Showing posts with label Tour de France. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tour de France. Show all posts
Sunday, 9 August 2026
Tuesday, 4 August 2026
MATHIEU VAN DER POEL SHOWS OFF BMX SKILLS ONE WEEK AFTER ICONIC PARIS VICTORY
Mathieu van der Poel probably needed some time to recover after his spectacular victory on the Champs-Élysées in Paris at the end of the Tour de France. The Alpecin-Premier Tech rider was the strongest in a thrilling final stage and has since been recharging his batteries. He did so alongside his regular training partner and close friend Freddy Ovett.
What a Tour de France Van der Poel had. A possible yellow jersey appeared to be waiting for him in Barcelona, but after Alpecin-Premier Tech finished seventh in the team time trial, everyone knew that taking the race lead would be difficult. He was then dropped during the following road stage on Montjuïc, but gained his revenge in Ussel, where he won Stage 9 in magnificent fashion.
That, however, was only the tip of the iceberg. Van der Poel was rarely at the centre of the action during the remainder of the Tour. He helped Jasper Philipsen win Stage 17 in Voiron, before producing an extraordinary performance of his own in Paris. Van der Poel followed Tadej Pogačar on Montmartre, committed fully to the move alongside the yellow jersey, dropped the Slovenian and narrowly held off the peloton at the finish on the Champs-Élysées.
Van der Poel has fun on the BMX track
The victory was another addition to the Dutchman’s list of iconic successes. He has already won races including the Amstel Gold Race, Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix in memorable fashion, while his victory at the 2023 Road World Championships in Glasgow also became an unforgettable moment. His effort in Paris took a huge amount out of him, however, making some rest essential. Little had been heard from the Alpecin-Premier Tech superstar during the week following his Tour triumph.
So, what had he been doing? Van der Poel had returned to Spain to meet up with his regular training partner. Australian rider Freddy Ovett has trained alongside Van der Poel for years, and the pair were back out together once again. It was unlikely to have been their most demanding training ride, as they also visited a BMX track. “Don’t forget why you started,” Ovett wrote on Instagram. That is something Van der Poel never appears to forget: cycling should also be fun. On the track, the Dutchman enjoyed carving through the corners, performing wheelies and launching himself over the jumps.
Van der Poel’s next competitive appearance will not be on the road, but on a mountain bike. After the Tour, he shifted his focus to the wider tires and will compete in a World Cup race in Les Gets before travelling to the Mountain Bike World Championships in Val di Sole, where the elite events conclude on August 30. Van der Poel also plans to compete at the Road World Championships in Montréal, Canada, which run until September 27.
- David Bavin-Hobbs
Monday, 3 August 2026
POGACAR TO RIDE VUELTA A ESPANA FOR GRAND TOUR TREBLE
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| Getty |
Newly crowned five-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar will race in this month's Vuelta a Espana in an attempt to win all three of cycling's Grand Tours.
The Slovenian UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider will be the runaway favourite to win the three-week Grand Tour after becoming the joint most successful Tour de France champion of all time last month, alongside fellow greats Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.
Pogacar won the 2024 Giro d'Italia by nearly 10 minutes, and would become only the ninth rider to win all three Grand Tours in history should he triumph in Spain.
The 27-year-old finished third at the Tour of Spain as a youngster in 2019.
"I'm excited to say I'm going back to La Vuelta," said Pogacar. "It was my first ever Grand Tour back in 2019 and an amazing experience.
"Spain is a country I love to visit and race in, and I think the time is right to go back.
"The motivation is high to finish off the year in a good way and the Vuelta will be a big target. The team is strong and we hope to do good things."
This year's race begins in Monaco on 22 August and finishes in Granada on 13 September, with 21 stages across three weeks including time trials, sprints, rolling hills and high mountains.
Pogacar has won almost all of the sport's biggest races. In addition to his five Tour titles he has won the Tour of Flanders (three times), Milan-San Remo (once), the Road World Championships (twice), Il Lombardia (five times), Liege-Bastogne-Liege (four times) and the Giro.
He is also expected to try to defend his Road World Championships rainbow jersey in Montreal, Canada, just a week after La Vuelta finishes.
While La Vuelta is considered a main event on cycling's World Tour, the sport's top talents in the modern era will often prioritise the Tour de France at the expense of the Vuelta and the Giro.
Merckx, Anquetil and Hinault (twice) all won La Vuelta during their careers.
Following victory at this year's Tour,
Pogacar beat Belgium's Remco Evenepoel by more than six minutes at this year's Tour de France, and he is expected to win the Vuelta by an even bigger margin.
Famed for his explosive launch and metronomic high pace on stages, he is not showing any signs of fatigue or weakness.
Pogacar has won six of the seven World Tour races he has competed in this year, finishing second at Paris-Roubaix in April in a dramatic dash to the line with Belgium's Wout van Aert.
- Matt Warwick
Saturday, 1 August 2026
Wednesday, 29 July 2026
Monday, 27 July 2026
SLOVENIA'S POGACAR WINS TOUR DE FRANCE FOR RECORD-TYING FIFTH TIME
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| Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogacar celebrates on the podium after winning the 113th edition of the Tour de France in Paris, France, July 26, 2026. /VCG |
Tadej Pogacar claimed a record-tying fifth Tour de France title, while Mathieu van der Poel won a sensational 21st and final stage around Paris to close out the 113th edition of the race on Sunday.
