Tadej Pogaar's UAE Emirates-XRG have amassed more than double the prize money of their nearest competitors at the Tour de France this year so far, according to the race organisers.That success has been driven by five stage wins for the squad through Pogaar and white jersey wearer Isaac del Toro. Each stage win is worth 11,000 (9,340), while each day Pogaar spends in the yellow jersey comes with just 500 (420) in prize money.The team has collected 124,530 (105,000) in the first two weeks of the race.Lild-Trek, the team in second place has got less than half that with 58,400,00 (49,000) driven mostly by the consistently high placing, including a stage win, of Mads Pedersen.The squad is also leading the lucrative but often overlooked teams classification, for which it receives 2,800 each day.Just behind them in third are Soudal Quick-Step, who, thanks to three stages wins from Tim Merlier, have totted-up a prize fund of 43,890 so far.There is a prize pot of 2.3m at the Tour de France, but much of this is handed out for the final placings. So far just 606,000 in prizes have been dolled-out to the riders and teams. At the other end of the prize money table after two thirds of the race is run is Picnic PostNL, who are having a torrid Tour. The teams best result is a fifth place for sprinter Pavel Bittner on stage eight into Bergerac. That netted the team 840 (710/$960) of their 5,270.Their results in France are matched only by their poor season which has seen them slip to 30th in the UCI team rankings, below many ProTour teams. Their best result has come from Bittner who was second at sprinters classic Scheldeprijs.However, there are other teams that are struggling too at this years Tour. Groupama-FDJ United have so far banked just 5,420 while Tudor Pro Cycling have won only 5,560.If Pogaar is able to hang onto to the yellow jersey all the way to Paris then hell collect a further 500,000 for the team, plus the prizes for wearing the jersey each day.

A custom paint job carried out by Lumarcolors (Image credit: Aaron Borrill)Remco Evenepoel has moved into second place on the general classification following an emphatic first road stage win at the Tour de France. The Belgian has come into this year's race in impeccable form, and is clearly able to compete with the leading protagonists in the high mountains something he failed to achieve last year when he abandoned the race in the Pyrenees. With a 26.1km/500m individual time trial on the cards for stage 16, Remco can potentially claw back some time on Tadej Pogaar and cement his second place on the podium. Lets take a closer look at the reigning Olympians Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL9.Name sticker just to make sure nobody else on the team rides the golden Tarmac SL9Aaron BorrillA closer look at the glittery gold paint and handpainted 'Remco' detailAaron BorrillHaving stolen the headlines at the Grand Depart for his unreleased Specialized S-Works Shiv TT bike, the Belgian also has an S-Works Tarmac SL9 at his disposal both a regular team-liveried option (which he raced to victory on stage 15) and a gold-themed edition that celebrates his Olympic Championship win from 2024 in Paris. The bike pictured here, however, is the latter, and was customised by Italian master frame painters, Lumarcolors.A slammed front end has become a staple on Remco's bikes over the years (Image credit: Aaron Borrill)Golden K-Edge computer mount keeps the theme running strong (Image credit: Aaron Borrill)Lumarcolors has done an amazing job with the bike, as it complements the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team livery and pays homage to Evenepoels Olympic gold medal. Naturally, theres a lot of gold at play here, but its all done tastefully and not over the top. As a result, it utilises a bespoke glittery white and gold paint scheme that still fits in with the team design Red Bull and keyline logos are applied as a water transfer and subtly fade from gold to white.More gold! A golden cassette and chainAaron BorrillContrasting golden base of the Specialized S-Works Power Evo with Mirror saddleAaron BorrillK-Edge chain catcher finihsed in, you guessed it, goldAaron BorrillRoval Rapide CLX III wheels