Eight teams have a stage win, 14 dont and this should make for a lively start as this is the last stage open to half the peloton.Contre la montre: the stage win for Remco Evenepoel who blitzed the course, only Tadej Pogaar was within a minute of him and he seemed untouchable from the first time check that he was against the clock rather than his rivals, a quest to find the biggest winning margin.Yes this is his speciality but the margin of victory was big. With Switzerland on the horizon with its watchmakers he looked as precise as some of the timepieces made nearby. His confidence is growing and well see where he takes this in the mountains, moments of being dropped at Le Lioran and on the Col du Haag feel distant but they occurred after multiple, sustained climbs and theres plenty of that to come.Any cheer for Red Bull was muted by Florian Lipowitz crashing, washing out on a bend in the streets of Thonon and sliding into the kerb first, then some padded barriers. He is out of the Tour now with a broken collarbone. Thats two GC contenders out in two days of racing.Mattias Skjelmose was the surprise of the day. Hes always been handy a hilly time trial but he beat expectations, including his own but more so as his team mate Juan Ayuso was 15th and this puts the Dane within a minute on GC now of his colleague but he says the plan is still to ride for Ayuso.Paul Seixas was fourth, easy to bank as unsurprising but astonishing for a teenager. He pipped Isaac Del Toro by five seconds whose strong ride reinforces his stage racing credentials, a potential weakness overcome. The battle ahead for the third podium spot and the white jersey should be something to watch.The Route: 175km and 2,200m of vertical gain. A scenic start after KM0 to past the Bourget lake and then the road climbs to the Massif des Bauges, part of the Alps. It looks the part with jagged peaks below which dairy cows sport clanging bells, only just no steep Alpine passes here, this is a gentle and more approach into the mountains, climbing up alongside a white river to get into the mountains. The descent is steeper and trickier, via a small rise, and takes the race back to the start in Chambry.The rest of the course is on rolling roads. The Col de Couz is a mountain pass inside a valley but a gentle one. Approaching Voiron theres a final climb of 1.6km at 4% on a wide road.The Finish: big boulevards in town and in the final kilometre theres a 90 right bend, 90 to the left and then a 90 to the right. Its the same as the 2019 Dauphin where Wout van Aert took his first World Tour level road race win.The Contenders: a big day for the breakaway. If this was the first week it could be for the sprinters but desperation means too many riders and teams will fight to get something from this Tour. The Tour is so important this kind of attitude ought to be the default from Day 1 but its human nature to start with plans and then if these fail try anything. Also a lot of riders are tired which makes things harder to control, plus with Tim Merlier out of the race, one of the two prime teams that chased wont do so either.If Wout van Aert has won in Voiron before, so canMathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-PremierTech). Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) is another obvious pick, able to make moves at the start and then at the finish, while also able to win from any kind of sprint and he is also boosted by a very strong team that can shape the race, Quinn Simmons and Mathias Vacek are candidates too but can set up their leader for the win.When Mauro Schmid (Jayco) won the stage he brought down the average number of pro wins for a stage winner as hed only won 13 races before compared to 72 wins but the quality came from having Luke Plapp, Ben OConnor and Michael Matthews assist him. He can do the same again and Matthews is a contender too.Visma-LAB are stage hunting now and Victor Campenaerts has won Tour stages in the third week.Breakaway specialists Kasper Asgreen (EF) and Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X) should be in the mix but making the move and winning from it is a big ask.Romain Grgoire (Groupama-FDJ) seems ideal for the stage but has been trying to recover after suffering on the early stages so a harder pick. Likewise Dorian Godon (Netcompany-Ineos) was suited to this on paper but he has been struggling from injuries after being caught up in the crash among sprinters in Chalon-sur-Sane which he probably shouldnt have been contesting and if hes on the mend hes a harder pick now but team mate Filippo Ganna can try.A sprint can still happen, in part because so many teams could ride each other down and any gruppetto forming early has a chance to get back. So Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-PremierTech), Biniam Girmay (NSN) and Olav Kooij (Decathlon-CMA CGM) have a chance with Philipsen in the best place given Merlier is out.Van der Poel, PedersenSimmons, PhilipsenGanna, Campenaerts, Asgreen, Kanter, MatthewsWeather: sunny and 29C. A 10km/h breeze from the north could gust to 35km/h.TV: KM0 is at 1.35pm and the finish is forecast for 5.20pm CEST. The start should frantic.The post Tour de France Stage 17 Preview first appeared on The Inner Ring.

The 2026 Tour de France classifications will shift across three weeks of racing, from the Grand Dpart in Barcelona on 4 July to the final stage in Paris on 26 July. Across time trials, sprint stages, breakaway opportunities, and the high mountains, each day can alter the shape of the race for the y...

