Innehållsförteckning för June 27, 2024 från Cycling Weekly

So here we are, on the eve of Mark Cavendish’s final Tour. Cast your mind back to Whitehall in London, 2007, when a slightly chubby-cheeked young sprinter, full of confidence, rolled down the start ramp in his T-Mobile skinsuit. The attention that sunny day was actually on Bradley Wiggins in the hope of a home win (Fabian Cancellara denied him), as no one knew the journey that Cav was setting out on that day. Seventeen years later the hackneyed phrase of a being on a ‘roller coaster ride’ barely does it justice. From the highs of his multiple stage wins to the lows of crashing out in Yorkshire, British fans have been through it all in their support of the sport’s greate-stever sprinter. When asked how good Cav ‘really’ is,…

• Monday, July 1 Stage three The final full day entirely in Italy looks certain to finish in a sprint in Turin, and the long, straight finale is tailor-made for Cavendish’s leadout train to get into gear. The Manx Missile has good recent memories in the City of Four Rivers: he won Milano-Torino in 2022. • Wednesday, July 3 Stage five A day that begins in the Alps and includes two small categorised climbs along the way shouldn’t get in the way of the first bunch sprint on French soil. • Thursday, July 4 Stage six Pan-flat all the way from Mâcon to Dijon, this is the sort of stage that Cavendish has built his legacy on. His team will be at the head of proceedings throughout, aware that this…

Yes Brian Cookson, former president of the UCI Grands départs can be a very powerful and successful way of promoting cycling as a sport and pastime, while also providing a wonderful celebratory event that millions of people enjoy. However, it does seem to be getting a little bit out of hand. The Tour de France grands départs in London (2007) and Yorkshire/London (2014) in recent years were absolutely amazing events that I was proud to have a small part in during my time as, first, president of British Cycling, and later as president of the UCI. Anyone who was present will remember how brilliant they were. I’m sure most British cycling fans, like me, would love to see the Tour back in the UK as soon as possible. There is little…

Stage 1 Hilly FLORENCE > RIMINI Saturday, 29 June | 206km | Start 11:40 Finish 16:49 For the first time in the Tour’s history, the Grand Départ takes place in Italy with a brutal opening stage that packs in more than 3,800m of climbing. Today’s route Starting in Florence, the birthplace of legendary Italian cyclist Gino Bartali as well as Renaissance art and architecture, the first stage is a lumpy route travelling east to Rimini on the Adriatic coast. There are seven categorised climbs on the menu and the first, the 11km Col de Valico Tre Faggi, will top out after just one hour of racing. Then comes a succession of short but difficult climbs, with the final ascent denoting the entrance to the principality of San Marino. From there,…

It is not unfair to say that Alpecin-Deceuninck is a team of two superstars accompanied around France by six not particularly well-known riders. And when it comes to superstars, they don’t come much bigger than world champion Mathieu van der Poel and last year’s green jersey winner Jasper Philipsen. While other teams have split strategies, hoping to win sprints and challenge on GC, Alpecin are all-in for stage wins. Both Van der Poel and Philipsen have been on carefully tailored programmes to deliver them to the Tour de France in top form. The former last raced at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, since when he has been training at altitude, while Philipsen tested his legs at the Belgium Tour (12-16 June) after last racing at Paris-Roubaix. “I leave a week later than the rest…

Astana’s aim this year is simple: it’s all-in for Mark Cavendish – sorry, that’s Sir Mark Cavendish – in his final year in the pro peloton. The Manxman is back one last time for a stab at becoming the rider with the most Tour stage wins to his name. He is currently joint holder of the record of 34 with Eddy Merckx. Taking the record would ensure Cav’s place in cycling history. But it isn’t going to be easy. Astana are at least completely behind him. Having convinced him to re-sign for 2024, they then brought in former team-mates from Quick Step – crucially Michael Mørkøv – and coaching staff. If they pull it off it’ll be the story of the summer. If they don’t, everyone can at least enjoy…

