cycling team names tour de france

Tour de France 2022 start list: Tadej Pogačar, Primož Roglič and Wout Van Aert all line up for the 109th edition

The squads of all 22 teams starting in Denmark in the battle for the yellow jersey

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The 2022 Tour de France begins on Friday 1 July, with 176 riders taking to the start line at the Grand Départ in Denmark before finishing, as usual, on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on Sunday 24 July. 

Reigning champion, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) is returning to try and win the title for the third successive year over the 21 days of racing to Paris, but he and his team will face a tough battle for the Maillot Jaune. 

His compatriot Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) is expected to provide him the most difficult test at the Grand Tour, with Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma), and Daniel Martínez (Ineos Grenadiers) ready and waiting for any opportunities in the general classification. 

Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers), Tour winner from 2018, also lines up, but he will likely ride for his teammates rather than making an attempt at the yellow jersey himself, despite recently winning the Tour de Suisse. After twice finishing second at the Tour de France before, and once in third, Nairo Quintana (Arkéa Samsic) is no doubt desperate to stand on the top step of the podium this time around, though his chances in doing so look slim.

Chris Froome (Israel-Premier Tech) is starting at the 2022 Tour de France, and while a GC challenge is extremely unlikely, the four-time Tour winner will still believe he can produce consistently over the three weeks.

Romain Bardet (Team DSM) perhaps offers France's greatest opportunity at a home win, though he has previously stated stage wins are the main goal at this Tour, rather than the overall victory. 

Plenty of other riders are aiming for stage wins and the different jerseys on offer, too. Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) will resume battle in France. While the latter has claimed he is only targeting stage wins, rather than the points classification, it is likely he will still have to beat Van Aert on a few occasions to achieve that goal.  

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Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl are placing their sprint hopes on Fabio Jakobsen, opting not to bring Mark Cavendish into the fold - a stage win for the Manxman would give him the most stage wins in Tour history, allowing him to overtake Eddy Merckx as the pair both sit on 34. 

Peter Sagan (TotalEnergies) and Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) also join Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) in lining up for the Grands Départs in Denmark, adding their names to an already stellar start list of some of cycling's biggest names.

The full start list for the 2022 Tour de France is below.

Tour de France 2022 start list

UAE Team Emirates

1. POGAČAR Tadej 2. BENNETT George 3. BJERG Mikkel 4. LAENGEN Vegard Stake 5. MAJKA Rafał 6. MCNULTY Brandon 7. SOLER Marc 8. HIRSCHI Marc 

Jumbo-Visma

11. ROGLIČ Primož 12. BENOOT Tiesj 13. KRUIJSWIJK Steven 14. KUSS Sepp 15. LAPORTE Christophe 16. VAN AERT Wout 17. VAN HOOYDONCK Nathan 18. VINGEGAARD Jonas

Ineos Grenadiers

21. THOMAS Geraint 22. MARTÍNEZ Daniel Felipe 23. CASTROVIEJO Jonathan 24. GANNA Filippo 25. PIDCOCK Thomas 26. ROWE Luke 27. VAN BAARLE Dylan 28. YATES Adam  

AG2R Citroën

31. O'CONNOR Ben 32. BOUCHARD Geoffrey 33. CHEREL Mikael 34. COSNEFROY Benoît 35. DEWULF Stan 36. JUNGELS Bob 37. NAESEN Oliver   38. PARET-PEINTRE Aurélien

Bora-Hansgrohe

41. VLASOV Aleksandr 42. GROßSCHARTNER Felix 43. HALLER Marco 44. KÄMNA Lennard 45. KONRAD Patrick 46. POLITT Nils 47. SCHACHMANN Maximilian 48. VAN POPPEL Danny 

Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl

51. JAKOBSEN Fabio 52. ASGREEN Kasper 53. BAGIOLI Andrea 54. CATTANEO Mattia 55. HONORÉ Mikkel Frølich 56. LAMPAERT Yves 57. MØRKØV Michael 58. SÉNÉCHAL Florian

61. MAS Enric 62. ERVITI Imanol 63. IZAGIRRE Gorka 64. JORGENSON Matteo   65. MÜHLBERGER Gregor 66. OLIVEIRA Nelson 67. TORRES Albert 68. VERONA Carlos 

71. MARTIN Guillaume 72. PERICHON Pierre-Luc 73. GESCHKE Simon 74. IZAGIRRE Ion 75. LAFAY Victor 76. PEREZ Anthony 77. THOMAS Benjamin 78. WALSCHEID Max

Bahrain-Victorious

81. HAIG Jack 82. CARUSO Damiano 83. GRADEK Kamil 84. MOHORIČ Matej 85. SÁNCHEZ Luis León 86. TEUNS Dylan 87. TRATNIK Jan 88. WRIGHT Fred

Groupama-FDJ

91. GAUDU David 92. DUCHESNE Antoine 93. GENIETS Kevin 94. KÜNG Stefan 95. LE GAC Olivier 96. MADOUAS Valentin 97. PINOT Thibaut 98. STORER Michael  

Alpecin-Deceuninck

101. VAN DER POEL Mathieu 102. DILLIER Silvan 103. GOGL Michael 104. KRIEGER Alexander 105. PHILIPSEN Jasper 106. PLANCKAERT Edward 107. SBARAGLI Kristian 108. VAN KEIRSBULCK Guillaume    

111. BARDET Romain 112. DAINESE Alberto 113. DEGENKOLB John 114. EEKHOFF Nils 115. HAMILTON Chris 116. LEKNESSUND Andreas 117. TUSVELD Martin 118. VERMAEKE Kevin

Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux

121. KRISTOFF Alexander 122. BYSTRØM Sven Erik 123. GOOSSENS Kobe 124. MEINTJES Louis 125. PASQUALON Andrea 126. PETIT Adrien 127. VAN DER HOORN Taco 128. ZIMMERMANN Georg  

Astana Qazaqstan

131. LUTSENKO Alexey 132. RIABUSHENKO Aleksandr 133. DOMBROWSKI Joe 134. FELLINE Fabio 135. GRUZDEV Dmitriy 136. MOSCON Gianni 137. VELASCO Simone 138. ZEITS Andrey

