RACING

Updates, stories and opinions from inside the world's greatest sport, written and captured by Rouleur journalists

Recollections: How Marco Pantani’s Tour winning attack changed my life

Recollections: How Marco Pantani’s Tour winning attack changed my life

Twenty years ago a famous escape for Marco Pantani on the Galibier enlivened the 1998 Tour and led Giles Belbin into discovering the world of professional cycling

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Top Banana: Tour de France stage 18 – Groupama-FDJ

Top Banana: Tour de France stage 18 – Groupama-FDJ

We were on the verge of having the first Tour de France since 1930 without a French team taking a stage. Groupama-FDJ won the day...

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Just keep going: inside the fight for Tour de France survival

Just keep going: inside the fight for Tour de France survival

Behind the battle for Tour de France victory, there’s a bunch of exhausted riders simply trying to survive. Geraint Thomas, Malcolm Elliott and Alex Stieda...

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Charly Wegelius’ Tour blog – Too much bread

Charly Wegelius’ Tour blog – Too much bread

For some riders, a Grand Tour can be a struggle to down enough calories. Not so for sports directors, like EF Education First’s Charly Wegelius, where long...

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Top Banana: Tour de France stage 17 – Egan Bernal

Top Banana: Tour de France stage 17 – Egan Bernal

A good day for Colombia at the Tour de France. Nairo Quintana wins the stage and Egan Bernal takes the prize Sky are really concerned...

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Desire: Pelotan sunscreen

Desire: Pelotan sunscreen

No one wants to have to reapply whilst on the fly, that’s why Pelotan sun protection receives a lot of summer loving from us at...

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Inside Line: Essential Tour preparation at Romain Bardet’s mile high training club

Inside Line: Essential Tour preparation at Romain Bardet’s mile high training club

Romain Bardet, Peter Sagan and Philippe Gilbert soak up the high altitude atmosphere of the Sierra Nevada in more ways than one

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Brief Encounters: the short stages of the Tour de France

Brief Encounters: the short stages of the Tour de France

Stage 17 of the 2018 Tour de France is a mere 65km. There have been shorter, including 1988’s dash to Pau of 38km. Four of the...

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Top Banana: Tour de France stage 16 – Adam Yates

Top Banana: Tour de France stage 16 – Adam Yates

An untimely tumble put paid to Adam Yates’ hopes of a first Grand Tour stage win. In finding his feet again he came out every...

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A bike for the job – Luke Evans’ Tour moto blog

A bike for the job – Luke Evans’ Tour moto blog

From the pilot’s seat of his motorbike, Luke Edwardes-Evans discusses the equipment he takes on Tour and observes the demeanour of Sky’s dual leaders  

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The remarkable Tour de France cartoons of Roger Blachon

The remarkable Tour de France cartoons of Roger Blachon

Cartoonist Roger Blachon’s perfectly drawn illustrations graced the pages of l’Equipe for 20 years. Isabel Best meets those who knew him well

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Top Banana: Tour de France stage 15 – Peter Sagan

Top Banana: Tour de France stage 15 – Peter Sagan

Another mountain stage breakaway, more points and a helping hand to Majka from the Tour’s remarkable green machine

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Inside Line: Nico Portal – the DS behind Chris Froome’s success

Inside Line: Nico Portal – the DS behind Chris Froome’s success

Nicolas Portal’s pre-race recces are as thorough as they come and his relationship with Chris Froome is fundamental to the team’s success. Meet the young...

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Top Banana: Tour de France stage 14 – Philippe Gilbert

Top Banana: Tour de France stage 14 – Philippe Gilbert

The groundwork was all laid, the result just didn’t turn out as planned. All the more reason then to recognise Philippe Gilbert’s effort

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A little respect: has the Tour de France fallen victim to the selfie generation?

A little respect: has the Tour de France fallen victim to the selfie generation?

On Alpe d’Huez the quest for the perfect selfie ended one rider’s race and jeopardised the integrity of the whole Tour de France. What can...

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Top Banana: Tour de France 2018 stage 13 – Tom Scully

Top Banana: Tour de France 2018 stage 13 – Tom Scully

Have you heard the one about the Kiwi and the banana? It’s been a long road from the foot of New Zealand to the top...

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Mob handed with l’Equipe – Luke Evans’ Tour moto blog

Mob handed with l’Equipe – Luke Evans’ Tour moto blog

With ties that stretch back to the very beginning of the Tour de France, French newspaper L’Equipe enjoys a privileged position amongst Tour de France...

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Dutch Corner: the day they killed it

Dutch Corner: the day they killed it

Rope barriers were placed around the notorious party central hairpin to tame the crowd, but how much of the atmosphere did it really sacrifice? An...

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Top Banana: Tour de France stage 12 – Steven Kruijswijk

Top Banana: Tour de France stage 12 – Steven Kruijswijk

Dutch Tour contender Steven Kruijswijk made the early break and then took off on his own with over 70km to go. Having shaken the race...

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Guest column: Carlos Sastre on winning the Tour

Guest column: Carlos Sastre on winning the Tour

The Spaniard secured his 2008 Tour victory on Alpe d’Huez. “The road book was already in my mind before the race started, I knew almost...

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Top Banana: Tour de France 2018 stage 11 – Warren Barguil

Top Banana: Tour de France 2018 stage 11 – Warren Barguil

Barguil stakes claim to retake his king of the mountains crown in La Rosière

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Charly Wegelius Tour blog: Reflections on pavé

Charly Wegelius Tour blog: Reflections on pavé

Stage 9 of the 2018 Tour de France was the one we’d all either been looking forward to or dreading. With their general classification man,...

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Darkness and light: remembering Fabio Casartelli

Darkness and light: remembering Fabio Casartelli

An exploration of love, loss and life with Annalisa Casartelli, widow of the last competitor to die during the Tour de France

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Reflections: how Degenkolb and Uttrup Ludwig humanised the Tour de France

Reflections: how Degenkolb and Uttrup Ludwig humanised the Tour de France

In a tough and macho sport, the refreshing reactions of John Degenkolb and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig at the Tour de France showed the power of...

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Top Banana: Tour de France 2018 stage 10 – Luke Rowe

Top Banana: Tour de France 2018 stage 10 – Luke Rowe

Who expected lanky Luke Rowe to lead the bunch over two big climbs? Respect to last year’s lanterne rouge for a real rouleur’s ride

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In amongst the crashes – Luke Evans’ Tour de France moto blog

In amongst the crashes – Luke Evans’ Tour de France moto blog

As if the crashes and punctures aren’t chaotic enough for the riders, there’s a whole bunch of people in the Tour’s convoy who need to...

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Top Banana: La Course 2018  – Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig

Top Banana: La Course 2018 – Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig

You can sit around and wait for the inevitable. Or you can stick your neck out and maybe pull it off. Hats off to Cecilie Uttrup...

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There’s nothing new about gravel roads in the Tour de France

There’s nothing new about gravel roads in the Tour de France

Nor Peter Sagan’s podium goggles for that matter. Stage 10 of the 2018 Tour includes a couple of kilometres of dirt track on the Plateau de...

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Tour de France: Hail to the bus driver

Tour de France: Hail to the bus driver

The Tour de France – one part sporting spectacle, one part logistical nightmare. Andy McGrath meets the men who keep the wheels turning

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Top Banana: Tour de France 2018 stage 9 – Oliver Naesen

Top Banana: Tour de France 2018 stage 9 – Oliver Naesen

Stage 9 brought us a second splendid serving of stones for 2018, though it could have also brought the house down on so many Tour...

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