Tour Tweets of the Week : Tuftness, Belgian pride and all that good Tour lovin’
You can say this Tour de France was lopsided, or slightly boring in places, but one thing you can’t say … Continue reading
VeloVoices Podcast 179: Eminem would not approve of Lachlan
The 2021 Tour de France is over and Kathi, Luke, Issie and Euan gather round the table to pick apart three … Continue reading
Tour de France 2021: Stage 21 – Wout van Aert takes the Champs; Pogacar takes the Tour
This year’s Tour de France ended, of course, on the Champs-Elysees with Jumbo-Visma’s answer to Iron Man, Wout van Aert, took … Continue reading
Tour de France 2021: Stage 20 – van Aert scorches the TT; Pogacar seals yellow
This year’s Tour de France feels like it could have, and probably should have, come to a close after the … Continue reading
Tour de France 2021: Stage 19 – Matej Mohoric makes it two
Stage 19. Would this be a day for the break or the sprinters? Would Mark Cavendish get that stage winning … Continue reading
Tour de France 2021: Stage 18 – It ain’t Christmas, so no gifts from Pogacar
Stage 18 of this year’s Tour de France was a crash-banging, head-butting, balls-to-the-wall GC battle from kilometre 0 to the … Continue reading
Tour de France 2021: Stage 17 – Pogacar unleashes power and strength on Col du Portet
Anyone who had any doubt in the strength of Tadej Pogacar only had to watch today’s Stage 17 to realise that, bar a complete collapse, the peloton’s wunderkind is going to ride into Paris on Sunday to take his second Tour de France in a row. In a stunning show of power – both by his UAE team and then by Pogacar on the final 10km of the stage – the stage ended with the widely predicted win for the reigning champion but the manner of the win was something quite spectacular. As for second and third podium positions, they seem relatively safe from the bunch for Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) and Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) respectively, with the closest rival, EF’s Rigoberto Uran, more than a minute and a half down from them in GC. But with only 4 seconds between the two, we can expect some Jumbo-Ineos fireworks on the last mountain stage tomorrow.
Tour de France 2021: Stage 16 – Patrick Konrad solos in damp conditions
What stage is it today? I have lost count, truthfully. [It’s Stage 16 of Tour de France 2021 – ed] I suppose it doesn’t even really matter given the boringness of today’s stage. Heck, the jackhammering that went on outside my window for three hours this morning brought more excitement and change of pace to my day than the race on my television screen did. The stage saw a less than invigorated breakaway performance, a peloton full of GC favorites content on riding for the podium, and plenty of rain. At the end of it all, Bora’s Patrick Konrad soloed away from his companions to claim his first World Tour victory and saved Bora’s otherwise disastrous Tour. In a turn of events that continues to make me scratch my head, Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain-Victorious) came home second on the stage with a not-so-shiny Michael Matthews (BikeExchange) in third.
Tour Tweets of the Week : Ain’t no mountain high enough
So much going on in the Tour de France Twittersphere over the past week. Mountains were climbed, stages were won, and records were equalled. It’s a mix of the heartfelt and irreverent, as always, in the one, the original, Tweets of the Week.
Videos
Davide Formolo (Cannondale-Garmin) delivered for the team at this year’s Giro d’Italia with a popular solo win on stage four. Called up only a fortnight before the start, he hadn’t specifically trained for the race, which leaves us wondering whether he might have bettered his overall 31st place if he’d targetted this race. Keeping the pink glow going, he looks back at his first Grand Tour.
Created in 1993 to enable amateur cyclists to personally experience a stage of each year’s Tour de France, L’Etape de Tour is THE cyclosportive. This year’s event takes place on Sunday 19th July over 142km from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to La Toussuire.
All places are taken for this year’s Etape (unless you get a place with a tour operator or through a charity). Places go fast as soon as registration opens so if you want to get a jump on proceedings for next year, take a minute to register with ASO Challenges. Registration details are here. Also, follow l’Etape on Twitter and Facebook for news all year round.
Links: Official website
Images
To many of us, the Grubers’ work really epitomises the Belgian Cobbled Classics. If you haven’t seen their gallery for Cannondale-Garmin, go now!
http://slipstreamsports.com/2015/03/30/gallery-gent-wevelgem-gruber-images/
“We’ve tried to go down roads and go through places that are far more interesting than the number of watts we’re putting out and the speed we’re averaging.” Gus Morton
The Australian cycling site, Cycling Tips, just goes from strength to strength in my book. Up on the site now is Thereabouts, a 45-minute documentary made with Gus and Lachlan Morton about their experience riding from Port Macquarie to Uluru – riding over 2,000km in just 12 days. Why did they do it? To reconnect with the reasons why they started riding in the first place. Click here to read more about their story.
Read about it, watch it, get inspired by it.
Asides
All of the history and excitement of the world’s most famous one-day bicycle race in one coffee-table book. Paris-Roubaix: A Journey Through Hell is an essential read for anyone interested in this spectacular race.
Want your own kit or need something special for your cycling club? Contact G4 who provide a custom service!
http://www.calameo.com/read/003111411e32746b42755
Links
It was a stage of action and drama at Tour Down Under. The GC leaders battled for bonus seconds. A first WorldTour victory went to Jasper Philipsen after Caleb Ewan was relegated for head butting. Race leader Patrick Bevin was involved in a crash and had to chase to get back with the peloton.
Quotes
“Riders like me and Cancellara don’t think about the points, just the win.”
Vincenzo Nibali bemoans the lack of fierce joy in the riders of the peloton, many of whom he believes play it safe and ride just for points, not the win.
Read his straight-talking interview on Velonews.
When asked what animal he would like to be, Bernie Eisel answered ‘My cat. She has the best life you can imagine!’
I happen to know that there are a whole lotta ladies out there who would kill to be Bernie’s cat. I’ll leave that there …
The face a million women love (Image: Team Sky)
Here is Team Sky’s 20 Questions to the Ladies Favourite