EF Education-EasyPost

141. URÁN Rigoberto 142. GUERREIRO Ruben 143. BETTIOL Alberto 144. BISSEGGER Stefan 145. DOULL Owain 146. CORT Magnus 147. POWLESS Neilson 148. RUTSCH Jonas 

Arkéa Samsic

151. QUINTANA Nairo 152. BARGUIL Warren 153. BOUET Maxime 154. CAPIOT Amaury 155. HOFSTETTER Hugo 156. LOUVEL Matis 157. OWSIAN Łukasz 158. SWIFT Connor 

Lotto Soudal

161. EWAN Caleb 162. FRISON Frederik 163. GILBERT Philippe 164. JANSE VAN RENSBURG Reinardt 165. KRON Andreas 166. VAN MOER Brent 167. VERMEERSCH Florian 168. WELLENS Tim

Trek-Segafredo

171. PEDERSEN Mads 172. CICCONNE Giulio 173. GALLOPIN Tony 174. KIRSCH Alex 175. MOLLEMA Bauke 176. SIMMONS Quinn 177. SKUJINS Toms 178. STUYVEN Jasper

TotalEnergies

181. SAGAN Peter 182. BOASSON HAGEN Edvald 183. BODNAR Maciej 184. BURGAUDEAU Mathieu 185. LATOUR Pierre 186. OSS Daniel 187. TURGIS Anthony 188. VUILLERMOZ Alexis  

Israel-Premier Tech

191. FROOME Chris 192. BOIVIN Guillaume 193. CLARKE Simon 194. FUGLSANG Jakob 195. NIV Guy 196. HOULE Hugo 197. NEILANDS Krists 198. WOODS Michael

BikeExchange-Jayco

201. MATTHEWS Michael 202. BAUER Jack 203. DURBRIDGE Luke 204. GROENEWEGEN Dylan 205. JANSEN Amund Grøndahl 206. JUUL-JENSEN Christopher 207. MEZGEC Luka 208. SCHULTZ Nick

B&B Hotels-KTM

211. BONNAMOUR Franck 212. BARTHE Cyril 213. GOUGEARD Alexis 214. LECROQ Jérémy 215. LEMOINE Cyril 216. MOZZATO Luca 217. ROLLAND Pierre 218. SCHÖNBERGER Sebastian

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Ryan is a staff writer for Cycling Weekly, having joined the team in September 2021. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before making his way to cycling. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer. 

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Tour de France jargon buster: all the cycling terms you need to know to understand the race

Don’t know your bidon from your lanterne rouge? BikeRadar’s glossary of Tour de France terms is here to help

MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images

Colin Henrys

Cycling can be a jargon-strewn minefield for newcomers and the Tour de France is no different.

Perhaps you enjoyed the Tour de France Netflix series and will watch the race live for the first time this year, but are daunted by the racing lingo.

There's also the multi-coloured wardrobe of Tour de France leaders jerseys and the classifications they represent.

The way in which Tour de France prize money is distributed is hardly straightforward either.

Factor in the Tour de France bikes and who's riding what and there's a lot to get your head around.

Ne t'inquiète pas. Our guide to commonly used Tour de France terms and what they mean will help you follow this year's action.

Common cycling phrases and what they mean

A sudden acceleration designed to distance a rider's opponents, often but not always in the mountains.

Every Tour de France stage has a time limit and the autobus forms on the mountainous days when non-climbers from every team work together to finish inside the cut-off. Otherwise, they'll be swept up by the broom wagon (see below).

The autobus is also known as the grupetto.

An aggressive rider who specialises in breakaways (see below) in the mould of EF Education-Easy Post's Magnus Cort. They might target the combativity award (see below).

The French word for a water bottle; many roadside fans will try to collect discarded bidons as souvenirs (though the UCI officially banned the practice of discarding empty bottles in 2021).

In French, un bidon collé/collant is a sticky bottle (see below).

A small group of riders (or sometimes an individual), who accelerate away from the main bunch during a stage.

Broom wagon

The vehicle at the back of the race, which metaphorically sweeps up riders struggling to make the time cut due to injury or fatigue. In fact, they're more likely to step off their bike into the team car.

Bunch sprint

Flatter stages will usually finish with a bunch sprint – a high-octane, hell-for-leather battle for stage honours between the fastest sprinters in the peloton.

Though the peloton arrives at the finish together in a bunch sprint, it is the sprinters and their lead-out riders (see below) who contest the stage win.

Chasse patate

Wild-goose chase in French, literally potato chase; when a rider is stuck between the breakaway and the peloton, with no chance of bridging the gap.

Combativity award

Awarded each day to the most aggressive rider according to the race commissaires.

The combativity award rewards the rider who animated the stage by initiating a breakaway, repeatedly attacked or spent a long time in front of the bunch.

The winner can be spotted easily the next day thanks to their red race numbers. An overall combativity award is also given at the end of the race.

Commissaire

The official(s) who adjudicate the race; they hand out fines in Swiss Francs and demote or even disqualify riders if rules are broken.

Directeur sportif

A team’s race-day director; the master strategist; the person gesticulating wildly and conveying tactics out of the team-car window. Some teams prefer 'sports director'.

The unsung heroes of the team, selected to look after their team leader. Domestiques keep their lead riders safe, fed and watered, and will work to chase down breakaways or try to dictate the pace of the stage.

The French, however, use the more egalitarian équipier or Italian word gregario to describe team helpers.

Lunchtime. Each stage has a dedicated feed zone, where the riders knock the pace off to collect musettes (see below) from their team soigneurs (see below).

Flamme rouge

The one-kilometre-to-go marker, denoted by a red air bridge, under which hangs a red kite.

General classification

Each rider’s finishing time is collected after the day’s stage. The general classification sorts the riders according to their cumulative time, plus or minus any bonuses or penalties.

The rider who has taken the least time to complete the race so far wears the fabled yellow jersey.

Grand Départ

The start of the race. This year’s Grand Départ is in the Spanish city of Bilbao.

Simply l e départ is the start of each stage and l'arrivée is the stage finish.

Cycling’s three most prestigious stage races, each lasting three weeks, the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España are known as Grand Tours.

Grand boucle

Literally the 'big loop', the Grand Boucle is an arguably undeserved nickname for the Tour de France. These days, the race doesn't visit the whole of the country.

