A mountain stage of sorts but mainly gentle roads. The breakaway has a good chance and someone might be able to take the yellow jersey today and keep it for a while as long as UAE and Visma-LAB agree to it.Crme de la crme catalane: the early break of Alex Molenaar (Caja Rural), Frank van den Broek (Picnic-PostNL) and Felix Engelhardt (Jayco) stayed clear to contest the intermediate sprint and the only king of the mountains point of the day. It was surprising other teams didnt try to get involved but as a result local rider Molenaar gets the polka-dot jersey and Caja Rural achieve something that while modest could be more than other teams manage.Isaac del Toro could have thought it wasnt his day when he had a mechanical and was left standing by the road when the lead UAE team car to drive past him. Then the second team car did the same, only to slam on the brakes and dispatch a mechanic back down the course for the Mexican who appeared to get help from the Ineos team car which isnt allowed under the rules but nobody spotted this and he avoided a hefty time penalty.Two minutes down from the wait, he chased and got back with plenty of time. Unlike Paul Seixas who punctured later and after taking a team mates bike stopped to get a replacement and got back to the bunch as they hit the final circuit and had to move up the field during the first ascent of Montjuic but he was cool about it.On the Monjuic circuit Brandon McNulty did a huge turn, pulling the peloton for two laps as many riders were ejected. Come the final time up and there were no attacks but few riders were left. Richard Carapaz and Mattias Skjelmose tried to sneak away on the descent but Isaac del Toro chased and carved the final corner to go clear. The likes of Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel were marking Tadej Pogaar and this allowed Del Toro to build on his lead before the sprint started. Pogaar weaved on the road in a bid to distract the chase so Del Toro could win. This was a gift wrapped with a ribbon on top as Pogaar could clearly have won, floating around while rivals were sprinting full pelt. So used to winning, offering the win outwardly seemed to delight Pogaar more than when he won Milan-Sanremo this year.The intensity of the efforts up Montjuic made this a a GC day. A front group of 16 riders at the finish spread across 10 seconds, only ten more riders within a minute. 11 more riders within two minutes and then in 38th place was Mathias Vacek over five minutes down.The Route: 196km and 3,850m of vertical gain, this makes it a mountain stage.Wildfires are raging in the Pyrnes-Orientales department, including one about 50km from the course. No danger to the race but this is using up a lot of local resources, especially firefighters and local government officials that would normally be deployed to secure the race and watch over the crowds. A decision taken yesterday evening says the race will go ahead as planned, but without the publicity caravan nor spectators on the final 40km when the race reaches France.The defining feature of todays climbs is that theyre all gradual and on big roads. Its uphill from the start, the marked climb beyond Sant Feliu leads to two real mountain passes: the Creu dell Serr and Can Tollo.The Collada de Toses is a long gradual climb for most of the way but after Toses it steepens up with 7-10% for the final 5km on the old sideroad. After the top its via La Molina, the ski resort that often features in Marchs Volta a Catalunya.After crossing into France the Col du Calvaire is no calvary.The Finish: its into the town of Les Angles and then a tight turn with 1.7km to go. This marks the climb to the finish which is mostly around 7% via a series of hairpins to the flamme rouge and then onwards and upwards to the line.The Contenders: today the breakaway has a strong chance of making it. Plenty of riders are way down on GC already only 50 riders are within 10 minutes and those that dont pose a threat to the likes of UAE and Visma-LAB can get a pass for the day. So its open to plenty but among them not many frequent winners. Its only Stage 3 but today is open to plenty with the bonus of the yellow jersey too, a massive opportunity for riders and teams alike so we should get a frantic start.The winner has to cope with the climbing along the way and then the final 1.7km rise to the line if they havent barged clear to build up a lead by then.Ben Healy (EF) is the archetypal pick, he hasnt shown any form of late but it could be he and his team like it this way; team mate Alex Baudin is going very well. In fact the team seem built for these mid-mountain days, see Georg Steinhauser and Michael Valgren too.If Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) has his hair tied up in a bun then watch out but today is hilly for him. Raul Garcia Pierna (Movistar) is in form but a win from him and the team is a rare thing.Over seven minutes down Luke Plapp and ten minutes for Ben OConnor mean the Jayco arent here for GC and Plapp is suited to the stage and, like many Andorra and Girona residents, knows the roads today plus Mauro Schmid is handy on