As dawn breaks over the city of Pau I wake up with eager anticipation and look out across rooftops to the peaks of the Pyrenees that loom over this town. After two flat stages this is where the Tour will be headed tomorrow, promising a tussle among the GC contenders at last. I imagine the likes of Quintana and Aru licking their lips at the prospect of finally having an opportunity to challenge Froome for yellow. But they'll have to wait: today is another long, flat stage.
Read MoreBehind the Scenes of Le Tour Part 2
It’s an oft-quoted fact that the Tour de France is the biggest sporting show on earth. TV Audience figures are hard to quantify but they vary from the modest 1.5 billion to a bullish 4 billion people watching at least a few minutes of the three week race.
And it’s from the TV compound at the finish area of each stage that the race is broadcast to 190 different countries. The logistical miracle of packing up, transporting this whole village and setting it all up again some 200 kilometres away on a daily basis is astounding.
Read MoreThe Chiltern 100 Cycling Festival
The Chilterns: an area of outstanding natural beauty featuring a 170 mile circular cycle route, so accessible to London you can actually get there on the Tube. So why hadn't we ridden there before? It wasn't until several people at Eroica Britannia asked us if we were taking part in the Chiltern 100 Cycling Festival that we decided to check it out. This year for the first time, the Chiltern Cycling Festival combined with the brutal Chiltern 100 sportive - steel v carbon, heritage vs technology - this was going to be interesting...
Read MoreBehind the Scenes at Le Tour de France (Part 1)
“I always heed the words of the Queen Mother: never turn down the chance of a cup of tea or a pee.” It’s the first of many golden nuggets of advice, quips and bon mots from my avuncular host behind the scenes of the Tour de France 2017. It is of course none other than the Eurosport commentator, Carlton Kirby, as he shimmies his way into the urinoir outside the commentary box in Bergerac for a quick one before he takes up his post.
Stage 10 and 11 of this year’s Tour may have been two pan flat stages that featured hours of televised chateaux, vineyards and fields of sunflowers with little else to entertain the viewer. But for me they were a dream come true when, for two whole days, I had unfettered access to the behind scenes goings on of Le Tour.
Read MorePhilippa York Drops Robert Millar
For a sport whose (male) participants shave their legs, wear tight, revealing clothing and are constantly obsessed with their weight, you would have thought that there would be more openly gay cyclists or at least a greater understanding, tolerance and discussion of LGBT issues.
Yesterday’s announcement from Philippa York (formerly the hugely successful TdF cyclist Robert Millar) that she is to join ITV4’s Tour de France commentary team as her ‘new’ self could well presage a sea change in outlook from a largely traditional and backward looking culture that has been the norm in cycling.
Read MoreBrompton Review: Ugly Duckling to Design Icon
The first time I saw someone riding a Brompton back in the 90s I have to say that I thought it was a joke. It was the antithesis of the skinny steel road bikes that I loved. Tiny wheels, silly handlebars and an upright riding position went against all the aesthetics I thought I knew and loved.
But, while this eccentric looking folding bike has pretty much stayed the same since its invention in 1986, it’s no longer laughed at. In fact it’s become a design icon and no more so than in the Far East where a love for British design and innovation knows no bounds.
Read MoreCarlton Kirby’s Top Tips for Le Tour de France 2017
As Eurosport’s main man Carlton Kirby prepared for his three week stint commentating on the Tour de France, he interrupted his packing to give us a few last minute tips on what to expect. It’s shaping up to be an unpredictable one with a route that is a little lighter on the climbs than in recent years and the main contenders showing variable form. Here are some of Carlton’s thoughts.
Read MoreBoardman, Boulting and Millar on Le Tour, Eroica and...Watermelons
As the Tour de France starts this Saturday, many of us will be spending the next three weeks desperately trying to snatch a peek at the TV during the daytime or, at least, making an early evening appointment with the daily highlights show. For Messrs Millar, Boulting and Boardman, July 1st – 23rd is a slog around the ‘Hexagon’ as they commentate on the great race for ITV4. And this year sees them cover each stage in its entirety.
The trio were on hand at this year’s Eroica Britannia as invitees of sponsors Maserati for an informal chat and Q&A with vintage festival revellers who revealed a passion for the modern Tour. Despite more old fashioned Molteni, Brooklyn and Peugeot jerseys never being seen in one place at one time before, their wearers were desperate for the latest on Froome, Sagan and Quintana.
Read MoreJoin our Fantasy Tour de France Competition
It's now just over a week until the greatest annual sporting event on earth begins: the Tour de France. On 1st July the peloton tackle a 14km time trial through the streets of Dusseldorf followed by 9 flat stages favouring sprinters, 5 hilly stages for the rouleurs and breakaway riders, 5 mountain stages for the climbers and finishing with a 22.5km time trial in Marseille before the coronation of the Yellow jersey bearer in Paris.
Think you know who's going to win? You can test your cycling knowledge by joining our Fantasy Tour de France pool and win a prize of your choice from our online shop. It's free and fun!
Read MoreEroica Britannia 2017: Photos and Report
Well...What a weekend! The sun shone; the most handsome steeds in the country were on show; gentlemen, ladies and children dressed up in their finest; New Romantic legends, ABC, took us back to 1987 and the fab disco had all generations dancing their socks off to cool funkadelia and 70's hits late into the night.