A climber; a rider who's best uphill and may go for King of the Mountains (see below) points.

Intermediate sprint

As well as the finish line, each stage features an intermediate sprint, where there are points and prize money to be won for the first riders across it.

King of the Mountains

One of the Tour de France’s secondary prizes, the mountains classification ranks the first riders across each classified climb in the race.

The tougher the climb, the more points there are available for that ascent. The leader of the mountains classification is the King of the Mountains and wears the polka-dot jersey.

Lanterne rouge

Named after the red light hung on the back of a train, the lanterne rouge is the rider placed last on the general classification.

Ironically, in the past riders competed to finish last in order to gain invitations to money-spinning post-tour circuit races called criteriums.

Lead-out rider

This rider's job is to guide their team's sprinter through the frenzied final hundred metres of a bunch sprint.

They shield them from the wind and leave them in the best position possible before peeling off.

Mark Renshaw and Michael Mørkøv have excelled as poissons-pilotes for joint-record Tour de France stage winner Mark Cavendish .

Maillot jaune/yellow jersey

The iconic yellow jersey, or maillot jaune , is worn by the general classification leader. Jonas Vingegaard (Team Jumbo-Visma) won the yellow jersey last year.

Maillot vert/green jersey

The green jersey is the prize awarded to the points classification leader. Usually dubbed the sprinters’ classification, due to more points being available on flatter stages, Wout van Aert (Team Jumbo-Visma) won it last year.

Maillot à pois/polka-dot jersey

A distinctive white jersey with red polka-dots, awarded to the leader of the mountains classification.

Maillot blanc/white jersey

The white jersey is worn by the highest-placed young rider in the general classification. All riders younger than 26 on 1 January of the year following the race are eligible for that year’s youth classification.

A rider's worst nightmare; a puncture or other mechanical issue, such as a dropped chain, that causes them to pull over.

A team's most valuable riders will get a spare bike from their mechanic or a team mate, ideally of the same height, will give them their bike. Less important riders will have to change wheels instead.

If the team car is not in sight, the rider will have to rely on the neutral service (see below) car for assistance.

A small cloth shoulder bag handed out in the feed zone, containing a rider’s food and extra bidons to help them avoid bonking ( la fringale).

Nature break

No, not a civilised pique-nique at a leafy French aire d'autoroute (service station). A nature break is when the riders slow down or stop for a wee.

Neutral service

A car carrying mechanics, spare bikes and wheels to assist riders who have a mechanical if their team car is not close by.

Shimano took over the job from Mavic in 2021.

The ‘course’ or route the race is taking.

The peloton is the main bunch of riders during the race.

Points classification

The top finishers in each stage and at each intermediate sprint are awarded points according to their position. Those points are added together to form the points classification, the leader of which wears the green jersey.

An all-rounder and often one of the hardest riders in the peloton; a rouleur can excel on all different terrains and often makes for an excellent domestique.

The unsung hero of a team’s staff behind the scenes; the soigneur (also known as a 'swannie' in English-speaking teams) is responsible for looking after riders off the bike and handing out musettes, bidons and extra layers of clothing during the race.

Capable of stunning bursts of acceleration over short distances, the sprinters slug it out with their counterparts in the peloton on the flatter stages.

Sprint train

Sprint trains form ahead of a bunch sprint, with team-mates providing a wheel for their sprinter to follow through the chaos that unfolds.

At the back of the train will be the lead-out rider with the team’s sprinter on his wheel, ready to burst for the line at the latest possible moment.

Sticky bottle

When a directeur sportif hands a bottle out of the team car to a rider who holds on longer than strictly necessary, getting a coup de pouce ( helping hand) from the car's motion.

Three-kilometre rule

On sprint stages, under the three-kilometre rule riders delayed by a crash or mechanical within the final three kilometres of the race will be awarded the same time as the stage winner.

Intended to calm the race for the position in the finale, the rule doesn't always have the desired effect.

Team classification

The team classification ranks each team according to the cumulative time of their top three finishers on every stage. The team classification leaders may – but don’t always – wear yellow helmets to distinguish them in the peloton.

Team time trial

There is no team time trial again this year. A team’s time is calculated at the fifth rider to cross the finish line.

Stage 16 of this year’s Tour de France will be a 22km individual time trial.

Riders set off individually, in reverse general classification order, on specialised time trial bikes with the aim of finishing the stage in the quickest time.

Often dubbed the ‘race of truth’, an individual time trial can result in big changes in the general classification.

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The 22 teams

The peloton of the 110th edition of the Tour de France will include 22 teams at the start in the Basque country on 1st July 2023 . 18 UCI WorldTeams and 4 UCI ProTeams , with one unprecedented participation.

Details of the selection:

18 teams UCI WorldTeams: 

• AG2R Citroën Team (Fra)
• Alpecin Deceuninck (Bel)
• Astana Qazaqstan Team (Kaz)
• Bora-Hansgrohe (Ger)
• EF Education-Easypost (Usa)
• Groupama-FDJ (Fra)
• Ineos Grenadiers (Gbr)
• Intermarché-Circus-Wanty (Bel)
• Jumbo-Visma (Ned)
• Movistar Team (Esp)
• Soudal Quick-Step (Bel)
• Team Arkea-Samsic (Fra)
• Team Bahrain Victorious (Brn)
• Team Cofidis (Fra)
• Team DSM (Ned)
• Team Jayco AlUla (Aus)
• Trek-Segafredo (Usa)
• UAE Team Emirates (Uae)

4 teams UCI Proteams:

The two teams qualified by right:

• Lotto dstny (Bel)
• TotalEnergies (Fra)

  The two teams invited by the organiser:

• Israel-Premier Tech (Isr)
• Uno-X Pro Cycling Team (Nor)

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• Tour de France

How does a Tour de France team work?

From the domestiques to the massage therapists, every Tour de France team is made up of a million moving parts, any one of which could derail months of work.

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It takes much more than one supremely talented skinny man to win the Tour de France . That man matters, certainly, but Chris Froome would probably not be a four-time overall yellow jersey winner if he also didn’t have the best, most well-funded team in the sport surrounding him. (Maybe two or three times in that case — give or take a salbutamol inhaler).