Having won all three Grand Tours in 2023, Visma-Lease a Bike are this year enduring something of an annus horribilis. First Wout van Aert crashed heavily at Dwars door Vlaanderan in March sustaining serious injuries, then Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard was the victim of a crash at Itzulia Basque Country. His list of injuries were equal to, if not worse than, Van Aert’s. The Giro d’Italia – which they won with Primoz Roglič (now with Bora-Hansgrohe) last year – passed with the Dutch superteam managing just one stage win with sprinter Olav Kooij but no rider in the top 20 on GC. Then things got even worse. Another horror crash, this time at the Critérium du Dauphiné, saw half the peloton hit the deck and riders skidding down a wet…

The strength in depth of Norwegian cycling can be seen in the emergence of the Uno-X Mobility team, which last year made their Tour de France debut with a line-up of mostly home riders. Elder statesman Alexander Kristoff has been the nation’s star rider for many years, and is poised to return to the Tour for the 11th time. Through his career he has won four stages and spent a day in the yellow jersey, but he’s now in the squad more for his experience than he is his potential to win and will be tasked with guiding the country’s next generation of stage winners. Jonas Abrahamsen and Tobias Johannessen Halland love to get into breaks and have the nous to win from them. Star rider: Magnus Cort Magnus Cort…

Nationality: Slovenia | Age: 25 | 2023 Tour result: 2nd, GC; two stage wins 2024 highlights: Won Giro d’Italia (six stage wins), won Strade Bianche, won Liège Bastogne-Liège, won Volta a Catalunya | Strength: True all-rounder, particularly climbing and time trialling | Weakness: Bunch sprints, but he’s still quite good at them Entertainment rating ★★★★★ The nickname given to Tadej Pogačar by the local press at this year’s Giro d’Italia was telling. 'Il cannibale gentile', read the front page of La Gazzetta dello Sport, “the kind cannibal”. Allusions to the legendary winning machine Eddy Merckx are only natural when you have a palmarès like Pogačar’s but you simply can’t ignore the fact he does it all with a youthful grin across his face. This season, the Slovenian has won all…

Arkéa-B&B Hotels take up the mantle of the French team you’re most likely to forget about. Confusingly, they are now sponsored by B&B Hotels, a former sponsor of another equally forgettable team. The squad have raced at WorldTour level since last year, and have some riders you are likely to have heard of but who are unlikely to make much of a mark on this year’s race. Sprinter Arnaud Démare joined over the winter, but is yet to finish higher than fifth at a race this season. Expect the team to be a recurring feature in lots of breaks that don't succeed. Star rider: Kévin Vaquelin Despite the general anonymity of his Arkéa team, Kevin Vaquelin could be the future of French cycling. The 23-year-old has quietly had an excellent…

If this year’s Tour de France doesn't work out drastically differently to last year’s for Soudal-Quick Step, it will almost certainly be seen as an abject failure. Last year’s race was saved by a win on stage 18 by Kasper Asgreen, and the Dane also managed a second place on the following day’s stage – but beyond that, nothing. If last year was mostly a Tour to forget for the team, the plan this year is for a Tour to remember. The responsibility for that lies chiefly with one rider, Remco Evenepoel. The precocious Belgian became the first rider from his nation to win a Grand Tour since 1978 when he won the Vuelta a España in 2022, aged just 22. A super-talent who sits among the world’s top few…

It can't be easy being DSM-Firmenich PostNL. Being the 'second' Dutch WorldTour team lays them open to stark comparison with compatriots Visma-Lease a bike, who exist, for the time being, on the opposite end of the results spectrum in the men’s ranks. With a new sponsor on board this season, in PostNL, budgets have been boosted, presumably, and at least one big-name rider duly signed in Fabio Jakobsen. But sprinters and their teams can take time to gel – perhaps things will click into place at the Tour de France. The team has celebrated nine wins so far in 2024, although six of these were at the Tour of Turkey. DSM make a big deal of developing talent and setting longterm goals for their riders, but they haven’t won a…

