In general it’s a very hard climb, a very long climb.

Continue reading...

Jonathan Milan strengthened his grip on the green jersey after winning a crash-marred sprint in rainy Valence

“We are really looking forward,” Milan said before today’s stage. “It’s one of the most important, yes [in the points classification].

Matt White, Luke Rowe and Robbie McEwen are the pundits working with the presenter Orla Chennaoui on TNT Sports.

Continue reading...

• Home rider denies Ben Healy in lung-busting sprint finish

• Tadej Pogacar retains the overall leader’s yellow jersey

Valentin Paret-Peintre stayed ice-cool in the heat to give France its first win in this year’s Tour de France as he prevailed atop the intimidating Mont Ventoux on the 16th stage.

The Soudal-Quick Step rider beat Ireland’s Ben Healy in a lung-busting sprint finish on the Giant of Provence, as Tadej Pogacar retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey after keeping chief rival Jonas Vingegaard in his sights on the 21.5km ascent at 7.5%.

Jeremy Whittle’s report to follow

Continue reading...

The first French stage win of Le Tour came on the legendary peak as Tadej Pogacar stayed in full race control

165km to go: Lenny Martinez is up the front, and will fancy another breakaway to land his polka points. The breaks aren’t snagging just yet. Montpellier is left behind as the Med coast appears in view. It looks ridiculously beautiful.

Huw Morgan gets in touch: “Work web filtering means I’m on the live updates only. My colleague Libby has wisely chosen to WFH so she can watch it. I’m not so lucky with a board meeting to attend at 3pm. I’ve been following cycling for 3 years now and I’ve never seen a stage like this. Flat, flat, flat, BANG. Absolutely buzzing to watch it with my wife when I get home from work! We’re Pogacar super fans but hoping for a real tussle on Ventoux with Pog losing some time.”

Continue reading...

From Simpson’s sad death to Froome’s bizarre run, the ‘Bald Mountain’ has always been the place where stuff happens

The decades pass, generations of Tour de France cyclists come and go, but some gruesome things never change. On Tuesday, the survivors of one of the craziest, fastest Tours ever, a race with even less respite than usual, will do as their predecessors have done every few years since 1951: they will crest a rise in the road, and see Mont Ventoux on the horizon. A sinking in the heart will accompany the dull ache in the legs: we’re off to the Bald Mountain once again.

The men of the Tour probably won’t be thankful for small mercies, but they should be. Last time the Tour visited, in 2021, although the background scenario was the same – Tadej Pogacar had smashed the race to bits on the first serious climb and was set fair for victory – the organisers cruelly made them go over the 1,910m summit twice, in two different ways. Wout van Aert might recall that with a wry smile: the Belgian was in his prime back then and he won out of a breakaway.

Continue reading...

Tadej Pogacar followed the Dutch Team Ineos rider home after Remco Evenepoel abandoned early in the stage

We approach the départ réel, the reality of a heavy day in the saddle dawns. Here we go!

In Pau, the rain is coming down but that’s cooled the temperature down to 19 degrees.

Continue reading...