Pau again and a sprint stage but with some hills in the finish.
Tour de France Stage 12 Preview
A day to calm frayed nerves after yesterday’s mania but tension between the breakaway and the sprinters.
When Nobody Attacks
We’re seeing several stages in the Tour de France when nobody attacks. In the past there was always a move hoping for some publicity and the chance of beating the odds. No more…
Tour de France Stage 10 Preview
A sprint stage and a visit to the centre of France today, or at least to two of the places that stake their claim to be the geographical centre of the country.
Astana Takeover Talk
All the focus on Astana this week has obviously been Mark Cavendish’s stage win. Yet what next? Cavendish is surely going to retire now, up to him to pick the moment.
The team goes on, or does it? Both both cyclingnews.com and L’Equipe have published items saying the squad is going to be taken over by XDS, a Chinese bike manufacturer keen to promote its X-Lab brand. This raises plenty of questions and some have to get answered quickly because the clock is ticking if a new owner wants to take over the team.
Tour de France Stage 9 Preview
The gravel stage with 14 off-road sectors spaced throughout the course. There are two races today, one to win the stage and the other to avoid losing time.
Book Review: Life in The Peloton
Life in The Peloton by Mitchell Docker and Tom Southam
Want to terrify a neo-pro set to join the World Tour straight out of the junior ranks? Don’t warn them of the difficulty they’ll have on the climbs against Pogačar or having to rub shoulders with Van Aert on the farm tracks of Flanders. That’s what they’re looking forward to. No, ask them if they know how to collect a full musette while riding at 40km/h, or preferably two in case their team leader wants extra and remind them they need to master this otherwise they might be the guy who wipes out on first contact with a cotton bag, taking down Van der Poel in an early season race and being roasted alive on social media.
There’s a lot to master for neo-pros and Docker’s book is a manual for newcomers making their way in the peloton. This could mean a niche readership even if they’d do well to read it but reading the advice and anecdotes is of wider interest as it touches on tactics and other skills that sofa spectators can enjoy.
Tour de France Stage 8 Preview
A sprint stage? Probably but this is a deceptively hard stage with plenty of climbs throughout so if there’s a sprint it’s for a different cast of characters.
Tour de France Stage 7 Preview
A short time trial and significant day for the GC that will tell us plenty about the form of the contenders.