Our in-depth look at every team, the main riders to watch and the cast of characters racing through France this summer

Just one more sleep and well be at La Bella Firenze, ready for three weeks of non-stop racing at the Tour de France but until then, its Adwitiya on the live blog with all the cycling news, reactions and chit-chat

It has now been almost three months since Jonas Vingegaard's crash at Itzulia Basque Country, but the Dane has made it to Florence and the Tour de France. What the defending champion can achieve in his attempt to win a third Tour however is an unknown, not only to cycling fans all round but to him a...

A sleek, compact, comprehensive and lightweight multi-tool but it comes with a heavyweight price 9/10

Wout van Aert has had a roller-coaster of a season. Changing his schedule completely, he approached the cobbled classics with a new preparation, but a crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen saw him out of the monuments and the Giro d'Italia. Now finally, the Belgian ends up racing the Tour de France once ag...

BIKE Magazine July 2024To subscribe for hard copy click hereTo read online click hereCycling in July 2024 offers a vibrant and exhilarating experience for both recreational riders and serious cyclists. The month of July, situated in the peak of summer, presents ideal conditions for cycling with extended daylight hours, generally warm temperatures, and numerous cycling events and opportunities to explore scenic routes.One of the most notable cycling events in July is the Tour de France. In 2024, the Tour continues its tradition as the pinnacle of professional cycling, attracting the worlds best cyclists to compete across challenging terrains. This years route promises a mix of mountainous stages in the Alps and Pyrenees, flat stages that test sprinters, and time trials that demand precision and speed. The excitement surrounding the Tour de France not only captivates avid cycling fans but also inspires countless recreational cyclists to take to their bikes, emulating their heroes on the road.For casual cyclists, July provides perfect weather to explore local trails and scenic routes. In Europe, destinations like the Danube Cycle Path, the Loire Valley, and the coastlines of the Netherlands offer stunning landscapes and well-maintained paths that cater to all levels of cyclists. In North America, the Great Allegheny Passage and the Pacific Coast Highway are popular routes that combine natural beauty with a sense of adventure. These routes are often filled with cyclists enjoying the long, warm days and the camaraderie of fellow enthusiasts.Cycling events and festivals abound in July, offering diverse experiences from charity rides to competitive races. For instance, RideLondon in the UK is a major cycling festival featuring a mix of professional races and mass participation events, encouraging cyclists of all abilities to join in. Similarly, the Seattle to Portland (STP) ride in the USA is a well-known long-distance event that attracts thousands of participants each year.July is also a time when many cities around the world promote cycling as a sustainable and healthy mode of transportation. Initiatives like car-free days and bike-to-work weeks are common, aiming to reduce urban congestion and pollution while promoting physical activity. Cities such as Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and Portland are renowned for their bike-friendly infrastructure and see a surge in cycling activity during the summer months.In conclusion, cycling in July 2024 promises to be a thrilling and inclusive activity, whether one is watching the Tour de France, participating in local events, or simply enjoying the freedom of exploring new places on two wheels. The combination of favourable weather, numerous events, and the global cycling communitys enthusiasm ensures that July remains a standout month for cycling enthusiasts worldwide.