are shod with Specialized Cotton TLR 30mm tyres, complete with tan walls that pick up the gold accents on the frameAaron BorrillThe gold theme continues with his cassette and chain, base of the saddle, the inside crank arms (and SRAM logo on the outside arm), and the K-Edge computer mount and chain catcher. The level of detail is truly inspiring.The Belgian runs 165mm cranks, pictured here with extra golden features (Image credit: Aaron Borrill)Gearing comes compliments of a 54/41T, 10-33T drivetrain (Image credit: Aaron Borrill)Having changed teams for 2025, Remco is now riding a SRAM Red AXS-equipped machine rather than the Shimano Dura-Ace Di2-outfitted bike he raced on at Soudal-QuickStep. 51/48mm mixed-depth Roval Rapide CLX III wheels ensure a good mix of aerodynamics and weight (Image credit: Aaron Borrill)For the Tour de France, Remco has opted for a 54/41T, 10-33T gearing configuration, driven by 165mm cranks. As a Specialized rider, he meets sponsor obligations by using Roval Rapide CLX III wheels shod with 30mm Specialized Cotton TLR tyres. Other details/components include a Specialized S-Works Power Evo with Mirror saddle, a K-Edge computer mount and chain catcher, and Tacx Ciro bottle cages.As usual, he's using a slammed Roval Rapide integrated cockpit.All in, Evenepoel's 52cm S-Works Tarmac SL9 tipped our scales at 7.05kg complete with pedals, two bidons/cages and cycling computer.Frameset: S-Works Tarmac SL9 Fact 12r CarbonFork: S-Works Fact 12r CarbonCockpit: Roval RapideSeatpost: S-Works Tarmac SL9 CarbonGroupset: SRAM Red AXS 54/41T, 10-33TWheelset: Roval Rapide CLX IIITyres: Specialized Cotton TLR 30mmSaddle: Specialzied S-Works Power Evo with Mirror

This week's selection of cool things out for review has an adventure riding theme, including bikepacking gear, an all-road bike and more

After too many technical gremlins, or ghosts in the machine, to think of, Callum is here getting the live blog up and running. He just wishes Jonas Vingegaard could still be in the running across the channel...

Jonas Vingegaard said that he was lucky to only break his collarbone in the crash that took him out of the Tour de France, as he abandoned the race for the first time.The Visma-Lease a Bike rider, a two-time winner of the race, crashed on an innocuous bend on stage 15 of the race on Sunday, depriving the Tour of the man in second place.He was taken away in an ambulance for an X-ray, which confirmed that he had fractured his collarbone, and that he will need surgery."It's going surprisingly well," he told Danish TV station TV2 later. "It's of course very disappointing for us to end up like this, and for the Tour to end like this. But that's how cycling is. Luckily, it's only a broken collarbone."Of course it's a huge shame. We're disappointed, and I just hope the boys can now focus next week and hopefully win a stage or two."I just talked to my family a little bit. That was the most important thing for me. We've come up with a plan for what's going to happen now, and I've talked to some of the team. It's no use hanging your head. It just makes it worse."On Sunday evening, Visma-Lease a Bike reasoned that the crash might have happened because of the line the lead motorbike took through the corner."We maybe came into this roundabout a little too fast, and then my front wheel just slips. I can't do anything," Vingegaard said. "That's how cycling races are sometimes. It's just super annoying for us, to be honest."Maybe the motorcycle makes a mistake, but we can't trust the motorcycles. We have to have our own judgment," Vingegaard continued. "People make mistakes, and we can't change that now."In his yellow jersey press conference, Tadej Pogaar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) suggested that part of the reason for the crash could be that Vingegaard was woken at 2am by anti-doping testers."It is clear that it has not done anything good for it, you could say. Whether that is the reason, I dare not speculate. It may well have done something. I should not be able to say that," Vingegaard replied, however."I don't want to blame it on that, because it's a bicycle race, and crashes happen in bicycle races. So I don't dare answer that."

