Cycling's governing body has defended night-time testing of riders at the Tour de France, saying that "the fight against doping is an absolute priority".In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon, a spokesperson for the UCI said that the organisation acknowledges the disruptive nature of the tests, but that this "exceptional measure" serves the "overriding interest" of tackling doping.Visma-Lease a Bikes Jonas Vingegaard and race leader Tadej Pogaar of UAE Team Emirates-XRG were woken up at 2am and 5am respectively on Sunday morning, ahead of stage 15, by doping control officers from the International Testing Agency (ITA) and made to provide a sample.Cycling Weekly has also reported that riders from five teams, including Pogaar and Vingegaard, have received unannounced anti-doping tests between 11pm and 6am, which require authorisation from a judge. It is understood that at least one rider was tested at 5am during the first week of the race, meaning that Pogaar and Vingegaard were not the first riders to be subjected to a test in the early hours. Separately, on Monday's second rest day, blood samples were taken from all the riders left at the Tour by the ITA.The ITAs night-time testing at this Tour has been described as strange by Pogaar, "inhuman" by Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and criticised by many, including the riders union, the CPA.Earlier this week, Jonathan Vaughters, the manager ofEF Education-EasyPost, defended the tests, describing them as very effective in detecting micro-dosing.Tests between the hours of 11pm and 6am are prohibited, except in exceptional circumstances, when the ITA has to request permission from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and a judge.The UCI spokesperson said: "Following a number of reactions in recent days to unannounced anti-doping controls carried out by the International Testing Agency (ITA) during the Tour de France in particular following the statement issued by the association of professional riders (CPA) the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) wishes to respond and to reaffirm that the fight against doping is an absolute priority."The UCI of course acknowledges that night-time testing can disrupt riders' rest and recovery, and wishes to reiterate that carrying out such controls outside normal hours remains an exceptional measure, reserved for limited and justified circumstances. While fully aware of how onerous such a measure is for riders, the UCI nevertheless underscores that these controls serve an overriding interest: the fight against doping."In 2021, the UCI entrusted the ITA with the management of its anti-doping programme including the planning and execution of controls in order to guarantee its independence and maximise its effectiveness. With this in mind, the UCI fully supports the ITA's use of every means at its disposal to carry out its mission as effectively as possible, in compliance, naturally, with the World Anti-Doping Code of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), UCI Regulations, and legislation applicable in each country for the conduct of controls (as in the present case, with the approval of the competent judge) and/or the gathering of intelligence.""The UCI considers it essential that all stakeholders unite and support the anti-doping programme in place in cycling, which is now recognised by the relevant sporting authorities as a benchmark in this field," the spokesperson continued."The requirement for independence, rigour and effectiveness in its anti-doping programme comes at a cost to cycling, one borne collectively by all of its stakeholders: every year, more than 10 million is invested in the collection, analysis and re-analysis of samples, as well as in intelligence-gathering, across events falling within the UCI's regulatory remit, including the Tour de France. This investment reflects the UCI's determination to protect riders who respect the rules, and to relentlessly pursue the reinforcement of its arsenal against those who cheat."The UCI will continue to support the ITA in carrying out its mission, in full and complete respect for its independence, in the service of a cleaner and more credible sport of cycling."

Good morning and welcome to the liveblog of the 113th edition of the Tour de France. Stage 17 gets underway today and marks the first road stage following the ITT and the second rest day. The peloton faces a demanding mixed parcours that looks perfectly suited to the stage hunters, with plenty of op...

Over the years, weve learned that the best gear quietly gets tested when it becomes a choice among other options long after the review is published. In this summer's Editor's Dozen, Logan and Virginia include some of those long-term picks in a roundup of a dozen products and experiencesand one meaningful reminderthat have become trusted companions through months (and sometimes years) of riding and living. Find them all hereThe post Editors Dozen: Logan and VAs Favorite Gear of 2026 (Spring/Summer) appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

