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Tour de France

Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than 3,600 kilometres and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world.
Belgian cyclist Tim Merlier (centre) of team Soudal Quick-Step rides with teammates during a training session in Calpe, near Alicante, eastern Spain, on January 9, 2025. Photo: AFP
Tourism

Want to cycle with Tour de France winners? Head to Spain’s Costa Blanca

Pro cyclists like Tadej Pogacar gather in the region in winter to train for new seasons, while eager amateurs can attempt to keep up.

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Cycling great Cavendish signs off with emotional win at Singapore Criterium

Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Return to France, star-studded US team help spice up Olympics cycling programme

Isle of Man

Tension builds as Tour de France rivals Pogacar, Vingegaard brace for fresh duel

Race gets under way in Florence next weekend with four riders in mix, and tour set up to go down to the wire.

Team UAE’s Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar wearing the overall leader’s pink jersey during the 21st and last stage of the 107th Giro d’Italia cycling race. Photo: AFP
Tourism

7 of the world’s most spectacular sporting venues, from Italy to China

From Europe’s highest football pitch to a Unesco heritage site in Italy and the world’s longest golf course, in China, these sporting venues boast scenery that matches the action they host.

Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Cycling looks to future in 2024, but Tour de France still dominates landscape

Question of who will win sport’s most prestigious race centres around Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar, but discussions over new league continue to bubble away in the background.

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Tourism

‘Be patient, slow down’: biking up monster Tour de France climb in the Alps

The 17.6km Col de la Colombiere, in the Haute-Savoie region of the French Alps, is a regular Tour de France climb and was as stunning as it was challenging for Steve Wartenberg.

Steve Wartenberg cycles on the D4 road to the summit of the Col de la Colombiere, near the village of Le Reposoir, in the French Alps. Photo: AP
France

Jonas Vingegaard, king of the mountains, wins Tour de France

The 25-year-old Vingegaard became the first Danish rider to win cycling’s biggest race since Bjarne Riis in 1996.

Vingegaard on the verge of being crowned Tour de France champion

Jonas Vingegaard insists he will not take any risks on Saturday’s key time-trial as he stands on the verge of being crowned Tour de France champion.

French riders on course for historically bad year at Tour de France

With stage wins proving elusive, it could be only the third year in the race’s history, after 1926 and 1999, the local favourites reach Paris empty-handed.

Team DSM’s Romain Bardet crosses the finish line after stage 14, Saint-Etienne to Mende, of the Tour de France. Photo: Reuters

The Tour de France climbs that will separate the winners from the also-rans

From the imposing Col du Galibier to the brutal challenge of the Alpe d’Huez, stages 10 through 12 will be gruelling affairs.

Tadej Pogacar wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey makes his way from Aigle to Chatel les Portes du Soleil on stage nine of the Tour de France. Photo: Reuters

Pizza, fried rice for Tour de France riders in 3-week binge, but no more wine

The gruelling 3-week event requires a huge intake of healthy foods – and unlikely ones like pizza – but approaches have changed over the years.

Slovenia

Pogaca chasing 3rd Tour de France win, but Jumbo pair out to upset

Tour de France title challengers Primoz Roglic and Jonas Vingegaard of Jumbo-Visma believe their team’s two-leader strategy can finally deliver cycling’s most treasured title after consecutive narrow defeats.

IOC

Cavendish talks epic Tour de France comeback, depression, and cycling for family

‘[Mental health is] not about being strong, or weak, in the head. It’s an illness,’ says Mark Cavendish, who has been nominated for Laureus World Sports’ comeback of the year award.

Mark Cavendish after winning the UAE Cycling Tour second stage event from Hudayriyat Island to the Abu Dhabi Breakwater. Photo: AP
UCI Track Cycling World Cup

Tan and Aliaa blazing a trail for region’s women in pro cycling ranks

Singapore’s Chelsie Tan has joined Team BikeExchange-Jayco, which is based in the Girona region of northern Spain, while Malaysia’s Siti Nur Alia Monsor has been selected to join new development squad WorldTour Canyon-SRAM.

Many of the elite teams competing on the UCI World Tour have based themselves in the Girona region of Spain. Photo: Team BikeExchange-Jayco
Extreme fitness

Explainer | The Tour de France explained: stages, jerseys, tactics and more

The most famous cycling race – organisers claim 3.5 billion people tuned in to watch in 2018 – is a masterclass is tactics, not just in fitness

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UFC 246

Kanye West’s old Versace robe, and 5 more things Conor McGregor splurged on

A red robe also owned by Drake and Kanye, Gucci trainers, Lamborghini and McLaren supercars – how has the newly engaged Irish MMA millionaire splashed the cash?

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France

Vive le Tour! Race defies Covid-19 with youngest champion in 116 years

None of the 176 starters, or 146 finishers, test positive for Covid-19 in multiple batteries of tests, validating the hermetic bubble of measures that shielded them from infection and the decision to postpone the race from July to September, but not to cancel it.

Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar, of Team UAE Emirates, celebrates on the podium between Team Jumbo rider Primoz Roglic (left), of Slovenia, and Team Trek rider Richie Porte, of Australia, after winning the 107th edition of the Tour de France. Photo: AFP
France

Champagne on ice as Tour de France arrives in Paris

The task of leading the peloton into the French capital in his yellow jersey falls on the shoulders of the 21-year-old Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, who celebrates his 22nd birthday on Monday.

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Tour de France: Slovenia on edge as pair set to make history

Slovenians Primoz Roglic and Tadej Pogacar lead race going into last two stages and either would be first winner from the nation of just two million known for basketball players such as Luka Doncic.

Ireland’s Sam Bennett zooms to Tour de France stage 10 win

Slovenia’s Primoz Roglic retains the overall leader’s yellow jersey.

Ireland’s Sam Bennett crosses the finish line ahead of Slovakia’s Peter Sagan to take stage 10 of the Tour de France. Photo: AP
Coronavirus pandemic

All Tour participants await Covid-19 test results on Tuesday

If two members of any team return positive tests for Covid-19, the whole team could be kicked off the tour.

Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar UAE-Team Emirates in action during the eighth stage of the Tour de France. Photo: EPA

Primoz Roglic takes Tour lead as Tadej Pogacar grabs stage win

Overnight leader Adam Yates of Britain makes a valiant effort to keep hold of the yellow jersey but falls away on the final climb as the gradient hits 12 per cent.

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Yates clings to Tour de France lead amid mountain shake-up

Nans Peters scores a stage win on Saturday as Britain’s Adam Yates clings on to the overall lead.

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French hero Pinot describes Tour meltdown as career ‘turning point’

Thibaut Pinot has pulled out of the race four times in his six previous attempts, but the French public love him.

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Thibaut Pinot of Team Groupama-FDJ sits on the ground after a crash during the first stage of the 107th edition of the Tour de France. Photo: AFP

Van Aert beats wind to pick up second Tour de France stage win

British rider Adam Yates retains the yellow jersey while Peter Sagan takes the green points jersey

Belgian cyclist Wout Van Aert of Team Jumbo-Visma celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the seventh stage of the Tour de France. Photo: DPA

Tour de France: fireworks will come, says impatient official

Race technical director Thierry Gouvenou attributes the slow fifth stage to ‘long hiatus’ after global coronavirus pandemic; forgives riders despite being ‘impatient’.

Patek Philippe

Yates takes unwanted yellow Tour jersey as Alaphilippe pays penalty

Adam Yates says he is disappointed to take the jersey off the back of rival Julian Alaphilippe over a water penalty.

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