Corbin Strong finally broke through to take victory at the 2026 Circuit Franco Belge, delivering a long-awaited win after previous podium finishes in 2023 and 2025. The New Zealander timed his effort perfectly in a reduced uphill sprint, holding off Anders Foldager and race favourite Paul Magnier to...

UPDATED June 10, 2026 BY Guest Author IN The Odyssey no comments What I Wish I Knew Before My First TDA TourSara Frenning, Content Creator on the 2026 Odyssey, reflects on her first TDA tour. From lessons in time management and content creation to unexpected discoveries about the countries, riders, and staff she met along the way, she shares what she wishes she had known before joining the adventure.When I first got assigned the role of content creator on the Odyssey, my overwhelming feeling was excitement. Little thought was given to the potential hardships or difficulties. In my mind, I was going to get paid to ride a bike and take photos what was there not to be excited about?And luckily, my excited mind was right. It has been a dream job in many ways, and I have probably had even more fun than I anticipated. Without sounding too much like a hype machine, my first TDA tour has been amazing so far.With that said, running a TDA tour is not for the faint-hearted. The staff works hard, often around the clock, to make the tour the well-oiled machine that it is.One of the best surprises of a TDA tour is the community you become part ofBut these are both things I expected. I expected to work hard, and I expected to have a lot of fun. Which makes What did I wish I knew before my first tour? a difficult question to answer.When it comes to the content creator role in particular, there were certainly things I wish I had known and done before the tour. I wish I had built a music library with songs that fit each country, so I wouldnt have to spend hours sifting through endless music lists on Motion Array and Instagram during the trip. I wish I had prepared a shot list and planned my reels in more detail.Behind every great tour is an incredible teamIn general, time management is incredibly important. Instead of scrambling to put a post together at the end of the day, opting out of some of the days fun to get editing done often pays off in the long run. But when it comes down to it, spontaneity and the ability to create in the moment are equally important on a TDA tour and perhaps part of the charm of this type of job.When it comes to the tour in general, I felt prepared, but I guess I wish I had known that Greece could be so cold (bring that puffy jacket), that Albania would be so beautiful (plan to ride as much as possible), that Montenegro would have such kind people (plan to stop often and talk to them), that Bosnias history was so rich yet harrowing, that Italy could get so much rain (rain pants are definitely needed), that Austria would have such amazing bike paths, and that Germany would actually have really good food (sorry, Germany).I also didnt expect to learn world-class lessons in logistics and organization from Katie, our tour assistant; lessons in leadership and how to be an absolute boss lady from Carolina, our tour leader; the value of a positive attitude and how to laugh until my belly hurt from Doug, our bike mechanic; or how to stay calm in the middle of a TDA storm from Micah, our other tour assistant.I also didnt expect to be so inspired by the riders. Most of them are in their 70s, yet they remain incredibly strong, resilient, and healthy.In short, I wish I had known that I would not only get to do a really fun job, but also do it alongside world-class people whom I feel lucky to have met. In any job, its a gift when you genuinely enjoy spending time with your coworkers, and on this tour, I was truly fortunate in that regard. But in the end, the best preparation for a TDA tour is an open mind and a sense of excitement. That will take you very far.Related Posts:Leave a Comment for "What I Wish I Knew Before My First TDA Tour" Cancel reply

Alex Baudin retained the overall lead at the Tour Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes after safely navigating a fast and demanding fourth stage, where the breakaway narrowly held off the peloton and Lidl-Treks Quinn Simmons sprinted to victory. The French rider, who claimed the yellow jersey after his solo win on...