Just short of three years ago, the cycling world was stunned into silence by the news that two of the sports biggest teams Jumbo-Visma and Soudal Quick-Step were discussing an astonishing potential merger. A week later, talks fell through, and three years on, both teams remain their own separate outfits, and continue to win stages of the Tour de France.But the prospect of the teams joining forces was a sobering reminder of the fragile reality of cyclings economic model, in which teams are almost entirely reliant on sponsorship money just to survive. And with budgets increasing year-on-year, the fight to remain, let alone be competitive, in the WorldTour gets ever harder.So how, then, to react to the news that from next season, for the first time in 24 years Quick-Step would not be a title sponsor of Soudal Quick-Step? The flooring company is moving to a smaller sponsorship role that is likely to involve its logo being placed at the back of the teams bib shorts.Stepping up to replace Quick-Step in the teams name will be the Belgian shoes and protective equipment brand Safety Jogger, with the team being renamed to Soudal Safety Jogger from next season until 2028. Quick-Step reducing its investment comes just three months after journalist Daniel Benson reported that the team would end its 19-year partnership with Specialized bikes next season, with the Belgian team apparently set to ride Merida bikes.In just a few months, Jurgen For, who took over control of the team from Patrick Lefevere at the beginning of 2025, has essentially lost or partially lost in the case of Quick-Step two backers who have been inherently linked with the team throughout all or most of its existence.But nothing lasts forever. Life moves on, businesses evolve. Its the beginning of something new, For said, in response to being asked if it was the end of an era.Though the optics of losing Quick-Step as a main sponsor may look concerning, its also true that under Fors guidance, lead title sponsor Soudal, the womens teams main sponsor AG Insurance, and Quick-Step, albeit in a more minor role, have all committed to finance the team until 2030.The two companies behind the team are financially in good health and we have some reserves we can survive off in the loss of a particular sponsor for a certain period," For told Cycling Weekly.Our accounts are in a good shape, just like our riders, and that gives us a stable output. The agreements to 2030 with Soudal, AG Insurance and Quick-Step give us a long, stable outlook to build upon for the next four to five years. Zdenk [Bakala, the team's owner] is also a big supporter of the team so were in a good place as a team.In recent years, big multinational companies like Lidl, Decathlon and Red Bull have invested into cycling and taken controlling stakes of the teams they lend their name to. That has generally been accepted as an indication of cyclings apparent increase in popularity and attractiveness.But For is happy for his team not to go down that path. If we compare everything to Red Bull and Lidl, everyone can go home now, For said, more in reference to both teams greater budgets.We look to solid companies, companies who are investing and growing and have an important business to consumer component. If you're a Belgian-based company operating internationally [like Soudal and Safety Jogger], cycling sponsorship is a relevant way to support or boost your growth. And you can still be a relevant sponsor in cycling.We keep hold of our ownership which is important for the teams independence. Its a good thing that big sponsors enter the sport, but just because there are four big names in the sport right now, it doesnt mean all the rest of us should go home. We have autonomy to discuss and make choices for ourselves and thats a good situation to be in.Safety Jogger currently sits on the back of the team's bib shorts (Image credit: Getty Images)Cycling Weekly understands that the team is in talks with a bigger company to join Soudal as co-title sponsor from 2028, possibly replacing Safety Jogger ,who may be acting as a placeholder sponsor, though nothing is yet agreed.According to financial accounts available online, Safety Jogger is a smaller company than Quick-Step, but its general director, Tom Gybels told Cycling Weekly that the business had quadrupled its output in just four years. It was also hoping to sell 100 million products in the next five-to-10 years, a 400% increase from now.Dont underestimate the size of Safety Jogger. Were quite a big player globally and we can easily manage this investment and sponsorship, Gybels said. If you evolve from selling 6 million pieces to 20 million in a short period of time, its not like that growth and momentum is going to stop. We believe this [co-title sponsorship of the team] will be the next extra rocket to catapult us into a top-three place [worldwide in its sector].Less seriously, though Gybels laughed that I want totally yellow in reference to the 2027 Soudal Safety Jogger kit, For hinted that the teams blue, white and black livery wont change too much.Next to the Wolfpack [moniker] we have always been team blue and we are a tradition of teams, so blue will always be in the team colour, For said. We will stick to that. We are developing everything for next year and we will look nice and classy.