hilly days too.Romain Grgoire (Groupama-FDJ) is in form but likely to be targetting stages and this one suits less. Ewen Costiou could try instead. Marco Frigo (NSN), Georg Zimmerman (Lotto-Intermarch) and Anthon Charmig (Uno-X) also fit the bill as down on GC and not duty to protect a GC leader but by now were into rare winners for whom a Tour stage is a tentative dream. Perhaps Red Bull allow the likes of Maxim Van Gils to have a day up the road.If the breakaway cant stick then Tadej Pogaar (UAE) is an obvious candidate, hes gifted a win already but if he does it again for Isaac Del Toro then this keeps him out of the yellow jersey and the daily duties it comes with.Van Gils, Healy, Baudin, PlappGarcia Pierna, Schmid, Del Toro, PogaarWeather: 30C and sunny with a SE wind of 30km/h to whip the bunch along for much of the day.A note on the weather to come. Mto-France is the state weather agency and says the hot weather will last as far as it can forecast but not quite reaching the highs of the recent heatwave in late June. There are yellow and orange weather warnings in place for some departments, including the Pyrnes-Orientales which hosts the finish. But no red warnings which mean an absolute risk to public health and come with restrictions which could go as far as stage cancellations on grounds of protecting spectators and staff (managing the riders is a separate matter).TV: KM0 is at 12.20pm and the finish is forecast for 5.10pm CEST. This is a likely stage for the breakaway, most riders are fresh and so there should be a big battle to try and get clear, all while the likes of UAE and Visma-LAB try to filter who is allowed up the road so watch from KM0 if you can.The post Tour de France Stage 3 Preview first appeared on The Inner Ring.

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If you're going to travel on an aeroplane with your bike, you'll want one of the best bike boxes. The care and attention offered by baggage handlers varies, and a dedicated box will always provide more protection than a cardboard box or bubble wrap. However, for most of the year, when not in use, they are big and bulky to store.You could hire one when required, but that brings its own issues and costs, so if you do travel with your own bike regularly and would like to buy one but are tight on storage space, then the Post Carry Loomer might be the solution. By the way, the brands name comes from the fact that Marc Mendoza, its American founder, started off his sideline bag business post work, before it became full-time. Loomer comes partly from the fact that big, exciting trips loom ahead of you and partly from the 1991 song Loomer by My Bloody Valentine, a track about escapism. Certainly a more interesting backstory than most bike box names!ConstructionThe cardboard box that the Loomer was delivered in was impressively small (for a bike box anyway). It measured just 115 x 34 x 55cm, making storage of the Loomer between trips much simpler than a full hard case. When collapsed, two sturdy straps keep it compacted, and when not in use they have their own zipped external pocket, which is a nice detail. A lot smaller and easier to store than a hard case when packed down (Image credit: Tim Russon)I weighed the box at a fraction over 11kg, so similar to Evocs Road Bike Bag Pro and a couple of kg less than a Bike Box Alan Aero Easyfit hardshell box.Unpacking and constructing the box for use was both quick and intuitive. The sides and top panel unfold to reveal a metal frame bolted into the bottom of the box, two padded wheel bags and four polycarbonate panels. These panels slip into zipped compartments on the inside of the sides of the box, creating rigidity and providing protection.The material used for the outside of the box is very heavy-duty Cordura, so there should be no longevity issues there.Polycarbonate panels waiting to be secured inside the bag (Image credit: Tim Russon)A large, sturdy U-shaped zip secures the top flap, also with some robust-feeling padding, and there are two sleeves for cross-bracing protection at the handlebars and the rear dropouts. Post Carry says that the bag ships with the rear brace (effectively a short section of plastic pipe) but not the longer handlebar piece; however, adding your own is quick and simple. The box is wide enough for 50cm handlebars, which is loads for a road bike, but flared gravel bars might struggle a bit. The pipe provides extra cross-bracing and protection by the rear drop out (Image credit: Tim Russon)On the inside of the box, there are lots of very useful, large pockets, with two on either side, one under the down tube and one in front of the fork. All of these are bellows-style for more room rather than lying flat against the bag and are closed with a zip. There is also a poppered flap at the back which is intended to house your rear derailleur if removed.Lots of large pockets inside the box (Image credit: Tim Russon)The chassis is a hard plastic tub, into which the metal frame is bolted, with four wheels, the front two of which steer shopping trolley style.The Loomer is available in two different sizes to minimise