Two-time world champion Pogacar joined Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain as the most successful riders in the history of cycling's most famous event.
The Slovenian had all but secured his historic title during the previous two mountain stages that finished on the iconic Alpe d'Huez.
Pogacar, who won five stages, had held the overall leader's yellow jersey since topping the sixth stage in the Pyrenees during the race's first week. With 26 stage victories in his career, he now ranks fourth on the all-time list behind Mark Cavendish (35), Merckx (34) and Hinault (28).
The 27-year-old also surpassed both Indurain and Chris Froome for total days spent in the yellow jersey with 70, and now trails only Hinault (75) and Merckx (96).
Pogacar is the youngest rider to win five Tours, and is more than a year younger than Merckx was when he achieved the same feat. He is also the first competitor to finish on the podium seven times in a row.
His ninth consecutive Grand Tour podium marked another historic first.
The UAE Team Emirates XRG cyclist appeared to relish his part in a stunning final stage, which was shortened to 88.7 kilometers due to wildfires in southwest France.
Van der Poel and Pogacar pulled away together on the final climb up Montmartre with 10 kilometers remaining, before fighting to the finish with a group of chasing sprinters closing in.
As Pogacar's strength sapped in the last 700 meters, and with the pack just seconds behind, Dutch rider Van der Poel went at it alone.
The cobbled classics specialist held on to win by a length of just half-a-wheel, in a photo finish alongside Alpecin Premier Tech teammate Jasper Philipsen of Belgium, while Denmark's Mads Pedersen took third place.
Source(s): AFP
- CGTN
Sunday, 26 July 2026
POGACAR HONOURED WITH SPECIAL KIT AND BIKE FOR RECORD EQUALLING FIFTH TOUR WIN
Tadej Pogacar fifth Tour de France triumph is celebrated with more than another yellow jersey in Paris. UAE Team Emirates-XRG marked the historic victory with a special team look and a collection of custom Colnago bikes designed exclusively for the riders who helped deliver the win.
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| Colnago |
Kit supplier Pissei has designed a one off jersey for the Tour’s final stage in Paris. The hand drawn design centres on the number five, topped with a gold crown to symbolise Pogačar’s five overall victories.
The years of each Tour triumph, 2020, 2021, 2024, 2025 and 2026, are incorporated into the design.
Pissei first revealed the kit on social media ahead of the final stage, describing the occasion as the team’s “last dance in Paris”.
The brand presented the design with the words: “Cinq. In yellow. Crowned in gold.”
A special edition Colnago for Pogacar and teammates
Bike supplier Colnago marked Tadej Pogačar’s fifth Tour de France victory with a specially designed Y1Rs for the final stage into Paris.
The Italian manufacturer produced eight custom bikes for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, one for each rider selected for the Tour, including Brandon McNulty, who was forced to abandon the race due to illness. Seven were painted yellow, while one received a white finish in reference to Isaac del Toro’s victory in the youth classification.
Several details on the bike refer directly to the team’s three weeks in France. The profile of the full Tour route is included on the rear stays, tracing the race from Barcelona to Paris. The names of all eight riders appear on the top tube, while each frame also carries the national flag of its rider.
Pogačar’s bike features a number of additional details. Rainbow accents refer to his world champion’s jersey, while five small references on the frame mark his Tour victories in 2020, 2021, 2024, 2025 and 2026.
The bike continues a tradition for Colnago, which has previously created special designs to mark major victories. This edition, however, places the full story of Pogačar’s fifth Tour win directly onto the frame.
- MICHIEL VAN LOOIJENGOED
Saturday, 25 July 2026
Friday, 24 July 2026
Thursday, 23 July 2026
RICHARD CARAPAZ CONCOURS STAGE 18 IN TOUR DE FRANCE ⁰
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| Richard Carapaz celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win Stage 18 of the Tour de France on Thursday. |
Ecuador's Richard Carapaz climbed into the overall top 10 at the Tour de France with his Stage 18 victory in the Alps on Thursday.
Carapaz, 33, finished the mountainous 185.2-kilometer trek from Voiron to Orcieres-Merlette in 4 hours, 26 minutes and 21 seconds. He pulled away on the last ascent of the day and covered the final 3 kilometers solo.
Switzerland's Mauro Schmid was the runner-up for the second straight day, 45 seconds behind, and American Matteo Jorgenson placed third.
Carapaz moved into 10th place in the overall standings.
Four-time champion Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia still leads the competition by 4 minutes and 32 seconds over Belgium's Remco Evenepoel. Mexico's Isaac del Toro is third, followed by 19-year-old Frenchman Paul Seixas and Spain's Juan Ayuso.
Stage 19 on Friday is a 127.9-kilometer route through the mountains from Gap to Alpe d'Huez. The 113th edition of the Tour de France concludes on Sunday in Paris.
--Field Level Media
Wednesday, 22 July 2026
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