Like the look of the bikes the pros are using, but can't quite justify spending five figures on one? You'll still have to save up, but here are some slightly less spendy versions that are derived from the top-of-the-range models

If Tadej Pogacar had the power to control the cycling calender, he claims he would completely overhaul it and change the face of the sport. The UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider is in the midst of the Tour de France and is part of a peloton feeling the heat in a scorching summer. With La Grand Boucle in...

Eddie McGourley has been riding bikes for over 70 years, and he started racing as a junior back in 1958, but this week, part way around his 83rd lap of the sun, he pedalled himself right into the record books.Its yet to be officially acknowledged by Guinness, the self-appointed guardians of such things, but as far as he understands it, the fastest time any octogenarian had previously pedalled the 1,000-odd miles from Lands End to John OGroats was 14 days, and McGourley has just done the distance in 10 and a half days. Riding with companion Stephen Foster, a whippersnapper of 71, McGourley set off from Lands End on Monday 29 June, and has been riding an average of 100 miles every day since, until reaching John OGroats in the far north of Scotland around midday on Thursday Thursday 9 July. On the first day, going through Cornwall, we did about 130 miles, he tells me. After that we were riding for around 10 hours a day. We started off every day with some porridge, had a bacon sandwich for lunch, and a big dinner. And some whisky!"They had a support crew, but the weather has thrown everything possible at the pair, including thick fog and mist towards the end of the challenge. And wind, of course, the nemesis of the long-distance bike rider. I was blown off my bike twice going through Glen Coe, McGourley reveals. Ive got a bit of bruising, but Im alright.This Wearsider warrior is made of tough stuff, however, and hes well used to putting in the hard yards in the saddle of a bike. McGourley was three times crowned North East cycling champion in his younger days, and in 1970 won King of the Mountains in the Milk Race the long-running precursor to the Tour of Britain. That was the last year the race went across 14 days, he tells me. 83-year-old Eddie McGourley at the finish of his record-setting 11-day LEJoG ride (Image credit: Eddie McGourley )McGourley, who ran a bike shop in Sunderland for decades and built the Basso bike he used for most of the challenge himself, remains the president of Houghton Cycling Club, an organisation he has been a member of for most of his life. I always get out and ride twice a week, he says. But while preparing for this challenge, Ive been cycling most days. I come from County Durham its pretty hilly around here great training.McGourley came up with the idea of setting a new octogenarian FKT on the LeJoG route after picking up a copy of the Guinness Book of Records at the library, but he set his heart on completing the challenge to honour his late wife, Winifred, and to raise money for the St Cuthbert's Hospice in Durham where she spent her final days."The nurses there were wonderful," he tells me. "I just wanted to say thank you for everything they did."So far he has raised over 11,000 and the donation page remains open and active.And, somewhat astonishingly, McGourley wasnt the only octogenarian riding the length of Britain over the last couple of weeks. The day before McGourley set off from Land's End, Peggy Keenor-Crome, who is also 83, arrived at the southwestern tip of Cornwall, having ridden there from John O'Groats in 17 days, setting a record for the oldest woman to cycle the route, and the fastest known time for a woman in her 80s. Peggy is raising money for Devon Air Ambulance, a service that saved the life of her granddaughter Alice when she was a small child.

UAE Team Emirates - XRG seemingly haunted the breakaway on stage 9 of the Tour de France. In a hilly day that proved the perfect playground for punchy riders intent on getting themselves up the road, the peloton barely let any daylight between the attackers and bunch. As an exciting breakaway formed...

It may be a rest day at the Tour, but rest is the last thing on Ryan Mallons mind. Hes got the Monday live blog to bring to you all

The withdrawal of Cian Uijtdebroeks in the opening week of the Tour de France was a heavy blow for Movistar Team. The Belgian was the squads main card for the general classification, but physical issues forced a premature exit. Now, sports director Jos Joaqun Rojas has confirmed the next step in...

Pro cyclists ride fast and for long periods, often in a tight-knit bunch, over tricky roads and regardless of whether its wet or dry.Crashes are common, with riders clothed in a thin layer of Lycra, which is easily shredded by a fall. Bikes have sharp edges and if youre hit at speed by a rider, the impact can have considerable force. Of 184 riders who started the 2025 Tour, 24 abandoned, principally as a result of injury or sickness.Riders can fall hard on their heads, so a helmet is now mandatory, but concussion is still a problem, with cyclists sometimes forced to retire from the race if theyre judged to be concussed after a fall.Across a seasons racing, its estimated that around 20% of pro cyclists experience a bone fracture as a result of a crash, with broken collarbones making up a significant proportion of injuries, due to the force of a fall.Danger in the bunch Wet roads can increase the risk of a crash in the bunch. A.S.O./Billy Ceusters Crashes are most common in a bunch, where a touch of wheels can cause a rider to lose control and bring down multiple others, with following riders often hitting those ahead of them at speed. Fatigue often plays a part, too.Wet roads increase the risk, because a tyre can lose grip and skid out. White lines, manhole covers and other metal street furniture are also slippery when wet. Although riders can reach speeds in excess of 100km/h on descents, they're usually well spread out, so there's less danger of a collision. A.S.O./Billy Ceusters Tour de France cyclists reach their highest speeds when descending, often exceeding 80km/h and in some cases 100km/h. Crashes here are less frequent though, as riders are more spread out and are skilled at choosing a line and judging their speed through bends. Read more: 3,302km in 76 hours: how fast is the Tour de France?The high speed means the effect of a miscalculation is likely to be greater. Deaths are mercifully rare, but a bad fall can put a cyclist out of competition for months or finish their career.Prominent cyclists who have in the recent past been injured significantly in a fall, although not at the Tour, include Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, Tom Pidcock and Wout van Aert.Average speeds in races have increased and cycling's governing body, the UCI, is now planning measures it hopes will reduce the risk, such as limits on maximum gear ratios, although these are contentious.There are also experiments with lightweight airbags that are built into riders clothing and deploy in a crash to help protect the upper body. More Tour de France questions answered Why is the Tour de France not on ITV? 3,302km in 76 hours: how fast is the Tour de France? What is the Tour de France caravan, and why does everyone love it so much? Tour de France jargon buster: all the cycling terms you need to know to understand the race