It’s easy to lose sight of the importance of teammates in cycling. The Tour goes out of its way to make itself seem like an individual competition, giving the race leader a bright yellow jersey that can be seen from helicopters and propping him up on a podium after each stage to wave flowers and a plush lion at the cameras.

But don’t fooled. Cycling is about much more than pure physical effort. Yellow jersey contenders need teammates to make sure they use their energy as efficiently as possible while climbing some of the biggest mountains in the world. And in perhaps no other sport are the support staff — the team directors, soigneurs, mechanics, and chefs — so critically important to the mission, too.

Every Tour de France team is an intricate machine that could collapse if any part of it fails.

Teams are made up of eight riders who do everything together

Race, eat, recover, and repeat, for 21 stages and nearly 2,100 miles over 23 days. It should be noted that not all riders are the same. There are 22 teams in the Tour de France, each organized under a sponsor. The sponsors tend to be banks, energy companies, and bicycle companies.

Here’s a brief explanation of the most common types of riders you will see on the road.

The yellow jersey contender: The competition for the yellow jersey is based on the leader of the general classification, which ranks all 176 riders by time. The riders on top of the general classification at the end of the Tour tend to be strong climbers and time trialists, because mountain and time trial stages usually create the biggest time gaps. Teams can have multiple yellow jersey contenders — like Movistar this year with Nairo Quintana, Mikel Landa, and Alejandro Valverde — or one clear boss — like Team Sky and four-time Tour winner Chris Froome.

Teams like Sky are rigidly mechanical and deadly. They come into the Tour with a plan and follow it to the letter. Teams like Movistar function much more loosely, seemingly making up the gameplan on the fly.

The domestique: A domestique is essentially a helper rider, someone who sacrifices his chances to climb up the general classification or win a stage so that a teammate can succeed. Domestiques will often gather water bottles from team cars to pass out among teammates, or ride in front of a team leader to cut the wind for him, or even give up his bicycle if the team leader suffers a mechanical problem.

Depending on the type of stage, anyone — including the yellow jersey contender — could act as a domestique. For example, on a flat stage when there isn’t much time to gain, a pure climber might do domestique duties so that sprinters who are capable of winning the stage can focus on riding their fastest. When the terrain gets bumpier, those roles reverse.

The sprinter: Many casual fans understand the importance of the yellow jersey, but nearly as prestigious among riders is the green jersey, which is awarded to the rider who earns the most points from stage wins and intermediate sprints. These riders tend to be the fastest riders in terms of pure speed, because the biggest chunk of Tour de France stages take place on relatively flat land.

Other important types of riders include the puncheur — all-around riders who are best at courses that are not too steep, and not too flat — and the time trial specialist — also a good all-around rider and valuable domestique , but particularly well-suited for riding alone against the clock. The best yellow jersey contenders — Chris Froome, particularly — are often great time trialists.

Again, the important thing to note is that, at certain points during the Tour, any of these riders could act as a domestique . Everyone has to make sacrifices for the good of the team.

The key to any tactic on the road is drafting

Every move is based the fact that it is much easier to ride behind someone than in front of someone. Scientists don’t quite agree on the extent, but the effect of sitting on another rider’s wheel is a 27 percent to 50 percent reduction in wind drag . That’s why when you watch the Tour de France, you’ll often see the best riders sitting third or fourth wheel within a line of seven of their teammates.

The long leadout trains are most easily seen on the flat stages, when teams will work hard to move their sprinters to the front of the peloton — the big bunch of 100-plus riders sticking close together — and keep his legs fresh before he bursts forward to challenge for the stage victory. Teamwork is perhaps most critical in the mountains, however. When Team Sky takes to the Alps, expect to see riders like Geraint Thomas, Egan Bernal, and Wout Poels near Chris Froome at all times, doing as much work as they can for their team leader for as long as their legs will hold out.

Riders like Thomas are often called superdomestiques for being yellow jersey-caliber riders who nonetheless are willing to sacrifice for a team leader.

Having a teammate or two on difficult climbs is often what makes a great rider a champion. For the last several years, for example, Thomas has acted essentially as Froome’s guard dog. Whenever a rival would try to attack by accelerating from Froome up a steep slope, Thomas would chase and take Froome with him on his wheel, keeping the attacks at bay while insuring that Froome doesn’t have to expend more energy than necessary.

A great team can also go to the front of the peloton and drive the pace relentlessly high, snuffing out any idea of an attack before it begins. Not only is Sky ridiculously talented top to bottom, it is also incredibly well coordinated, sharing the energy load as equitably as possible and driving all of their rivals mad.

But no team can be great without proper support staff

In 2014, I spoke to a member of BMC Racing’s staff , and this is what the team brought to support its nine riders:

Minimum 17 staff: four soigneurs , four mechanics, a general manager, two race directors; a cook, a press officer, a hospitality manager, a technical director, a doctor and a photographer. 10 vehicles: one truck, one bus, one sprinter, one van and six cars. 27 road bikes, 18 time trial bikes and 80 pairs of wheels. 2,000 bottles 400 musettes 1,000 energy bars 1,500 gel packs The kit per each rider, which includes the following: four bibs, four short sleeve jerseys, two long sleeve thermal jerseys, two short sleeve thermal jerseys, three knee/leg/arm warmers, two wind vests, two rain jackets, five pairs of socks, two helmets, two aero helmets, 10 cycling caps, three pairs of gloves

Just like a domestique rider is expected to do everything for the team leader, a soigneur is someone who takes care of all the little things behind the scenes. Technically, soigneurs are massage therapists, but they will also pack the day’s musettes — bags that contain food, water, and energy drinks — that riders will grab as they ride through designated portions of every stage. If a rider misses a feed zone, his body could give out at a critical juncture of the race.

Then there are the mechanics. They get up early to make sure every rider’s bike is properly tuned, and pack the roofs of their support vehicles so that if an important riders suffers a mechanical problem, his replacement ride will be the most easily accessible. The mechanics can often salvage a bad day. On Stage 9 of this year’s Tour, for example, Frenchman Romain Bardet suffered three punctured tires on the cobblestones, and yet was able to minimize his time lost because AG2R La Mondiale’s mechanics were quick to give him a new wheel when he needed it.

