Tour de France 2026 peloton

[ReturnofthePan]

Chains are being greased and oiled as I type. Crush barriers being erected. “Special” sauces are being prepared…. all for the biggest push bike race in the world.

Is the MN peloton pumping some air in our tyres?

Magnificent final stage. Loved every moment 💖

Yes, but if 2 were to stay ahead it would be those two.

As an aside, stayed in a hotel in Rue Lepic in 1986. The toilet was in a cupboard and my husband ( not at that time) could not shut the door if he needed to sit) .
Those were the days of night trains, ferries, and more trains!

While watching any grand tour break trying to stay away I still always think back to the most heartbreaking near miss - Tony Martin in the 2013 Vuelta. Still one of the most incredible rides I've ever seen. Absolutely agree yesterday was thrilling. It's just wonderful when they make it.

Who's looking forward to the start of the women's Tour at the weekend! So much to look forward to there as well...

I don’t really watch the women’s tour. I did see the road signs for it during my French trips. The ASO people promoting female participation a lot. There is the L’Étape du Tour Femmes for amateurs too.

Yes I remember that. He said he was doing a lengthy TT trainer for Olympics initially then thought he could actually do the stage. He was away for A LOT of kilometres then done with 30m to go. Cruel.

It was 175km out on his own. And yes was swallowed up in the last 30m or so. It was an incredible ride and I really felt for him.

Edited to add - it's a funny old sport, but particular rides like that one really stick with you. I remember being gripped by a Romain Bardet descent and again I can picture him weaving down through the mountains. Can't remember which race/stage though. I've been watching since the days of he who shall not be named so there are loads of things that have stuck - it's just a shame my memory can't always match the action with the exact stage/event!

Is the woman's tour going to be on easy to find telly? So much disappearing behind a paywall - I usually watch the Commonwealth games when it's on, but not this year.

I fear this might be the end of the Commonwealth Games. Behind a pay wall, countries unwilling to host, athletes pulling out really because they don't value it, sports being dropped (no hockey!!)

No free live broadcast of the Tour des Femmes.
TNT Sports or HBO Max in the UK.

www.bikeradar.com/news/tour-de-france-femmes-stages-tv-live-stream-info

The Australian channel SBS has live cycling free, if you can access it via VPN...

TNT didn't make any friends by bumping the prices when they took over from Discovery, did they. Such a transparently money-grabbing move.

Absolutely! Marianne Vos always makes me go 😍 DD2 loves her too, as well as Lotte Kopecky. I imagine Vollering will win it though, she's been so strong this year

I love Marianne Vos! I also really like Vollering, although I'm aware that she's not popular (certainly not at Jumbo Visma - where I thought she was treated appalingly). She's definitely a star. Françoise Previous is also fantastic; these people who can do it over more than one discipline are special (viz Pidcock, Sagan, WVA and MVDP)

One of my all time favourite sporting moments (not just women's cycling, not just women's sport but all cycling/all sport) was watching Lizzie Deignan win the first women's Paris-Rubaix: 85 km on her own and with her hands bloodied. Iconic

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot too!

Vollering is okay - it's Lorena Wiebes who's in my bad books from the way she left Vollering stranded last year. Didn't Lanterne Rouge call it "the worst betrayal of the yellow jersey I've ever seen"? Words to that effect, anyway.

Yeah, she said afterwards that she had seen something yellow on the ground as she went past but didn't give it a second thought.

Batch

Vollering had to make her own way back to the front with no support at all from her own team; nobody came back to help her

Love Lizzie!

Well this sucks. No femmes highlights on Ch5. I'll have to go to Australia I guess.

Awwwwwww not the winner I wanted. Oh well. At least several of her team are lovely.

Is she not??

She might well be, but she's far from being my favourite:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/cycling/5550064-tour-de-france-2026-peloton?reply=153810827

Thank you @cornbunting that's very interesting

What a stage! 85km solo breakaway for Sigrid Haugset the Norwegian who looks as if she's only about 12 years old (even though she's 27). Kopecky clawed her way to within 10 secs but couldn't catch her and finished almost a minute and a half down.

Haugset now in yellow; just a fantastic day's cycling. Shout out to Marianne Vos who won the sprint to finish 3rd

As I got a VPN to watch the mens TDF I thought I'd try watching the women's TDF for the first time. I don't know who's who but it is soooo exciting - the races are so close and unpredictable! Also absolutely stunning scenery.

How are you all watching TDFF? I thought Channel 5 were going to do highlights but apparently not. I don't think we can get TNT or whatever it is called (we only have Freeview).