Caja Rural-Seguros RGA rider Alex Molenaar has abandoned the Tour de France after breaking his hand in a crash he said he didn't remember. The Dutchman came down in a small pile-up just outside 5km to go on Wednesday's fifth stage to Pau. He finished the race, second from last and seven minutes behind the winner Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM), and was tested for a concussion. According to AS, he was heard beyond the finish line saying: "I don't remember the crash." Molenaar was taken to a nearby hospital after the stage. Caja Rural-Seguros RGA later confirmed that he had suffered a fracture in his hand. "Alex Molenaar will not be taking the start this Thursday following his heavy crash in Pau," the team wrote on social media. "The tests carried out have revealed that he is suffering from a fracture of the metacarpal in his right hand." Riding on his Tour debut, Molenaar wore the polka dot jersey on stage three as leader of the King of the Mountains classification. He is the fourth rider to abandon this year's edition. Alex Molenaar no tomar la salida este jueves tras su dura cada en Pau. Las pruebas realizadas han desvelado que sufre la rotura del metacarpiano de su mano derecha. Mucho nimo y pronta recuperacin tras su gran inicio de #TDF2026 https://t.co/EfTzEIMR3u pic.twitter.com/nhJZXJOZAUJuly 8, 2026

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...

Olav Kooij can already look back on a hugely successful Tour de France debut. The Dutch sprinter claimed his first Tour stage victory on Wednesday, taking the win in the race's first pure bunch sprint in Pau. Kooij avoided all of the chaos in the closing kilometres before producing a superb sprint t...

: by ASO [See image gallery at www.irishcyclingnews.com]

Its inconceivable that in the late 1950s, Ray Booty covered 100-mile distances on this bike in times that most modern riders, aero-optimised to the nth degree, can only dream of. The bike looks so ordinary, you could imagine commuting to work on it, which, apparently, is what Booty did hence the tape protecting the rear stays from saddlebag rub.On Bank Holiday Monday, 6th August 1956, Booty broke the RTTA 100-mile time trial record with an 84 fixed gear, posting a time of 3h 58m 28s. He was the first person to ride a sub-four-hour out and back century. (Image credit: Future)Weeks later, he surpassed the RRA 100-mile straight-out record, switching from the fixed gear to a close ratio, three-speed Sturmey Archer AC51 hub, as pictured here. His time was 3h 28m 40s, a record that stood for incredible 34 years.None of the components on this bike are particularly noteworthy, but the frame is. Its a 1955 Raleigh Record Ace (RRA) built in Raleighs special build workshop by either Billy Blackamore or Ted Silverstone, perhaps both.(Image credit: Future)In a Nottinghamshire factory that spanned 78 acres and employed 9,000 workers, it was just this duo of master frame-builders who crafted frames for a select few pros. Famously, these rare frames are stamped with an RP identifier Bootys TT bike is RP117.(Image credit: Future)Booty, who died in 2012, won many titles and accolades in the 1950s, including gold in the 1958 Empire and Commonwealth Games, but he declined to go pro.He was a modest fellow who enjoyed his cycling and didnt want to turn it into a job, says current owner Richard Hoddinott of Velo Pages. I imagine if he were around today, he wouldn't be propagating notoriety from social media. He'd just be letting his pedals do the talking, which is why, to me, he's the ultimate amateur.