Communication among everyone is critical during each stage

A system of radios makes everything go:

Race radio: A one-way feed run by Tour de France organizers. Team cars are stuck behind cyclists with limited visibility, so they rely on race radio to relay information about which riders have been involved in crashes or are pulling away from the peloton. Race radio gives clearance to team cars to break procession order and speed ahead to aid their riders. Car-to-car radio: A channel open to only the two team cars on the course. Amidst so much chaos, the two race directors must be in constant contact, communicating who will help which riders, and whether to pull over and swap rider-specific equipment based on which rider is in which part of the peloton. Car-to-rider radio: A channel that puts race directors directly in the ears of team riders. This communication line has been open since the mid-90s, though some want to abolish it, claiming that it has eliminated spontaneity during stages in favor of robotic coordination and tactics. Riders like it, however, and teams insist that the radio is used almost entirely for communicating times and potential hazards ahead, and that little collusion takes place.

Each team has two cars. All of the cars follow the peloton according to the team rankings, from best to worst, meaning that currently the top-ranked team, Quick-Step Floors, has the No. 1 and No. 23 cars in the procession, and the worst-ranked team, Cofidis, has the No. 22 and No. 44 cars.

Positioning is important, because any car near the front will be able to get to a down rider much more quickly. The positioning of the vehicles also incentivizes teams to get into breakaways. If a domestique pulls far enough ahead of the peloton, a team car is given a go-ahead to break procession order and drive up near its rider. Doing so might help the team’s yellow jersey hopeful later if he has a problem or desperately needs a water bottle as the breakaway is roped in and the vehicle is asked to rejoin the procession.

From the chefs dedicated to giving riders the perfect mix of simple carbs, proteins, and probiotics to recover from yet another grueling stage, to the communications director who keeps the atmosphere loose on the team bus for three stress-packed weeks, a Tour de France team is made up of dozens of moving parts, any of which could be the difference between success and failure.

If everything goes right, all that’s left for anyone to do is hope that the top guy doesn’t screw it all up

That’s the point of it all, really: to eliminate all possible complications until all that’s left is hope that your meal ticket — your one amazing rider who you’ve dedicated months of preparation for — can win the whole thing on his own, with, say, an incredible solo effort up to La Pierre-St. Martin , or a strangling performance on the cobblestones of Northern France .

And if that meal ticket bonks, or worse, crashes out of the Tour yet again , then all that effort will, cruelly, have been for naught.

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The 5-minute essential guide to the Tour de France

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Reading time: 0 min Published on 8 January 2024, updated on 18 April 2024

It is the biggest cycling race in the world: a national event that France cherishes almost as much as its Eiffel Tower and its 360 native cheeses! Every year in July, the Tour de France sets off on the roads of France and crosses some of its most beautiful landscapes. Here’s everything you should know in advance of the 2018 race…

‘La Grande Boucle’

In over a century of existence, the Tour has extended its distance and passed through the whole country. Almost 3,500 kilometers are now covered each year in the first three weeks of July, with 22 teams of 8 cyclists. The 176 competitors criss-cross the most beautiful roads of France in 23 days, over 21 stages. More than a third of France’s departments are passed through, on a route that changes each year.

A little tour to start

The first ever Tour de France took place in 1903. It had just six stages – Paris-Lyon, Lyon-Marseille, Marseille-Toulouse, Toulouse-Bordeaux, Bordeaux-Nantes and Nantes-Paris – and 60 cyclists at the start line. At the time, the brave cycled up to 18 hours at a stretch, by day and night, on roads and dirt tracks. By the end, they’d managed 2,300 kilometers. Must have had some tight calves!

Mountain events are often the most famous and hotly contested. Spectators watch in awe as the riders attack the passes and hit speeds of 100 km/h. In the Pyrenees and the Alps, the Galibier and Tourmalet ascents are legendary sections of the Tour, worthy of a very elegant polka dot jersey for the best climber…

The darling of the Tour

In terms of the number of victories per nation, France comes out on top, with 36 races won by a French cyclist. In second place is Belgium with 18 wins, and in third is Spain with 12. The darling of the Tour remains Eddy Merckx, holding the record of 111 days in the yellow jersey. This Belgian won 5 times the Great Loop as Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault and Michael Indurain.

‘Le maillot jaune’

The yellow jersey is worn by the race winner in the general classification (calculated by adding up the times from each individual stage). This tradition goes back to 1919. It has nothing to do with the July sunshine or the sunflower fields along the roads; it was simply the colour of the pages of newspaper L’Auto, which was creator and organiser of the competition at the time.

The Tour de France is the third major world sporting event after the Olympic Games and the World Cup, covered by 600 media and 2,000 journalists. The race is broadcast in 130 countries by 100 television channels over 6,300 hours, and is followed by 3.5 billion viewers.

The Champs-Élysées finish

Each year the Tour departs from a different city, whether in France or in a neighbouring country. Since 1975, the triumphal arrival of the cyclists has always taken place across a finish line on Paris’ Champs-Élysées. It’s a truly beautiful setting for the final sprint.

And the winner is…

Seen from the sky and filmed by helicopters or drones, the Tour route resembles a long ribbon winding its way through France’s stunning landscapes: the groves of Normandy, the peaks of the Alps, the shores of Brittany and the beaches of the Côte d’Azur. In 2017, it was the Izoard pass in Hautes-Alpes that was elected the most beautiful stage, at an altitude of 2,361 metres. Which one gets your vote?

Find out more on the official Tour de France site: https://www.letour.fr

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Côte d'Azur

Here Are the Contenders Primed to Challenge Cycling’s Dominant Duo in the Giro and Tour de France

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As we grow nearer to Grand Tour season, the story is no doubt going to center around cycling’s two biggest names: Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard. Can Pog pull off the Giro/Tour double? If he’s going to, he’ll have to vanquish Vingegaard, the only rider who’s been able to go toe-to-toe with Pogačar. On the other side of the coin, can Vingegaard go three-for-three, becoming just the ninth rider to win at least three Tours (and the sixth to win three consecutively)?

But what about the other riders in the peloton who have a real chance at dethroning the two-headed monster? Surely there are more names to watch than just Pogi and Jonas, more riders who— like Sepp Kuss did in last year’s Vuelta —can shock the world by taking down the giants.