Fill out the spaces below with the riders you think will finish in the top 10. At the end of the race award yourself three points for a rider in the correct position or classification jersey, and one point for a rider who finishes in the top 10 but not in the position you predicted. Send a picture of your predictions to cycling@futurenet.com with ‘2024 TdF prediction game’ in the email title before the start of stage one to be in with a chance of being crowned chief TdF smartypants 2024.…

Known for its smartwatches, Coros has released its first cycling computer, the Dura. The solar-powered head unit aims to compete in what’s a crowded and competitive marketplace. So what are the standout features? Certainly, the headline-grabber is the Dura’s claimed 120 hours of battery life on a single charge, which operates independently from the inbuilt solar panels – these will add two more hours per hour of direct sunlight. But the Dura’s clean and sleek looks should also see it receive plenty of attention. A 2.7in colour touchscreen is accompanied by both a button and dial. The unit is said to weigh just 97 grams. To keep you on the straight and narrow, or indeed the steep and winding, it’s equipped with a dualfrequency GPS chipset that’s designed to work…

Ross Shand, a chartered sports and exercise psychologist at Leeds Beckett University, believes that there is one personality trait responsible for many of the self-sabotaging behaviours featured here. “Those with strong perfectionistic characteristics who hold rigid beliefs about performance expectations, the judgements others make of them and the personal consequences of poor performance, are liable to self-sabotage,” he says. “Such thoughts and beliefs can lead athletes to experience high levels of stress and anxiety, leading them to experience a fear of failure where they avoid situations where success isn’t guaranteed.” Shand suggests the following four ways to reduce the impact of perfectionism: • Have a clear plan and stick to it. • Change your language from ‘I must’, ‘I have to’, ‘I need to’ to ‘I want to’, ‘I can’, ‘I…

Sunday, 23 June • John Davies Memorial Road Race (Fenwick, Kilmarnock): 3, 4: 1. Alan Hendry (Royal Navy Cycling) 1:55.41; 2. T. Bruno (VC Glasgow South); 3. O. Pemberton (Musselburgh RCC) same time; 4. C. Jackson (Edinburgh RC) +0.01; 5. R. Clark (Glasgow Ivy CC); 6. J. Vernon (Vanelli-Project GO) all st. Women: 1. Beth Macrae (Jadan-Vive le Velo-Glasdon) 1:57.37; 2. M. Gilbride (Vanelli-Project GO); 3. M. Bell (Musselburgh RCC) all same time. • A Bridge too Far Road Race (Priddy, Somerset): 2, 3, 4: 1. Sam Chaplin (Cycling Sheffield); 2. T. Bowden (Reflex Racing); 3. N. Makin (Mid-Devon CC); 4. A. Gardner (VC Venta); 5. J. Reeves (Reflex Racing); 6. N. Hallett (Pronto Bikes). Saturday, 22 June • Omega Portsmouth Crits round four (Mountbatten Centre, Portsmouth): E, 1, 2, 3:…

Elite men 1. Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers), in 39:21 2. Max Walker (Astana Qazaqstan Development), +1:14 3. Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech) +1:24 Elite women 1. Anna Henderson (Visma-Lease a Bike) in 46:07 2. Claire Steels (Movistar) +33s 3. Elinor Barker (Uno-X Mobility) +1:02 U23 men 1. Tomos Pattinson (Visma-Lease a Bike Development team), in 42:06 2. Ben Wiggins (Hagens Berman Jayco), +10s 3. Joshua Golliker (Groupama-FDJ Conti), +18s U23 women 1. Josie Nelson (DSM-Firmenich PostNL), in 47:59 2. Maddie Leech (Lifeplus Wahoo), +1:54 3. Flora Perkins (Fenix-Deceuninck), +2:12…

Lying machines I concur with Dr Hutch that new bike models seem to show greater progress by the marketing department than in the technology. I am particularly struck by those new versions that will save me many seconds, sometimes more than a minute, over 40km, compared to what went before. In choosing my next machine, I plan to search my old magazine issues in the hope of adding up all the savings from successive versions of the same model. Some of these brands are perhaps in their 20th iteration. With any luck, I should be able to find something that will allow me to finish the club 10 shortly before I start. Perhaps your reviewers might do this systematically, as a service to us all? Hitchin Nomads CC…