: by ASO [See image gallery at www.irishcyclingnews.com]

The big stage in the Pyrenees. The breakaway has a good chance today and the first hour or more should be lively. Those wanting to win the stage will be active and look for teams with GC contenders trying to place riders in the move.La dpche du Midi: Baptiste Veistroffer attacked at KM0. Had he read his Dumas and was ready to pay tribute to the Musketeers who came from this region, more so since the logo of Intermarch supermarkets was long amousquetaire? No, hes just a breakaway specialist and now hes no longer able to chaperone Arnaud De Lie what else can they do?Alpecin-Premiertech and Soudal-Quickstep chased. It was only later when Veistroffer was caught that suddenly many teams appeared on the front of the bunch to set up their sprint. There was a crash with 5.5km to go and towards the front of the bunch, Tim Merlier was ok but most of his lead-out train was derailed. Torsten Tren was among those who fell before the 5km rule applied but he made in back while Jonas Vingegaard was left chasing too.The bunch was strung out in the streets of Pau. This happened last time in 2024 too, big boulevards but the nervous riders and some kinks in the route made this a hectic final with splits appearing.In the finishing straight XDS-Astana had their lead-out in place but while Max Kanter was ready to sprint for them, Olav Kooij had got onto his wheel after overtaking a series of riders in the final 1,500m. Kooij seemed to be itching to start his sprint but waited, all while predicted rivals like Philipsen, Girmay and Merlier were several wheels back and not in the match. Kooij went with 200m to go and was well clear for his first Tour stage win.Pressure relief for Decathlon-CMA CGM? Yes, in part because bringing Kooij to the Tour came at the expense of support for Seixas and had they not got a sprint win theyd face questions. But hopes are still high for more. With Kooijs performance this could follow.The Route: 186km and 4,100m of vertical gain. The roads from Paul via Lourdes to Arreau at the foot of the Col dAspin are familiar from many past editions of the Tour.The Aspin is climbed via the harder side, 12km at 6.5%, a gentle average but its because its got a soft start out of the valley before the hairpins come and then its often 7-8%. The descent is more gentle and takes the riders to the foot of the Tourmalet.The Tourmalet is a brute of a climb, both in difficulty and thanks to the section through La Mongie for the architecture too. Its a known quantity, theres no room for surprises. The descent to Luz is fast, with long straight sections which make it harder for a dropped rider to come back as they cant hope to exploit the corners to work their way back.The Finish: a gradual climb up a valley. This is the first time the Tour has finished here. There is a steep kick along the way at the Chaos de Coumly named after a rockfall where boulders line the road and more than the 6% on the profile above.Once in the village of Gavarnie the route bends to the right to cross a bridge and then another right turn. Nothing too sharp but if a group arrives worth planning for and its flatter.The Contenders: Tadej Pogaar (UAE) is the obvious base case. If there are attacks on the Tourmalet he might be the one making them as he could set a pace to drop everyone and with his rivals out of team mates he can press on. If not he can win the sprint from a group again. If he comes to the finish with others Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) has a good sprint in a flatter finish. Its hard to pick other GC contenders, even Tom Pidock (Pinarello-Q36.5) has a good finishing kick but hasnt looked so sharp yet.The breakaway has a good chance today and as well as the contenders for the stage and the polka-dot jersey, look for riders from the GC teams to see if they are being placed as potential relay workers. Maxim Van Gils (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) for example could be a useful helper for Remco Evenepoel but if the group stays away hes handy for the finish.Lenny Martinez (Bahrain) and Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal-Quickstep) are two climbers who will want the mountains points today and can then hope for the stage win. Both are quicker and craftier in a sprint than first glance might suggest. Alex Baudin (EF) is similar except his sprint is less obvious.Pogaar, Evenepoel, MartinezV Paret-Peintre, Del Toro, Van Gils, CarapazWeather: sunny and warm at 32C in the valleys. Theres a risk of clouds building and thunderstorms later on.TV: KM0 is at 12.40pm and the finish is forecast for 5.30pm CEST. The first hour or more could be frantic as riders and teams try to get away.The post Tour de France Stage 6 Preview first appeared on The Inner Ring.

The first big bunch sprint of the Tour de France ended with a wild finish in Pau, as Dutchman Olav Kooij took his very first Tour stage win, beating out a fast-moving field. German sprinter Max Kanter managed to secure a strong second place after his team protected him from the hot weather all day....

: by ASO [See image gallery at www.irishcyclingnews.com]