Here are the contenders primed to challenge cycling's dominant duo in the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France :

Remco Evenepoel

There’s no denying that Evenepoel is one of the most talented riders in the WorldTour ranks. And with a pair of Liège-Bastonge-Liège wins and a Vuelta win, he already has a palmarès that most riders dream of. But after a bitterly disappointing Giro abandonment last season and years of answering questions about when he’s going to race the Tour, the time may be here for Evenepoel to exorcize some of the demons and answer the questions that always seem to be following him around.

Yes, he’s won a Grand Tour, but it wasn’t the Grand Tour. Maybe 2024, his Tour debut, is the year to rectify that for and with his Soudal-Quick Step team.

Primož Roglič

With a new team in Bora-Hansgrohe, Roglič will once again be looking to avenge one of the most bitter losses in cycling history: to recapture the Tour de France win that he was just one heartbreaking stage away from in 2020.

That 2020 loss, combined with Vingegaard’s unexpected ascension, pushed Roglič to the fringes of the Grand Boucle. Now, he’ll head into France as the undisputed team leader. And while Roglič’s had a less-than-stellar season thus far, according to Bora’s performance director Rolf Aldag, all eyes are on the Tour for Roglič and his team.

Cian Uijtdebroeks

Just twenty years old, Ujitdebroeks is heading into the Giro with expectations that are simultaneously high and reasonable. Early reports are that the Visma-Lease a Bike all-rounder will be chasing both stage wins and the pink jersey.

Uijtdebroeks finished eighth in last summer’s Vuelta a España and none of the seven riders ahead of him are slated to start the Giro. Of course, it’ll help his cause that he’ll have Wout van Aert, perhaps the world’s greatest domestique, working for him throughout Italy.

Ben O’Connor

Last year, Ben O’Connor asked his French team, Decathlon-AS2R La Mondiale, if he could shift his focus from the Tour de France to the Giro d’Italia. After two consecutive Tours marred by crashes, sickness, and just plain bad luck, O’Connor is hoping to right his ship with a go at the pink jersey.

To the surprise of many, AG2R acquiesced and, as O’Connor has the most WorldTour points of any Giro entrants as of this writing, early returns say they may have made the right move.

Geraint Thomas

Like Pogačar, Ineos Grenadiers’ Geraint Thomas is targeting the Giro/Tour double. He’ll be the team’s sole GC hunter in Italy, as he aims to avenge the pink jersey he lost to Primož Roglič on the penultimate stage of last year’s Giro.

The picture in France gets a bit murkier, as Ineos will be sending Tom Pidcock and Carlos Rodríguez both to the start line in June, making Thomas’s hunt for a second yellow jersey—he won the Tour 2018—a far less straightforward proposition.

Alexsandr Vlasov

The 27-year-old Bora-Hansgrohe rider raised plenty of eyebrows at the dawn of this season when he said he would let the road decide whether he would race for or against his new teammate—and presumed team leader—Primož Roglič.

Well, the reality of that statement might come to a head sooner rather than later. Vlasov has been looking strong this spring, with his most eye-catching performance coming in Paris-Nice, where he finished fifth overall, seventh in the points classification, and fourth in the KOM race. Roglič, on the other hand, finished that race tenth, eleventh, and tenth in those very same classifications.

Simon Yates

Whereas so many riders are bolstered by hype, Simon Yates’s chances for a surprise Tour victory are supported by the fact that he just always seems to be there, near the front, toe-to-toe with the best and the brightest. The Jayco-AlUla leader, who finished fourth overall in 2023, will be making his seventh Tour appearance, so he knows the race as well as just about any of the other contenders. But more than anything, he’ll likely need a few breaks to roll his way.

Jai Hindley

The 2022 Giro champion is expected to ride in support of Roglič in the Tour. But we all know how mercurial Roglič can be, which means Hindley may be presented with a sudden and unexpected chance to fight for the yellow jersey.

Sepp Kuss, Juan Ayuso, and Adam Yates

I’m combining these three, as their longshot potential to make a run at GC would depend on Vingeaard and/or Pogačar blowing up or abandoning, neither of which either does very often. Kuss has shown that he has the strength and the grit to win a Grand Tour, but his shot at the yellow jersey would wholly depend on whether or not Vingegaard is at or near the front.

The same goes for Ayuso and Yates, who will both ride in support of Pogačar this summer. Yates finished third in last year’s Tour, proving that he’s much more than just another domestique. Meanwhile, all signs have been pointing to UAE Team Emirates grooming the 21-year-old Ayuso to be something of a 1A to Pogačar.

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‘It’s not like I lost it’: Geraint Thomas on the Giro, crashes and a last Olympic hurrah

The British rider talks about doubling up in the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France, and why cycling can do more in terms of safety

G eraint Thomas heads to the start of 2024’s first Grand Tour, the Giro d’Italia, determined to avenge the bitter tears of a year ago when he lost the race to Primoz Roglic in a dramatic final time trial . “It was a tough and challenging moment, but for me it wasn’t like I had a bad day or did anything drastically wrong,” he says.

“Roglic had a flyer and he deserved to win it. It’s not like I lost it – he won it. It was hard. You lead the Giro for half the race and then you lose by 15 seconds on the final day: it’s a tough one. But then as [the psychologist] Steve Peters would always say: ‘Life’s not fair. Get on with it.’”

Thomas has decided to race in the Giro, which starts in Turin next Saturday, and the Tour de France this summer. “I wanted to go back to the Giro after last year and the Tour is the Tour. In the back of my mind, I’d always thought: ‘Sod it, why don’t I just try to do both …?’”

Also in the back of his mind is one final hurrah in the Olympic Games . “I’d love to do one more Olympics, but I don’t want to go and just get another tracksuit,” he says. “I want to be good enough to be in with a shout of a medal. I’ve got four tracksuits already – I don’t need another one.”

First, though, comes the Giro and the prospect of trying to derail the seemingly unstoppable Tadej Pogacar , the dominant force this spring. “Pogacar is the massive favourite, but stranger things have happened,” Thomas says. “It’s three weeks – it’s different to any other race. Anyone can have a bad day.”

So can the wily seasoned pro derail the Pogacar express? “Possibly,” he replies, “but I’m not one to play mind games. I’ll be doing my thing – try to stay consistent, good and strong all the way through. He’s a racer and he just loves winning. When he retires he’s going to be one of the greatest of all time.”