dead space: 333L for size 56cm frames and below, and 370L for larger bikes.The smaller 333L size was perfect for my 56cm road bike (Image credit: Tim Russon)The ridePacking the box was almost as simple as building it. With the wheels and seatpost removed, the fork bolts to the internal frame using the thru-axle whilst the bottom bracket shell sits on top of a large, padded block and is secured using a strap. There is a short piece of material to protect the frame from the strap, but its not quite long enough, so I also used some foam pipe lagging too. Forks are secured to the internal metal frame (Image credit: Tim russon)The rear derailleur can be removed to protect the hanger in transit and put behind the dedicated flap; I also wrapped my chainstay in some more foam pipe lagging and zip-tied my chain to it to stop it from flapping around and damaging the paintwork. Fortuitously, I found a perfect length piece of pipe in my garage to slot into the handlebar brace sleeve. I removed my pedals when packing the bike as they are Garmin Rally power pedals with batteries in them, but it would be possible to pack the bike with pedals in place - the padded wheel bags sit either side of the frame towards the front under the handlebars.The wheels sit either side of the frame in padded wheel bags (Image credit: Tim Russon)Almost as soon as it arrived, the box was pressed into service for two back-to-back trips to Mallorca. The first was a shorter affair, and I only took hand luggage and the Loomer, so the capacious pockets were extremely useful.As well as the saddle and seatpost, I packed two pairs of shoes, a helmet, a bag of tools, a few bottles and four sets of cycling clothes all in the bags pockets with plenty of space to spare. I had hold luggage for the second set of flights, so space was at less of a premium.Plenty of room inside the bag's pockets for a trip to Mallorca (Image credit: Tim Russon)However, I did learn that there is a bit of an art to packing the Loomer, as it doesnt really like having much weight in the large pocket under the downtube that is attached to the metal frame. In Marcs desire to reduce the Loomers size as much as possible, it runs with very little ground clearance, and when the central pocket is heavy, it can cause the bottom of the box to scrape annoyingly on any imperfection. Counterintuitively, it is better to put the weight in the pockets on the side of the box and leave the lowest pocket for light, bulky objects like your bike helmet.When I mentioned this to Marc, he said that he is aware of the issue and that a solution should be added very soon.The bag runs a little too low to the ground when laden or packed badly (Image credit: Tim Russon)When the bag is not scraping on the ground, the wheels run very freely and steer easily, although, much like the Evoc bag, it prefers to be pulled rather than pushed. With four widely spaced wheels, the box was super stable, and the wide, flat top was ideal for resting my hand luggage on whilst scooting through the airport.With its short, squat dimensions, the Loomer would be a great option for someone with a smaller car, as it needs much less width than something like a Bike Box Alan. However, its width/depth meant that it wasnt much easier to pack into my large car with a second box and hold luggage - doable but still awkward.Much lower than a Bike Box Alan, but just as wide (Image credit: Tim Russon)Value and conclusionThe Loomer costs $900 or 775, with sterling pricing to be confirmed. As bike boxes go, this is about par for the course - cheaper than the Evoc, Scion or Buxumbox boxes, slightly more expensive than Bike Box Alan. It's a chunk of cash for sure, but almost certainly a lot less money than the bike it will be protecting.It feels well made and has been thoughtfully designed, making it very easy to pack and use without feeling like you need to be a pro mechanic. Its nice that riders of smaller bikes dont have to lug about the same size box as those on 62cm frames, and its compact dimensions will be appreciated whether built up or packed away.Ready to go home (Image credit: Tim Russon)I understand that Post Carry were trying to make the box as small as possible, but I think that another centimetre of ground clearance would make it much easier to pack and move around without affecting the size very much at all. However, this doesnt stop me from recommending the Loomer to anyone travelling with their bike, regardless of whether they need its compactability or not. It is very close to a 5-star product, but I was cursing it for dragging its underside on the ground on a long walk back to my car at Manchester airport - if/when the ground clearance is sorted, then it will warrant the maximum number of stars.

Tough, well designed for commuting and built with a host of nice details

Good morning and welcome to the liveblog of the Tour de France. Today, the peloton says goodbye to Spain and crosses into France. A gruelling day awaits in the Pyrenees, with the riders set to tackle one tough day on the bike.Everything is set, and all that's missing is you. Join us and don't miss...