The Bern to Zermatt edition of the Chasing Cancellara series-founded by Classics king Fabian Cancellara – is 300 kilometres long and contains 5,000 metres of climbing. In just over a fortnight I’ll be tackling the route. I like a challenge, riding consecutive Fred Whittons was a proud moment but the Bern-Zermatt course takes things to a new level; I’ve never ridden as far or climbed as much before. The ride starts at 2am so I’ll need to ride through the dark for the first few hours. There’s no drafting allowed after 35km, and the ride ends with about a 30km climb! MyWhoosh workouts Our toddler keeps me busy and I jump on the indoor trainer when I can, the same as lots of other time-crunched cyclists. The free cycling app…

Nationality: Dutch | Age: 29 | 2023 Tour result: 57th | 2024 highlights: Won Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix | Strength: The best Classics rider of his generation, almost as dominant as Tadej Pogačar | Weakness: Climbing, but still managed third at Liège this year Entertainment rating ★★★★★ If this was any other era, Mathieu van der Poel would be considered the greatest rider of his generation. But the world champion, who looked unbeatable in the Classics this season, has the misfortune of being in the same generation as Tadej Pogačar, with whom he is good friends. The Dutchman’s Grand Tour palmarès does not yet match that of his long-time rival Wout van Aert. He’ll be seeking to even up the scores at this year’s race, where he could be…

Bahrain will be looking to turn their season around at the Tour de France – so far they have only notched up six wins among 28 riders. A solid ride in the Giro d'Italia by Antonio Tiberi delivered a welcome boost, and Torsten Træen took a gutsy mountain win in the Tour de Suisse in mid-June. Last year the team suffered the devastating loss of young rider Gino Mäder in a Tour de Suisse crash, and went on to honour him in the Tour with three emotional stage wins. Those winners – Pello Bilbao, Wout Poels and Matej Mohorič – are all set to start the Tour, and along with Fred Wright, are their best hopes for more wins. Hitter: Matej Mohorič Matej Mohorič is a five-time Grand Tour stage…

Nationality: Danish | Age: 27 | 2023 Tour result: 1st 2024 highlights: Overall victory at Tirreno-Adriatico and O Gran Camiño Strength: Climbing | Weakness: Explosive power Entertainment rating ★★★★ At the start of the season Jonas Vingegaard quietly went about his business and did so looking ominously good. He won three stages and the overall of the O Gran Camiño stage race in Spain, before going on to win two stages and the overall at Tirreno-Adriatico. All signs pointed towards Vingegaard being in top form come July, and after his Tirreno win, few would have bet against him taking a third straight Tour victory this summer. Then that fateful day in the Basque Country came and shaped the outcome of the Tour like no other day of racing has. On a…

With the arrival of Red Bull, and their cash, as a key stakeholder in the team, Ralph Denk’s squad suddenly find themselves elevated to superteam status, at least in terms of budget. The German outfit will target overall victory with four-time Grand Tour winner Primož Roglič and will need a team around the Slovenian strong enough to defend a high GC position, something they have never done before at the Tour. Whether or not they have the team to do this remains to be seen. In Roglič and Jai Hindley they have two Grand Tour winners, but below them and Vlasov there is a dearth in climbing talent. Outgunning UAE, Visma and Ineos in the mountains is a big ask. Star rider: Primož Roglič Roglič took a little while to…

One of the longest surviving teams in the WorldTour peloton, Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale has had a glow-up in 2024. By late May they had recorded 23 victories, more than double their 2023 win tally of nine. With a shiny new sponsor in Decathlon, and an even shinier new bike in the Van Rysel RCR Pro, the squad has stepped up and French fans will be looking to them for success on home soil. There has been no major overhaul in the rider roster or background staff, but something has clearly changed with the team. This is no longer the ‘have a go’ team of previous seasons, but a winning machine. They are likely to start with a split strategy of stage wins and GC and whether or not they can…