Speaking as he puts the final touches to his pre-Giro race preparation at the Tour of the Alps, the Welsh rider, like most of his peers, has race safety on his mind after a series of bad crashes sidelined big names such as Jonas Vingegaard – the Tour de France winner in the past two years – Wout van Aert, Remco Evenepoel and Roglic.

“Everyone’s talking about this now because big-name riders have crashed, but it’s been happening for years,” he says. “Racing’s got that danger element already, but I feel like it could do so much more to increase safety. There’s road furniture, traffic calming, kerbs sticking out, all that kind of stuff. That adds an element of danger as well. When you’re in it, if I thought about it, I’d be at the back [of the peloton]. You wouldn’t be racing, you couldn’t do it.”

Thomas’s words prove prophetic. Only 48 hours later during the Tour of the Alps, the Australian rider Chris Harper crashed on a fast descent and slewed head first into an unprotected lamp-post. Fortunately the 29-year-old escaped with only superficial wounds and a concussion. “Ninety per cent of the guys won’t know the roads [in this race],” Thomas says. “You’re going down these descents, flying down them. If this was a new sport, there’s no way it would be allowed.’”

Thomas fully supports the public statement made by the Ineos Grenadiers owner, Jim Ratcliffe, who in mid-April issued a public plea for a ramping up of cycling’s safety protocols. “Cyclists are always going to push things to the limit as they are elite sportsmen,” Ratcliffe said, before urging David Lappartient, the president of the world governing body, the UCI, to “ensure the safety of the sport”.

Lappartient’s recent comments, that “50% of the crashes” are down to what he called the “attitude” of the riders do not sit well with Thomas, even if he acknowledges that some riders take risks he wouldn’t. “I think Lappartient needs to focus more on the 50% he can affect,” Thomas says. “I agree with what he says, but it just doesn’t make sense to me even saying it. That means 50% is still down to him and organisers to do everything they can.”

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Ratcliffe, meanwhile, may have big plans for Manchester United but Thomas says that another Tour de France victory is also on his mind. “Jim really wants to win the Tour,” he says. “Fair play – that is the ultimate and that’s what we’re trying to do. It might take a couple of years, but I still believe that this team can get back there.”

Thomas, a longstanding Arsenal fan, said he and Ratcliffe exchanged messages after the billionaire’s majority acquisition of United became a reality. “When the deal went through, he messaged me on Christmas Eve and said: ‘United’s happening.’ I was like: ‘Ah sweet – I hope you come a strong second to Arsenal.’ He just replied: ‘Ouch.’”

Thomas’s old team principal Sir David Brailsford, although dedicating much of his time to Ratcliffe’s Manchester project, remains in contact. “I get the impression he still massively misses the team,” Thomas says. “It’s his baby really – he started it.

“He’s still really passionate about the sport. He gives me a ring every now and then. He’s still involved but just has a lot of other things going on. It is kind of strange when you see Dave on Sky Sports sat next to Sir Alex Ferguson. But he loves it. He loves a big challenge. He goes all in.”

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Tour de Romandie 2024: live stream cycling online

The 77th Tour de Romandie packs in 11,000m of climbing across six stages in Switzerland

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Last year's winner Adam Yates and third-placed Damiano Caruso both return to this six day-stage race in Romandie, the French speaking area of west Switzerland to battle again in the region's beautiful mountain scenery.

Read on and we'll show you how to watch the Tour de Romandie 2024 live streams from anywhere with a VPN , and potentially for FREE .

Tour de Romandie 2024 live streams take place between Tuesday, April 23 and Sunday, April 28. Start times vary. • FREE STREAMS —   Watch on SRF (Switzerland) •   U.S. — Watch on FloBikes •   U.K. — Watch on Discovery+ • Watch anywhere — Try NordVPN

Starting with a minuscule 2.3km prologue in the town of Payerne, the 77th Tour de Romandie will cover a total of 657km and pack in over 11,000m of climbing with a time trial on stage three and summit finishes on both stages two and four at Les Marécottes and Leysin.

Favourite to repeat his victory of last year will be Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) who will be backed up by a strong team including Pavel Sivakov, Felix Großschartner and Juan Ayuso. Leading the challenge will be the ever improving Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) winner of the recent Giro d’Abruzzo Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan Team) and young French star Lenny Martinez (Groupama - FDJ).

The course isn’t just for the climbers though as with a prologue and a mid-race time trial many TT specialists are on the start sheet too including Josh Tarling and Ethan Hayter from (INEOS Grenadiers) and Rémi Cavagna (Movistar Team).

Stage four, the Queen stage of the race lived up to all the hype providing a pulsating finale on the finishing climb. The win and race lead were both up for grabs and it was Richard Carapaz (EF Education–EasyPost) who took the stage, but only just from the fast approaching Florian Lipowitz (Bora-Hansgrohe).

Behind the race for the overall was just as exciting as overnight leader Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) cracked opening the door for another young Spaniard Carlos Rodríguez (INEOS Grenadiers) to pull on the yellow jersey.

The final stage, stage five sees the race cover 150km around the town of Vernier so read on to find out where to watch the Tour de Romandie 2024 cycling action live, wherever you are in the world.

FREE Tour de Romandie 2024 live streams

If you live in Switzerland then you can look forward to a FREE Tour de Romandie live stream in 2024. 

Switzerland's SRF is set to serve up a free stream of this six-stage stage race.

But what if you're based in Switzerland but aren't at home to catch that free Tour de Romandie coverage? Maybe you're on holiday and don't want to spend money on pay TV in another country, when you'd usually be able to watch for free at home?

Don't worry — you can watch via a VPN instead. We'll show you how to do that below.

Tour de Romandie 2024 live streams around the world

Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the cycling on your usual subscription?

You can still watch the Tour de Romandie 2024 live thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software allows your devices to appear to be back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are. So ideal for viewers away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN . It's the best on the market:

There's a good reason you've heard of NordVPN. We specialize in testing and reviewing VPN services and NordVPN is the one we rate best. It's outstanding at unblocking streaming services, it's fast and it has top-level security features too. With over 5,000 servers, across 60 countries, and at a great price too, it's easy to recommend.