Not only is riding a bicycle often difficult and frustrating here in West Greenland, but it can also cost you your life:As such, I think every cyclist goes through a period of believing everybody could be happy if theyd only get out of their cars and onto bicycles:Every day as a cyclist, I witness gobsmacking displays of lawlessness, road rage, and distracted driving on our streets. But you know the scariest part? All it takes is a few minutes behind the wheel for me to be the one cursing under my breath, cutting corners, and putting others in danger. Cars and traffic just have a habit of bringing out ourabsolute worst tendenciesas humans.Bikes, on the other hand, bring out our best.Multiplestudieshave shown that bike commuting has large, measurable, positive impacts on mental and physical health. Seriously, try riding on two wheels as an adult and not smiling I dare you.Sadly, even though the observations above are true, I can no longer allow myself to believe any of itand not only because you can absolutely ride hundreds of miles a week without cracking a smile. (Its called being a roadie.) No, the reason I no longer believe it is because I need to stay sane, and in order to do so I have had to abandon anything resembling hope or optimism when it comes to peoples behavior. Yes, for a little while there even I believed maybe more and more people would start riding bicycles and wed all be safe and happy one day, but the electric motor put an end to that, and over the years the early promise of bike lanes has just turned into this:This is not to gainsay any of the sentiments conveyed in this opinion piece, all of which are quite valid. And I certainly dont mean to disrespect the memory of the person whose death inspired the piece in the first place. All Im saying is I intend to keep riding for as long as I am able, and in order to do I need to place all my faith entirely in the one person whose actions I can controland that person is me, and even then my self-control is tenuous at best, which is why I own far too many bicycles and fail to curtail my sodium consumption. Most importantly, I also need to reconcile myself to the fact that most people will always opt for the easier form of transportation, whether thats a car or an e-scooter or a robotic exoskeletonand that the bicycle will always be an afterthought for pretty much everybody.And yes, I realize it reflects poorly on me that Ive become so apathetic and cynical. But what can I say? A decade ago I fought against this sense of hopelessness by going to community board meetings and arguing in favor of the new bike lane, whereas now I just tell myself, Hey, at least you dont live in Turkey:Sorry, I dont think were supposed to call it Turkey anymore; I believe its now Trkiye, or maybe Torquay, though I think the latter may be where Fawlty Towers is located. Whatever the case, under no circumstances should you wear cycling tights there, because you could be removed from office by presidential decree:Mehmet Fatih iekli, governor of the northeastern province of Ardahan, was removed by a presidential decree dated July 17 after videos and photographs he shared of himself cycling sparked criticism on social media.The decree gave no reason for his removal, although Turkish media widely linked it to the controversy over his cycling attire.And yet he remains unbowed!iekli defended the outfit as standard cycling gear.The clothes Im wearing are sports clothes. I do sports in sports clothes, he said.Asked what he planned to do after his removal, iekli said, I will keep pedaling.Did I say I was cynical and apathetic? Well, I take it back, because I got chills when I read that. This man is truly an inspiration to all the MAMILs of the world.Fred, from this day forward, thy name is Mehmet Fatih iekli.And thats not the only worrisome cycling news coming out of Turkey:Heres what happened:A round-the-world cyclist broke her back in a freak accident as she tried to take a picture while on her friends shoulders.Matilda Pine, from Norwich, set off on a two-year expedition on 4 April, and was in Turkey when she fell, fracturing her back in two places.As weve already established, my sense of geography is informed entirely by British sitcoms, and I am only familiar with Norwich as the home of Alan Partridge:In case youre unfamiliar with Alan Partridge, he is a noted Tour de France commentator:Anyway, fortunately it sounds like the rider will recover, and so I hope you wont think me tactless when I askhow the hell does anybody carve two whole years out of their life for a cycling trip? When you add that to the seven years of preparation (!) thats longer than it takes to get a law degree:Pine told BBC Radio Norfolks Chris Goreham she had been preparing for her trip for seven years, gearing up both physically and mentally.And while you could certainly fail to attain that degree, it probably wont be because you fell off your friends back:As I was climbing onto my friends shoulders and he went to stand up, I just flipped off backwards and landed on my back, she said.The accident happened in a remote field and she was left lying on the ground for two hours before her friend then helped her walk to a road where they picked up a taxi to a treatment centre.Its unfortunate Alan Partridge wasnt there to rescue her:And please understand Im not trying to make light of the cyclists injury (well maybe a little), and I do wish her a speedy recovery, but I also refuse to temper my extreme anti-ultra endurance cycling agenda, and if I dont speak out against it then nobody will.Still, there are even sillier things than riding around the world, such as buying Albert Einsteins bicycle saddle:I realize I began this post with a dim view of humanity, but I am reassured by the fact that as of yet nobody has been dumb enough to buy this thing:The bike saddle that once helped Einstein maintain that life balance hasnt moved and remains available for purchase after an auction failed to generate bids during a Dominic Winter Auctioneers events here in May and in October. In the May auction, it was part of the Photographs, Posters & Postcards, Autographs, Documents & Ephemera offering, with a pre-auction estimate of 7,000-10,000 pounds ($9,396-$13,423).We would have sold it for 6,000 pounds if there had been any bidding at that level, Chris Albury, senior auctioneer and valuer for Dominic Winter Auctioneers, told BRAIN in early June.A month later, BRAIN followed with Albury, who said the auction house is still open to sensible offers before the saddle is offered in an auction next year.Sensible offer? Any offer for this thing is inherently not sensible. Cycling isnt even why Albert Einstein is famous! This is like buying Fausto Coppis slide rule. And yes, I know Albert Einstein rode a bicycle, and that he said this:Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep movingSo what? Its not even true! Ask any fixie rider:Also, its not always good to keep moving in life, because thats how you wind up in Turkey with a broken back.Heres more on the saddle:The brown leather Nelson saddle dates from about 1929 and comes with original paperwork and an order form to the German bike manufacturer Ludwig Nelson Fahrradbau GmbH. The company was active in the 1920s and early 1930s and based in Berlin-Schneberg and produced bikes, frames, and accessories. The order form was completed in pencil in Einsteins handwriting from his Berlin address on March 26, 1929.And here are some photos:It even has the anatomical cutout to preserve Einsteins taint:Okay, fine, I could see spending $50 for it and throwing it on the Roaduno.But thats my final offer.