At every Tour there’s at least one small French team who try to get into every break. What these teams lack in quality, they make up for in enthusiasm. This year, that team will be Total Energies. As the only French team to have received a wildcard invite, they will court the attention of the TV cameras whenever they can. Last year they nearly won a stage with a couple of runner-up finishes through Mathieu Burgaudeau and Pierre Latour. With Peter Sagan’s retirement, they have no sprinter to work for this year, and will therefore go all-in on targeting the breakaways. Star rider: Mathieu Burgaudeau It’s not just a well-trimmed goatee that Mathieu Burgaudeau has in common with his French compatriot Julian Alaphilippe; he also shares his insatiable hunger for…

Age: 24 | Nationality: Belgium | 2023 Tour result: n/a 2024 highlights: 1st Volta ao Algarve, 2d Paris-Nice | Strength: Time trials Weakness: High altitude Entertainment rating ★★★★★ There is perhaps no one in the WorldTour peloton more self-assured than the young Belgian, and while the pressure of riding in the yellow jersey can be a heavy burden for many, you get the impression Evenepoel was born for it. Will he be good enough to pull it on? Up to now, Evenepoel’s season has gone far from how he would have liked. February and March showed promise, with overall victory at Volta ao Algarve and then second on GC at Paris-Nice. But in April, during the Itzulia Basque Country stage race, he was caught up in that devastating crash that…

The team from Wallonia is all in for sprint success with Biniam Girmay. The Eritraen is making his second successive appearance at the Tour and with his talent it’s no surprise he is their main focus. In Laurenz Rex, Gerben Thijssen and Mike Teunissen, they have a competent leadout train. The team has options on non sprint days too, with Louis Meintjes a strong option for mountain wins from the break, as well as an outside bet for the top 10 on GC. They will however need to up their game, having landed only one WorldTour win this season. Star rider: Biniam Girmay At the 2022 Giro d’Italia the Eritrean was the first black African to win a Grand Tour stage. Although he stated at last year’s Tour that he…

How do you kick off an Tadej Pogačar – from the scene. With those generational talents out of the way, then surely he, Mads it would be OK for me if they weren’t interview with a rider who admits he has a “super high” ego? You paint a picture of him winning literally everything, absenting his main rivals – Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert and Pedersen, would take a clean sweep? “I can’t answer that,” he cuts in, gruffly, “because they are here, and I can’t change that fact.” Flattery has got me nowhere. “Look, they are here, so it’s just a factor we have to deal with when we’re racing,” he continues. “They are also super good for the sport – cycling is better with them, even…

Psychologist Dr Sam Wood says grounding exercises can help you calm negative thinking. “Work on engaging your senses,” says Wood. “This pauses the negative thinking and allows you to refocus on what’s important.” Here are two to try: the Senses Ladder and Panoramic views. • Senses Ladder: You use all five senses to pull you away from outcome ruminations and back to the present moment. Look around you and list: Five things you can see, four things you can feel, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, one thing you can taste. • Panoramic views: To open up your peripheral vision (which is deprioritised when we feel under threat), slowly walk round in a circle as if you are taking a panoramic photo on your phone camera.…

A coach friend got in touch to tell me about a rider he works with. He crashed in a time trial earlier this year. “What happened,” my friend asked. “Wasn’t looking where I was going,” said the rider. “Perhaps looking would be a good idea?” “I never look where I’m going,” said the rider. “I’m a really bad bike handler, and if I look were I’m going and see the corners coming up I panic and I brake much too hard and much too early. If I only see them at the last minute I have to go round them faster because I don’t have any choice.” My friend decided to teach him how to a) go round corners and b) look where he’s going.…

Elite men 1. Ethan Hayter (Ineos Grenadiers), in 4:08:44 2. Lewis Askey (Groupama-FDJ), + 6s 3. Max Walker (Astana Qazaqstan Development), +21s Elite women 1. Pfeiffer Georgi (DSM-Firmenich PostNL), in 3:36:34 2. Anna Henderson (Visma-Lease a Bike), +6s 3. Lizzie Deignan (Lidl-Trek), at same time U23 men 1. Bob Donaldson (Trinity), in 4:11:55 2. Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers), +19s 3. Joe Blackmore (Israel-Premier Tech), +1:20 U23 women 1. Flora Perkins (Fenix-Deceuninck), in 3:36:42 2. Millie Couzens (Fenix-Deceuninck), at same time 3. Alice Towers (Canyon-SRAM), +3s…