At the Tour de France, the racing does not always end at the finish line. Sprint deviations, sticky bottles, feeding breaches, littering fines, time penalties, yellow cards and relegations can all become part of the daily story, especially in a race where every stage result and jersey position is wa...

Mads Pedersen has blamed Victor Campenaerts for the crash that ended Jonas Vingegaards Tour de France, arguing that the Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider carried responsibility for leading his teammates into the roundabout at excessive speed. Vingegaard crashed during stage 15 after following the Vis...

The minister also did not rule out introducing registration plates for cyclists, though he said the government was focused on the "enormity of the e-scooter problem"

Beaten by Remco Evenepoel twice in two successive Tour de France stages is this a crisis for Tadej Pogaar?Of course not, were being flippant, but Evenepoels win on Plateau de Solaison and then his dominant victory in stage 16s time trial in Thonon-les-Bains was a reminder that Pogaar doesnt quite have everything his own way as he marches towards a record-equalling fifth title.And, as youd expect, the Slovenian superstar said as much himself. That despite the world champion still boasting an advantage of 4:32 over Evenepoel in the GC after the TT; his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate Isaac Del Toro sits 6:51 adrift.Hes a contender since day one, Pogaar said of Evenepoel after the time trial in which he finished as the runner-up, 28 seconds short of Evenepoels winning time. I had good legs today, but hes just a legend in the race against the clock. Hes one of the greatest, no doubt, and theres no shame coming behind Remco.In the end I have to be happy with the result. Obviously I wanted to go for the win today and the legs were there, but he was just faster. I really wanted to make the best out of it and try to win. I was really motivated, I had good legs, but at the end of the day, hes the best ever in time trialling.The following two stages are likely to end in a win for the breakaway, before the peloton finish atop Alpe dHuez on stages 19 and 20. Consecutive defeats by Evenepoel has fuelled Pogaars desire to add to his tally of four stage wins and counting in this years race.It gives me a bit more fire for the next days to get another win, he said. Im looking forward to the next days in the Alps.Speaking about the iconic Alpe dHuez, Pogaar said that was anticipating a crazy atmosphere, with hundreds of thousands of fans expected on the mountain.I am kinda happy that Urka igart [his partner and AG Insurance-Soudal rider] isnt coming with my car like last time in 2022, Pogaar laughed. I remember how dirty the car was with all of the people touching it and shaking the car. Im glad I don't have my personal car up there this time.With the two hardest stages finishing in Alpe dHuez, Im expecting it to be insane. At the Markstein [on stage 14] I had never seen crowds like it, but Alpe dHuez there will be even more. Its going to be fantastic. I hope nothing goes wrong and its going to be a great end to the Tour.

Mosaic Cycles is adding a second bike to its highly designed Zero Ops program, this time with an all-road focus.(All photos Mosaic)The new Mosaic AR-Zero follows last years RT-Zero, the brands high-end take on a modern handmade titanium road bike. With the AR-Zero, Mosaic moves that same Zero Ops concept into the space between road and gravel, where 35mm tires are common, 40mm tires make sense, and riders still want the bike to feel sharp when the pace picks up.Mosaic AR-Zero: Whats New?Mosaic says the AR-Zero uses the same development approach as the RT-Zero. That means this is not just a standard frame opened up for bigger tires. Zero Ops is Mosaics internal research and development program, where the brand works through new construction details, machining, fabrication processes, and finishing ideas. All to make the frame more like a rideable piece of art, rather than just a race bike.On the AR-Zero, that shows up in the frame layout and finishing details. The bike uses a carbon seatmast with a Mosaic carbon topper, giving it a cleaner, more integrated profile than a traditional seatpost setup. Mosaic also points to precision CNC components and clean internal routing, both of which fit the level of finish expected from a bike in this price range.Back to the carbon seatmast, its one of the more noticeable departures from a traditional Mosaic frame. It gives the AR-Zero a more refined look and helps separate it from the brands standard all-road offerings. Paired with the carbon topper, it leans more toward a custom race machine than a typical handmade titanium frame. Plus it looks absolutely killer when paired with the Chrysalis Artist Series paint job (but more on that later).The AR-Zero is a low-volume project meant to show what Mosaic can do when machining, fabrication, and finishing time are allowed to drive the process. Production will stay intentionally small because each Zero Ops bike requires more hands-on work than a standard frame. For the initial launch period, Mosaic will accept orders for a combined 30 RT-Zero and AR-Zero bikes.Chrysalis Artist Series FinishMosaic is also expanding its Artist Series program with the new Chrysalis Artist Series finish. Mosaics paint and finish work have always been a major part of the appeal, and the Chrysalis design gives the AR-Zero another layer of custom detail beyond the frame itself.Next in line: The AR-Zero feels like a natural next step for Zero Ops. The RT-Zero focused on what a modern titanium road bike could be. The AR-Zero takes that same level of detail and applies it to the kind of riding many road riders are doing now: bigger tires, rough pavement, mixed surfaces, and the occasional dirt road that still calls for a fast bike. Maybe something for the gravel crowd next? A GT1 i45 maybe? As for the RT-Zero, it is not a full gravel bike, and it is not a pure road bike either. It is Mosaics version of a modern all-road machine, and it should cast the biggest net for those interested in this kind of super-detailed, limited production. Art Piece PricingFramesets start at $11,000. Complete AR-Zero builds are expected to land between $20,000 and $24,000. That puts the bike firmly in boutique custom territory, but Mosaic is not presenting this as an everyday upgrade for riders simply looking for more tire clearance. This is the bury it with me bike, and it looks every bit worthy of the title. Mosaiccycles.com

