Julian Alaphilippe, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert do not race to a script, a hallmark of their roots in the brief, intense winter version of road racingAlong with Tadej Pogacar’s precocious talent and Mark Cavendish’s astonishing comeback, the 2021 Tour de France has turned into a race marked by three influential all-rounders: Julian Alaphilippe, winner of stage one; Mathieu van der Poel, victor of stage two and yellow jersey for six stages before pulling out on Monday; and Wout van Aert, who dominated the toughest mountain stage of the entire race on Wednesday, winning the stage to Malaucène after two ascents of the dreaded Mont Ventoux. Related: Bauke Mollema climbs to win as Tadej Pogacar tightens Tour...
Not long ago the Manxman talked tearfully about retirement. Now Eddy Merckx’s record of 34 Tour stage wins is in sightAs the French like to say, eating whets the appetite. So on Friday, the morning after winning the 32nd Tour de France stage of his career at Châteauroux, Mark Cavendish did not rest on his laurels, but formed part of a decisive 28-rider escape on the longest stage of the race. He spent much of the 249km run to Le Creusot several minutes ahead of the field, along with some of the strongest one-day racers in cycling: Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Philippe Gilbert and Vincenzo Nibali.Given the hills that peppered the finale of the stage, Cavendish was...
Thirty-five years after Bernard Hinault’s Tour de France win, the world champion carries slim home hopesOn Monday, the Tour de France’s mini-tour of famous cycling locations in the bike racing heartland of Brittany takes it through Plumelec and up the legendary Cadoudal hill. The ascent will be brief and probably inconsequential, but after a weekend full of reminders of French cycling’s glorious past it will serve as yet another reminder of a far longer and more existentially painful battle: the 35-year hiatus since the home nation won its Tour.In 1985, Plumelec was where Bernard Hinault won the prologue in front of 100,000 baying fans, the first stepping stone towards the “Badger’s” his fifth Tour win, the last victory for a...
The British cyclist has a mature head on young shoulders, says his former coach and mentorI had been awake for a while waiting for the stage to start, playing through every scenario in my mind and hoping that everything – the course, the weather – went in Tao’s favour. It’s a big emotional moment for people involved in his development and for his own team too, because they have been through a lot this year. Related: Tao Geoghegan Hart's shock Giro d'Italia win 'the stuff of comic books' Related: Giro d'Italia: Geoghegan Hart seals shock win after time-trial – as it happened Related: GB's Tao Geoghegan Hart sensationally claims Giro d'Italia glory after time trial Continue reading...
Roglic came to cycling late after starting out as a ski jumper while precocious talent Pogacar has been steeped in the sportFrench headline writers love to adapt the sentence used on level crossings by the national rail company to warn that if the red lights keep flashing, another train may be coming. The 2020 Tour de France is a landmark edition in various ways, but with Tadej Pogacar snatching a last-gasp, unlikely win from Primoz Roglic on Saturday, the old level-crossing cliche, un train peut en cacher un autre, could sum up the past three weeks: one Slovenian can come in the slipstream of another.Nailing first and second in the biggest bike race in the world is a huge step...