Jasper Philipsen came off Mathieu van der Poels wheel to launch an unanswerable sprint to win stage 16 of the Tour de France in Voiron.The day had been one of the most chaotic of this years Tour with attacks, counter-attacks and splits throughout the day.But eventually a reduced front group containing several sprinters including Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlUla) and Aaron Gates (Astana-XDS) contested the victory.Philipsens victory injected new vigour into the competition for the Tours green jersey because the leader of that competition Mads Pedersen was only able to place eighth.The Alpecin-Premier Tech sprinter is now just seven points between Pedersen.More to follow...

The bike shop that loaned the bike to the cyclist has also been reimbursed, with West Midlands Police now saying it will explore alternative testing after admitting the method used by its officers was not accurate

Stage 17 was one of the most difficult days at the Tour de France in terms of speed, with half of the stage having been ridden at the maximum including breakaway attempts from sprinters, GC contenders and classics specialists. A large breakaway containing dozens of riders eventually went up the road...

Jasper Philipsen came off Mathieu van der Poels wheel to launch an unanswerable sprint to win stage 17 of the Tour de France in Voiron.The day had been one of the most chaotic of this years Tour with attacks, counter-attacks and splits throughout the day.But eventually a reduced front group containing several sprinters including Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlUla) and Aaron Gates (Astana-XDS) contested the victory.Speaking after the finish Philipsen said: It has been such a rollercoaster of emotions at this Tour de France, having to wait until stage 17. I prepared very, very well I was in the shape of my life I think but the first 12 stages were just horrible I couldnt find the feeling I was hoping for. Its really one for the team that keep on believing in me. I want to thank everybody because Ive been like an angry bird at the [dinner] table, I was just disappointed in myself and angry that I couldnt take a stage win.He added: I doubted myself. I did everything I could before this Tour, I did amazing preparation with the team, but I just was not myself. Was it because of the heat, because it was really horrible? Or was it something else? I dont know.Mentally it was really tough with all the sh*t you get, read my Instagram. I just tried to be with my team-mates in our own bubble and just working towards the next goals, but its always a rollercoaster of emotions at the Tour de France in July.In a stage marked by chaos, the Alpecin-Premier Tech sprinter hadnt always been in the front of the race and had to dig deep to make it back to the main break before the finish.He said: This victory cost me a few years of my life I was fighting somewhere in the middle between groups, I thought the stage was lost. In the end they were super strong and delivered me to the finish line.Philipsens victory injected new vigour into the competition for the Tours green jersey because the leader of that competition Mads Pedersen was only able to place eighth.The Belgian is now just seven points between Pedersen after claiming 50 for the win. He said: The next stages are very, very tough but Ill keep fighting until Paris.The day had been marked by chaos that saw the break take 75km to form. One of the major animators of that was Pedersen who seemed to want to be in every group that tried to go clear. Hed be awarded the most combative rider prize at the end of the day.He was rewarded for those efforts by taking maximum 25 points at the intermediate sprint, which was placed 147km into the 175km stage.Immediately afterwards, Stuyven attacked attempting to complete the stages final 25km alone. With 16km to go he had built a lead of 45 seconds. The Belgian, who hasnt won a race since he was victorious in Milan-San Remo in 2021, was riding strongly but behind Pedersons group was caught by the large breakaway group that contained several sprinters including Philipsen, Pedersen and Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlUla) all eager to contest the win. With more than 40 riders bearing down on him his gap began to erode. By 10km to go it had fallen to 31 seconds.Alpecin-Premier Tech and Jayco-AlUla were contributing heavily to the chase and by 5km to go Stuyvens advantage had dropped to 20 seconds.With 3.5km to race the Belgian powerhouse was finally caught, prompting a flurry of counter-attacks but they were all shut down and the group contested the win.

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The 2026 Tour de France classifications will shift across three weeks of racing, from the Grand Dpart in Barcelona on 4 July to the final stage in Paris on 26 July. Across time trials, sprint stages, breakaway opportunities, and the high mountains, each day can alter the shape of the race for the y...