Take a look at our fabulous photos and find out all about it here.
Read MoreRapha Nocturne 2017 in Pictures
Well done to Rapha for laying on such a fantastic event in the London Nocturne on Saturday night. A tricky, technical circuit resulted in quite a few thrills and spills.
Cycling fan, Sir Paul Smith was there to watch a bit of racing as was Cycling Podcast's Richard Moore. We caught up with Ed Clancy before he set off with the elite men and got some great shots of the folding bike shenanigans and our favourite, the fixed gear Crit. It's all here!
Read MoreTop Ten Cycling Jerseys of All Time!
Our friends at GCN did a quick survey of the pro riders' favourite jerseys a few months ago. While one or two actually chose their own kit (Mentjes?) the guys showed pretty good taste with Greipel going for Indurain's Banesto jersey and Dumoulin opting for the classic Molteni. We had some fun choosing our own Top Ten, trying to spread them out over the last six decades. Apologies for the 80s bias, a giveaway about our age here. Let us know what you think!
Read More200 Years of Bicycles! "Whoever invented the bicycle deserves the thanks of humanity.”
“Whoever invented the bicycle deserves the thanks of humanity.”
Lord Charles Beresford
Next week , on 12th June, we will be celebrating 200 years since the first documented journey by bicycle. In that time we have seen it develop from something that resembled a balance bike to the state of the art modern machines we know and love today.
The humble bicycle was a simple invention that still conjures up complex and powerful emotions and has moved some of our great thinkers from Einstein to Roland Barthes to philosophise over it. Meanwhile its impact on society has been enormous. What is it about the bike that stirs these feelings and thoughts and what does the future hold in store for it?
Read MoreDavid Millar: The Next Chapter
“Being an elite athlete – there’s a certain time in your life when you can do it. And the reason it was so hard in 2014 was because my head had started to fall off. I couldn’t really do it anymore.”
Comfortably ensconced in the plush surrounds of a smart hotel on the outskirts of Bakewell prior to a preview for the upcoming Eroica Britannia, David Millar spoke to Ride Velo about life in the peloton, his last year at Garmin and revealed how he’s forging a new life for himself.
Read MoreThe Demise of the Unwritten Rules of the Peloton?
As Tom Dumoulin lost two minutes of his lead in the Giro d’Italia on Tuesday as a result of a mistimed ‘comfort break’, fans and commentators were up in arms about the fact that his rivals took advantage of him being caught short. To many it seemed that the likes of Nibali, Zakarin and Quintana were breaking some of the age-old unwritten rules of professional cycling - that you don’t exploit a rider’s mechanical (or other) misfortune, especially when they’re wearing the leader’s jersey.
Read MoreThe Hardmen: Legends of the Cycling Gods by Velominati
A few years ago three cycling obsessed geeks, two American and one Australian, published the Velominati Rules. It was a tongue in cheek manifesto of how a road cyclist should be, laying down the law on how to dress, ride and behave on the bike.
Probably their most famous rule has become #5: Harden the Fuck Up, a motto that has been liberally plastered over mugs, jerseys and posters as well as being shouted out on many a club run. In honour of that phrase they have now published a book that celebrates the toughest cyclists of all time.
Read MoreSpin Cycling Festival 2017: Top 10 Picks
The Spin Cycling Festival has always been quirky, innovative and fun, with lots of independent companies showing off the kind of stuff that you wouldn't normally see at a regular, corporate bike show. This year was no exception in their new home of Olympia. We bring you a selection of cool and sometimes whacky products that you may not have come across.
Read MoreMaserati Bring Back Italian Flair to Cycling
A high performance car brand and the emissions-free pursuit of cycling may seem like strange bedfellows. But in recent years Maserati, the luxury sports car manufacturer, has been sponsoring high profile cycling events like the Tour de Yorkshire, the prestigious Rouleur Classic and the vintage cycling festival, Eroica Britannia. It even has a former professional bike racer, David Millar, as an ambassador. We spoke to Peter Denton, general manager of Maserati Northern Europe, to find out why.
Read MoreTweed Run 2017
(With apologies to PG Wodehouse)
Everything in life that’s any fun, as somebody wisely observed, is either immoral, illegal or fattening. The exception to this rule is, of course, the Tweed Run. So it was that Bunty and I hot-footed it down to Clerkenwell and that fine establishment, Bourne and Hollingsworth.
To find a man’s true character one has only go for a bike ride with him, and Bunty’s certainly shone through by the end of the day. It was one of those days you sometimes get in May when the sun beams, the birds toot, and there is a bracing tang in the air that sends the blood beetling briskly through the veins.
Read MoreRichard Long's Portraits of Cycling Greats
While Vincenzo Nibali, Nairo Quintana and Geraint Thomas set off for the first day of the 100th edition of the Giro d’Italia today, it seems apposite to look back on some of the great winners of this beautiful Grand Tour. Artist Richard Long has created a series of portraits of legendary cyclists from days gone by to help us do just that.
Influenced by vintage posters of the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s and illustrators like René Gruau, Richard’s portraits capture an essence of the glamour, glory and heroism of these cycling greats from another era. Fausto Coppi, Gino Bartali and Jacques Anquetil are just the first of a series of prints that he is working on at the moment. We caught up with him in his studio/bike shed in a village in the New Forest to find out what inspires him.
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