A stage for the sprinters only there are so few in the race it could suit the breakaway too.To offset a predictable preview, todays postcard tells the tale of one of the best jerseys ever.Stage 4 Review: sprint or breakaway, that was the question in the morning. It went to the breakaway on a blisteringly fast stage. No early move went clear, too many efforts cancelling each other out. It was only mid-stage that Quinn Simmons went solo and then a counter-group got across. Helped by a Noahs ark tactic with three teams each sending two riders in the move, they only got a slim lead.Cofidis led the chase to keep the gap at 90 seconds, then Visma-LAB joined. The gap fell but the breakaway was unified as if repeating the previous days team time trial. It left a tense final half hour where it was touch and go if the break would make it or the bunch would get them, and suspense both ways as who could win from the break and which sprinters were left?Its hard to engineer but a sprint stage that has hills in the early and mid-section can make for a lively stage as it sets up the breakaway and the chase. Like the Giro, the Dauphin Aura Tour has plenty of terrain on hand for this.Simmons won the sprint ahead of Finn Fisher-Black and Matteo Vercher, a birthday present for Lidl-Trek team manager Andy Schleck. Three road stages, three breakaway wins.The Route: 198km and some climbing out of the Gier valley to start with. Theres the unmarked climb out of the Val dOingt around the 100km mark amid the Beaujolais vineyards and then its onto flatter terrain where the local is Paul Seixas. Precise knowledge wont help as the roads are largely flat.The Finish: the Dombes is a large wetland area full of lakes and ponds and very flat. The finish is the same as the 2015 Dauphin and 2016 Tour de France finish, flat and the last corner is with 3km to go.The Contenders: a sprint stage in a race with few sprinters. Wout van Aert (Visma-LAB) won the bunch sprint yesterday ahead of Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) and Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain) and thats an easy scenario to see again today as Van Aert tends to win while the other two dont. This trio does seem ahead of other picks, Dorion Godon (Ineos) would like an uphill run to the line, Michael Matthews (Jayco), well hes 35 and Matteo Trentin (Tudor) is 36.Its not easy ambush territory for a Segaert-style move and some of the most likely riders to try this like Edoardo Affini, Benjamin Thomas or Matej Mohori have sprinters to work for; maybe Josh Tarling has a go but itll be hard just to surprise the bunch and get a gap.Van AertBauhaus, CoquardRomeo, Godon, Hofstetter, KockelmannWeather: 20C and a light NW wind of 15km/h.TV: KM0 is at 12.45pm and the finish is forecast for 5.00pm.Postcard from Saint-ChamondTodays start is in the Gier valley between Saint-Etienne and Lyon, an industrial area with steel mills and textile factories only most closed down years ago.It was in Saint-Chamond that Roger Zannier, the son of an Italian builder, bought two sewing machines in 1962: one for him and one for his sister Josette. He began his own textile business. It flourished and by 1982 Zanniers company stopped manufacturing clothes and instead was designing and selling them, and able to hire others to manufacture them.During the 1986 Tour de France the Peugeot team got news from its sponsor that the funding would stop at the end of the year, the end of a sponsorship that began in 1901. This stunned team manager Roger Legeay who convinced TV channel TF1 to do a news feature on the teams history and its search for a new sponsor. One person watching this was Zannier, now running a successful clothing empire. He and his marketing director went for it and would use their childrens clothing brand Z as the new sponsor for 1987. This story is told in full with a lot more detail in the July-essential Pdale mag.Z started with a bang, their kit featured a bold graphic design because of the new technique of sublimation. As lively as the kit was, the 1987 Tour was a flop for Z. Upcoming hope Ronan Pensec had finished third in the Dauphin and then decided to do a pre-Tour clean of the gutters on his house and fell, breaking several bones. Zannier had gone all in, pulling all TV and billboard ads for Z to spend the money on a cycling team instead but had little to show.The next year Zannier knew the results might not be better but wanted the team to be more visible. He bought a TV for his office so he could tune in when coverage started. Lets be realistic, we wont win the Tour, but I want a Z every day in the breakaway at 3.00pm Zannier instructed Legeay, adding do as you like, I dont care, even if the guy dies at the finish, but I want to see the guys at the front.It worked, the team was visible and being up front gave them options on the win and Jrme Simon took a stage with Gilbert Duclos-Lasalle second on another day.Zannier was exploring manufacturing in China and found factory owners who had demanded letters of credit now recognised him and Z because theyd seen the glimpses of the Tour de France, knew he was something big and were ready to work for him. Zannier invested more in the team, hiring Robert Millar for 1989 and then for 1990 recruiting Greg LeMond whod just won the 1989 Tour de France and Worlds. LeMond would win the Tour with Z in 1990 and they took the team prize, its the last time a French team won the Tour.Embed from Getty ImagesZannier pulled the cycling sponsorship but Z kept on retailing for years but the franchises gradually closed in the 2010s, then Zannier had sold out and seemingly left the new buyers with a turkey. The company was liquidated in 2020, its HQ in Saint-Chamond closed for good.Zannier owned other brands like Catimini clothes and Kickers shoes and made a fortune from it all with which he and his family then pivoted towards luxuries, buying a Michelin-starred restaurant and a fancy wine chteau which he operates today along with his son. A long way from a sewing machine for him and his sister.Z lives on as an iconic design, the cycling jersey arguably more famous than the chain of childrens clothing stores it represented. Its also digital indoor cycling platform Zwift lets riders unlock the vintage jersey.The post Aura Tour Stage 5 Preview first appeared on The Inner Ring.

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Good screen and great for general duties, but can be clunky and a little lacking in features