The 2026 Tour de France will take place from the 4th to the 26th of July. Throughout the21 stages, the peloton will be racing through the mountains, sprint stages, cobblestones, individual and team time trials, and even. We take a look at all stages, their official profiles, and preview the days -...

Tom Pidcock has never finished in the top 10 at the Tour de France. The Pinarello Q36.5 rider has come close before, with 13th in 2023, but three years on, the 26-year-old is days away from what would last as one of the biggest results of his career.There are just five stages left of the 2026 Tour de France, and Pidcock lies in eighth place overall, after Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) crashed out on Tuesday. The man from Leeds also has 9:52 over the rider in ninth place, TotalEnergies' Jordan Jegat. He wouldn't want to call it yet, to put a curse on himself, but it is likely that he has already penned his name into a debut top 10 at the world's biggest bike race.Speaking after stage 16's time trial, in Thonon-les-Bains, Pidcock said: "Top 10 unless something goes badly wrong, it's reasonable to say it's achievable. I think I'm far enough down that I could try and get in some more breakaways. Top 10 is great for me and the team, but obviously I want to try and win a stage too."The individual time trial has never been Pidcock's strongest suit as a pro rider, with the former junior world time trial champion never finishing higher than fifth in an elite TT. However, on stage 16, he averaged 45.464kph, only dropping 2:07 to stage winner Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), the reigning world champion."I don't know how I finished there, but I know at the top of the climb I was fastest time for everyone who has been before me," he said post-race. "I don't know if I faded there, I also took it slow down the descent. It was a scary descent with those walls. That might be the best TT I've ever done. Good for fuck all training I do on this bike."As for the final week, Pidcock will keep trying to get that stage win, and simply try not to lose too much time in the Alpe d'Huez stages."I don't have the level I had in the Vuelta [a Espaa] last year," he explained, after he finished third at that race. "In these mountain top finishes I'll lose a couple of minutes every time. A breakaway's a good way to get ahead. I do think I'm getting stronger. Yesterday, I felt my legs after my three days in the break. That was probably the easiest rest day ride I've ever done. When I was going I felt super strong. If it was a 20 minute climb I would have done my best ever 20 minutes on a TT bike."

Tomomi Nishikubo is one of the worlds best trials riders, and he recently added two new Guinness World Records to his resum. Nishikubo set new records for both steepness and distance while performing a fakie nose manual riding backwards while balancing on the front wheel. On the landing of an Olympic Ski Jump in Hakuba, Japan, he successfully rode a distance of 136.6 meters (448 feet) on gradients up to 37.5 degrees.Sequence of Tomomi Nishikubo successfully completing the Red Bull Tomomis Steep Fakie project in Hakuba, Japan on May 27, 2026 (Photo: Jason Halayko / Red Bull Content Pool)According to reports, Nishikubo exceeded 60 km/h and maintained balance for 35 seconds while riding on the front wheel backwards down the steep pitch of the ski jump landing. Of course, this incredible feat and these new records did not come easily. Apparently it took 50 full course attempts 35 in 2025 and 15 in 2026 to finally pull it off. Along with that, Nishikubo burned through numerous brake rotors and, based on the video, there was no shortage of spectacular crashes during those failed attempts.Obviously it also took an incredible amount of skill, strength, practice, patience, and a heck of a lot of determination. In the end, Nishikubos perseverance clearly paid off. Congrats on the new World Records!New Guinness World RecordsThe longest distance travelled by bicycle fakie nose manual on a ski jumping hill is 136.6 m (448 ft 2 in) and was achieved by Tomomi Nishikubo (Japan) in Kitaazumi, Nagano, Japan on 27 May 2026.The steepest bicycle fakie nose manual is 37.5 degrees and was achieved by Tomomi Nishikubo (Japan) in Kitaazumi, Nagano, Japan on 5 June 2025.If youre interested in seeing more outrageous trials riding or learning more about Tomomi Nishikubo, check out his Instagram @tomomi_nishikubo or head to his YouTube channel.