Pidcock doubles up Tom Pidcock made it two from two at the weekend at Crans Montana, winning both the mountain bike XCC (short circuit) race and the standard XCO in the MTB World Series, a minute ahead of his nearest rival. Alex Dowsett on X “I was promised an evening of Zwifting but there were signs that something was amiss. My energy drink was a different kind of mixer, my cycling shoes left at home, and something was off with the logo. Phenomenal show, what a queen #taylorswift #erastour” It was, after all, a different kind of ‘Swifting’ for the former WorldTour pro. 1 One phone call was all it took from Wout van Aert to convince Visma-Lease a Bike DS Merijn Zeeman to take him to the Tour. “He…

The US team has cultivated an image of itself as a bunch of happy-go-lucky mavericks for whom enjoying the ride is as important as finishing first, but it appears to be more than just spin. Just two weeks ago in the Tour de Suisse, a big attack by Alberto Bettiol that so very nearly succeeded was something the Italian did "just for fun", he said. And take Irishman Ben Healy’s incessant attacking in last year’s Giro d'Italia that almost seemed to be as much for his own entertainment as for any good sporting reason – until, of course, he went and won a stage. The team looks buoyant this year, with a handful of WorldTour-level wins, including a Giro d'Italia stage. Hitter: Alberto Bettiol An exceptionally strong rider who can…

Jayco-Alula have had a fairly decent season, without being spectacular. Their Tour de France strategy seems to be spread over multiple objectives, with sprinters, puncheurs and climbers among their number. Whether they can mount a general classification tilt with such a split plan remains to be seen. The main aim, however, will be stage wins, with options on the flat, the hills, and the mountains. If Dylan Groenewegen can get his sprint to fire, everything will seem easier. Hitter: Michael Matthews Now in his 14th season as a WorldTour pro, the Australian only has one victory to his name this year but he knows how to rise to the occasion. He missed last year’s Tour, having focused on the Giro d'Italia, but will be back in the hunt again this…

halfway there, now we just need to win the Tour,” said “We’re UAE Team Emirates manager Mauro Gianetti in a recent interview with Cyclingnews. Two editions without landing the final yellow jersey have left the team bruised but determined to reclaim the top step. To achieve that this year, UAE Team Emirates will bring a much-changed and incredibly strong squad to the Tour de France, bolstered with young talent and set up for supremacy in the mountains. Again, Tadej Pogačar will be marshaled by his lieutenant Adam Yates, but will also have the backing of Tour debutants João Almeida and Juan Ayuso, both slated for their own GC success one day. Pavel Sivakov, a talented climber that slipped through the net at Ineos Grenadiers, gives the team even more firepower.…

There will be a Thibaut-Pinotshaped hole at the Tour this year. Groupama-FDJ’s soulstirring talisman retired at the end of last season, paving the way for another of their riders to become the darling of France. The obvious replacement is David Gaudu, their bespectacled GC racer, but don’t rule out Valentin Madouas, a one-day specialist still searching for a maiden Grand Tour stage win. A win will make their season, they’ve won nine times this year, and the only WorldTour victory back in January at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. Star rider: David Gaudu The last home rider to stand on the podium at the Tour de France was Romain Bardet in 2017. Since then, David Gaudu has carried the weight of French expectations. Fourth in 2022 was a…

Age: 24 | 2023 Tour result: 13th on GC and two top-five finishes 2024 highlights: Winning Amstel Gold | Strength: Good over all terrain Weakness: Lack of stage racing focus this year Entertainment rating ★★★★★ Whether or not the prodigiously talented Tom Pidcock will mature into a Grand Tour contender is the question on the minds of many British fans. He has won atop Alpe d’Huez, he’s won over the cobbles of Paris Roubaix (as an under-23 rider), he’s a cyclo-cross world champion, a mountain bike world and Olympic champion and as a junior, he won titles on the track. Late last year he hinted that 2024 would be the year he tries to answer the GC question. Perhaps not with a win, or even a podium finish, but by…