What do Mathieu van der Poel, Sren Wrenskjold and Mauro Schmid all have in common? If you said theyre all stage winners of this edition of the Tour de France youd be right. But theres also something else, a detail so subtle you might not have spotted on the TV: they all shave their arms. Though not a new practice, arm-shaving has seemingly become more common in big races. Cycling Weekly carried out a visual survey on the ground at this year's Tour, assessing riders' forearms as they passed through the pre-stage media zone, and found that around half of the peloton now shave their arms maybe even a slight majority.It got us wondering why. The advantages of smooth legs are well known in cycling less aerodynamic drag equals seconds saved but why the arms too? Their surface area is smaller, they dont block the air flow as much as the legs, and if the riders bike position is low enough, they barely poke up above the handlebars. Surely theres no point in shaving them? In search of answers, we asked the riders themselves. Caja Rural-Seguros RGA's Fernando Gaviria, a two-time Tour stage winner, said this is the first Tour for which he has shaved his arms. I spoke with [my team-mate, Alex] Molenaar about whether we should do or not, he said. Then we spent a night in the room and we said, Ok, lets do it. As a sprinter, Gavirias main motive is to go faster. Its just for more aerodynamics, the Colombian said. I dont feel the difference in the climbs. I get dropped all the same. But what does the science say? Is there an aero advantage? (Image credit: Getty Images)In 2015, bike brand Specialized carried out a test in their wind tunnel, and found that shaved arms saved 19 seconds over 40km. Though the study wasnt far-reaching (their sample size was a single rider), its conclusion was clear enough: the aero gains are small, negligible even, but they exist all the same. According to Casper von Folsach, performance director at Uno-X Mobility, the impact of arm-shaving is very individual, and depends on how much arm hair a rider has. Overall there is for sure a much more significant aero penalty in leg hairs as most people have more significant hair growth on their legs, legs make up a larger surface area and are more exposed, he said. But that doesn't mean there's not a difference for arm hairs. Its partly for this reason that the entirety of Von Folsachs Uno-X Mobility squad came to this years Tour with smooth arms. Gaviria did the same because he has a lot of hair on his body. But even riders who arent so naturally hirsute are shaving their forearms. This is because theres another, perhaps more important reason to do so, as stage 13s winner Schmid explained. It makes it a bit more clean in case you get a little road rash. Its not only for aero gains, the Jayco AlUla rider said. Its the same thing with the legs; in case you crash, I think it makes it much easier because then youre not ripping all the hairs out if you get bandages.Lotto Intermarchs Baptiste Veistroffer, this editions breakaway hero, concurs. Its because of crashing, firstly, he said. If you crash and you need to clean it, or you need surgery, its easier without hair. It was fortunate, then, that Gavirias arms were hairless when he crashed on stage 12, and shredded his skin on the asphalt.(Image credit: Getty Images)Veistroffer, pressed for more information on his arm-shaving habits, was understandably perplexed by Cycling Weekly's questioning. This is not expected, he laughed, but conceded he shaves his arms every one to two weeks only when Im racing, not when Im home. Conversely, Schmid doesnt shave his arms as routinely as he does his legs, and only originally did so to copy another rider. I think Marc Hirschi normally does it, and I saw him do it and thought, Maybe thats the reason why hes so good, he says. So there you have it: riders shave their arms for a few reasons, namely the perceived aero advantage, and for ease in case of road rash. Oh, and there's another minor reason, as Von Folsach points out. For what it's worth, many riders also report that sun screen application becomes easier, he said, so that's also something I guess.