Get 60% off NordVPN with this deal

Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Install the VPN of your choice . As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're in the U.S. and want to view a Swiss service, you'd select Switzerland from the list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to SRF or another streaming service and watch the action.

How to watch 2024 Tour de Romandie live streams in the U.S.

Cycling fans in the U.S. can watch the 2024 Tour de Romandie on  FloBikes . A subscription will set you back US$149.99 for the year or US$29.99 on a monthly basis.

And if you're currently out of the U.S. but still want to watch the race, then don't forget to explore  NordVPN  set out above.

How to watch Tour de Romandie 2024 live streams in the U.K.

Live coverage of the 2024 Tour de Romandie will be broadcast on Eurosport and Discovery+.

A 'standard' subscription to Discovery+ which includes Eurosport's cycling coverage will set you back £6.99 per month or £59.99 per year. The package includes year-round cycling streams as well as other live sports including snooker, tennis, motorsports, the Paris Olympic Games, and more.

A premium subscription, which includes all that plus TNT Sports ( Premier League , Champions League and Europa League football plus rugby, wrestling, UFC, and MotoGP) costs an additional £29.99 per month.

If you're currently traveling overseas, don't worry, as you can use NordVPN to watch from abroad.

How to watch Tour de Romandie live streams in Canada

Cycling fans in the Canada can watch the 2024 Tour de Romandie on  FloBikes . A subscription will set you back CAN$150 for the year or CAN$29.99 on a monthly basis.

Not at home right now? Use NordVPN or another VPN service to trick your device into thinking you're still in Canada.

Tour de Romandie 2024 stages

The race starts with a very short 2.3km prologue which will be contested by the overall favorites, keen to install a pecking order early on, and the short TT specialists looking for a chance to gain a leaders jersey in a big stage race. 

Stage one follows the next day and it’s a lumpy 165.7km from Château d’Oex to Fribourg which will likely end in a sprint finish, although there are very view big name sprinters on the start sheet.

Stage two is where the GC action will really kick off with two huge mountains and a summit finish at Salvan/Les Marécottes. This 10km final ascent, averaging 7.3%, has slopes maxing out at 14% so will be a proper test for the climbers.

Those same climbers will the next day have to take on the 15.5km continuously undulating time trial around Oron and utilise another skill needed to win a stage race.

Stage four from Saillon to Leysin is 151.7km and takes the riders into higher territory with five classified climbs including the 10km summit finish at the end.

After this the GC battle should be stitched up with just the laps around Vernier to contend with on the final stage which will likely end in a sprint.

Prologue | Tuesday April 23, | Payerne - Payerne. 2.3km

Stage 1 | Wednesday April 24, Château d’Oex - Fribourg. 165.7km

Stage 2 | Thursday April 25, Fribourg - Salvan/Les Marécottes. 171km

Stage 3 | Friday April 26, Oron - Oron. 15.5km

Stage 4 | Saturday April 27, Sailion - Leysin. 151.7km

Stage 5 | Sunday April 28, Vernier - Vernier. 150.8km

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Simon Warren has been obsessed with cycling since the summer of 1989 after watching Greg Lemond battle Laurent Fignon in the Tour de France. Although not having what it took to beat the best, he found his forte was racing up hills and so began his fascination with steep roads. This resulted in his 2010’s best-selling  100 Greatest Cycling Climbs , followed to date by 14 more guides to vertical pain. Covering the British Isles, Belgium, France, Italy and Spain he has been riding and racing up hills and mountains for over 30 years now. He hosts talks, guides rides, has written columns for magazines and in 2020 released his first book of cycling routes,  RIDE BRITAIN . Simon splits his time between working as a graphic designer and running  his 100 Climbs brand  and lives in Sheffield on the edge of the Peak District with his wife and two children.

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Tour of Turkey: Tobias Lund Andresen wins stage 4 sprint, moves into race lead

Dane claims first professional victory ahead of Van Poppel in second and Uhlig in third

Tobias Lund Andresen ((Dsm-firmenich PostNL) emerged from a hectic finish to win stage 4 of the Tour of Turkey in Bodrum.

The Dane needed a late bike change but returned to the peloton and then timed his effort perfectly on the rising finish after Manuele Tarozzi (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè) and the remains of the early break were caught in the final kilometre.

Danny Van Poppel (Bora-Hansgrohe) finished second and Henri Uhlig (Alpecin-Deceuninck) third as other riders slowed each other in the search for the best wheel to follow.

Thanks to his stage victory and the time bonuses, Lund Andresen also took the race leader’s blue jersey, which he will wear during the 177.9km fifth stage from Bodrum to Kuşadası.

Lund Andresen was overjoyed to win his first professional race.

“The plan was that if Fabio made it over the climb, we’d go with him but he didn’t have the leg, so we made a nice plan for me and the team did an amazing job and I was able to take the win,” he said.

“It was a hard stage, with a lot of climbing. The roads are not the best, so it’s almost like riding cobblestones the whole day. It was grippy but that was quite nice for me.”

A breakaway again tried to foil the sprinters’ teams and the peloton, with eight riders going away with 110 km to race of the 137.9 km stage.

They worked well together and extended their lead to close to 2:00 but then Polti-Kometa and Astana Qazaqstan drove the chase. The Italian team was keen to defend Giovanni Lonardi’s race lead, while Astana Qazaqstan rode for stage 2 winner Max Kanter.

The hilly profile of the stage again ruled out the pure sprinters, with Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan), Fabio Jakobsen (Dsm-firmenich PostNL) and others dropped from the peloton.

The break reduced to five riders over the final climb after 95 km but James Whelan (Q36.5), Calum Johnston (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA),  Tarozzi, Owen Geleijn (TDT - Unibet) and Gianni Marchand (Tarteletto-Isorex) pushed on and held a lead of 40 seconds on the fast ride to Bodrum.

Whelan split the attack on a late climb with 10km to go, with only Tarozzi, Johnston and Marchand able to go with him. They attacked each other and the pace eased so the peloton closed the gap on the run-in to the finish.

Tarozzi refused to give up hope and attacked alone inside the final kilometre. He got a gap but then faded on the rising finish as Lund Andresen timed his effort to perfection.

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Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters , Shift Active Media , and CyclingWeekly , among other publications.

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