The can-do attitude of Lotto-Dstny was last year encapsulated by Victor Campanaerts, whose restless efforts to get into the break earned him the super-combativity prize. Freed from working for sprinter Caleb Ewan, hunting stages across all terrain will be the target this year. Lotto will be well-represented in the breaks and have a rider who can win from them. Maxim Van Gils has had a breakthrough year, taking three wins and top-fives in prestigious Classics during the spring including Strade Bianche, Flèche Wallone and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Star rider: Arnaud De Lie The twenty-two-year-old sprinter makes his Tour debut, having already raced to 22 career wins halfway into his third year as a pro. He might lack the top-end speed of the best fastmen but should excel on tougher and hillier days…

For years the Spanish Movistar team sat at the top of the sport, winning Grand Tours and one-day Classics galore. Eusebio Unzué’s team dates back to 1980, they dominated the Tour with Miguel Indurain in the 90s and then enjoyed 12 years of success with Alejandro Valverde from 2005. But now they are suffering the consequences of keeping all their eggs in one basket and failing to keep up with the technological, aerodynamic and coaching advances of other big-budget teams. Just six wins this year, one WorldTour, has seen them slump to 15th in the WT team rankings. They will, rather predictably, back Enric Mas for the GC and he is more than capable of a place in the top five, albeit without ever truly threatening the podium. Hitter: Davide…

After 15 long years without a stage victory at their home Tour, Cofidis finally lifted their hoodoo last July, winning twice. The team’s fans have Victor Lafay to thank for breaking that curse, but the promising French talent promptly left to join rivals Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale, taking his firepower with him. Spaniard Ion Izagirre followed it up with a win in the mountains and will be looking to repeat the feat this year. Victories this season have been sparse for Cofidis. The team also has an ageing squad, with 13 of its 30 riders over the age of 30. Star rider: Axel Zingle (Fra) Twenty-five-year-old Axel Zingle has been a breath of fresh air at Cofidis this season. The Frenchman has been a consistent podium in one-day races and on…

“You would struggle to find an elite rider who doesn’t have self-sabotaging behaviours,” says 23-year-old Ribble Rebellion rider Joe Laverick, who has witnessed many fellow riders derailing themselves with counterproductive decisions and habits. As a sports psychologist, I’m not at all surprised by this. Whether we are riding for fun or to pay the rent, cycling can sometimes feel psychologically threatening – and threat induces self-sabotage. Because we connect cycling with our identity, the risk is that our self-worth is measured in results, speeds and watts, with an accompanying fear that if these metrics don’t live up to our self-imposed standard, we are failing. Worse still, we’re liable to worry that others are judging us for these metrics or that we’re wasting our time, putting in effort for no gain.…

Margaret Allen, a winner of 30 national individual and team titles between 1967 and 1994, has died at the age of 79. She started racing with South Elmsall Social CC and at 19 finished second to Beryl Burton in the national ‘100’ and third in the BBAR. After switching to Birdwell Wheelers, she took second place to Burton in the national ‘50’ in 1965. She joined her rival at Morley CC, and in 1967 was in the winning team at 25, 50 and 100 miles. She gained 11 championship and BAR team awards before she retired to raise a family, returning in 1982 and leading Barnsley RC to 15 national team prizes. Allen’s best year was 1987, when she won the BBAR title with an average speed of 25.687mph.…

There is a theory – we’ll be hearing about it in the next few weeks I’d imagine – that the Tour de France would be greatly improved by much shorter stages. It would be more exciting to watch. It would prompt more interesting tactics, more open racing and less reliance on the team. That sort of thing. Well, I’m here to tell you this has already happened. It’s happened many times. The Tour de France is a shadow of what it once was. It’s only 60% of the length it was in the 1910s. As if that wasn’t enough, there are now 30% more stages. Or try it this way – the average stage in 1919 was 370 km, and that year’s longest stage was 480 km. The winner of…