CyclistIn the Drops: Restrap backpack, The General Classification clothing, Bissini socks, Styrkr gels and bars, and hot stuffIts late June at a cycling magazine so that can only mean one thing: turning on my out-of-office, hauling my keister down to the west country and settling in at Cider corner for Le Tour de Glastonbury. I promise Ive been meaning to cycle there every year but the excuses keep conveniently showing up.But seriously, the Tour de France is almost upon us and it means business serieux. Unfortunately, Robyn has had to catalogue the reemergence of the D-word this week (no not Saturdays headliner Dua Lipa) as EF lords of peloton morality and gatekeepers of truth and purity delete Andrea Piccolos website profile and chuck him off the pink bus in light of his hormone ferrying. Shes also dug deep into the semantics of the underdog to investigate who in 2024 can possibly claim that moniker among this star-studded TDF start line.For all the riders who havent been unceremoniously ptanqued into la poubelle, what they get up to will be very visible and very televised. Ewan has got you covered for all your Tour de France viewing needs. Still in mourning for his noble Scotsmen, who conspired to leave Germany as planned before the knockout stages to get back in time for the general election, hes also somehow managed to type out what it really takes to do a Giro-Tour double on his slippery tear-stained keyboard. And that brings me onto the pirate himself and Giles Belbins summary of the seventh rider to complete the Giro-Tour double. Makes me feel sunburnt just looking at the uncovered pate.Andy Turner has been busy robing and disrobing out in the back garden, with reviews of bib shorts from Assos, Pas Normal Studios, Le Col, Cafe du Cycliste, Sportful, Santini and Q36.5 all hitting the site.Now its time to slide off the safety of the hoods and into the drops. Wishing you all a very grand depart. Related Posts Who actually are the underdogs for the Tour de France? The climbs that will decide the 2024 Tour de France What does it take to win the Giro-Tour double? Where trendy bar bags are born: Behind the scenes at Restrap Mens Tour de France 2024: Route, how to watch and all you need to know Restrap Roll Top BagBackpack producers, more so than many, must have been delighted when the pandemic concluded and people started commuting into their offices again. A whole swathe of the bag-buying populace entombed in their studies and living rooms, denied the motive for on-person storage solutions.Well, those days are over now and its bag season every day of the year.If youre on the lam or disposing of bulky bits of evidence or looking to replace your red and white handkerchief wrapped around a stick, perhaps the 40L Restrap Rolltop will be of interest, but 22L is perfectly sufficient for my needs.Its made from waterproof TPU material, without being sold as totally waterproof, and features enough handy compartments, zips, and straps to keep you endlessly tinkering with your setup. You can access your laptop and the valuables section without opening the main rolltop compartment. Plus its vegan so everyone can have a slice.Restrap is based up in Yorkshire, which minimises transportation miles, and products are covered by a lifetime guarantee against defects. This bag also comes in a dazzling white. Personally, I dont trust myself in tandem with my sworn hatred of mudguards to keep that looking good for even a few days on the effluent sloshing alleyways that pass for Londons road network.Buy now from Restrap (184.99)The General Classification ClothingClothing is an outward expression of our personalities. Even if you opt out and dress, instead, in whatever rags you find by the side of your local dual carriageway; that too is a (very revealing) expression of your personality. Theres no escaping it.Clothes are of paramount importance if you find yourself as many young parents in their 30s do being thrust into rooms full of strangers every few days, looking about four hours short on sleep and generally in siege mode at the prospect of singing nursery rhymes on the vomit-flecked floor of a library.Short of wearing an EF jersey, or (god forbid) a football shirt, donning clothes with subtle and stylish (imho) nods to the thinking persons sport of choice cycling is a very good idea, and acts like a lo-fi algorithmic filtering magnet.Before you know it, in response to your acoustic vibe-o-meter, mums and dads (the good ones) are flocking towards you to assess whether youre a highlights browser who doesnt know their G from Derek Gee, or a full, embargo-busting, pit-lane peering, time-trial watching, extreme-weather-protocol poring, watt-shaving Lycra aficionado.Sorry, Ill get to the point. With riffs on Cinzano, Marlboro, aperitivos, Le Grand Dpart, the high mountains, DNFs and La Flamme Rouge as well as a vintage jersey section (2000 Atak Sport Astana jersey anyone?)The General Classification has a bountiful array of conversation-starting garms. Plus, its sustainable and made to order so pretty much guilt free.Im a particular fan of the My Mind is in the Mountains T-shirt, which hopefully raises a few smiles from the people behind me as I clean up yet another scatological mid-rhyme disaster from the library floor.Buy now from The General Classification (39.95)Bissini socksIf I were rich, I wouldnt be commandeering a private jet to fly me to far-flung parts of the globe. No sirree. My one and only luxury (I promise) would be to wear a fresh pair of white socks every single day of the year. Most vitally, every day that I was setting my well-heeled foot upon my bicycle it would be sheathed in the milkiest of milky white cotton.Bissini is a multi-generational family-run hosiery business that has its roots in the cycling heartland just outside of Venice. Yarn for the Bissini calzini (thats socks to the non-Italians) is sourced from Bologna and Bolzano while the company also has a base in London.Mike Massaro / CyclistIts a pleasingly simple range. Sure, you can pick up some formal dress socks from Bissini if thats your bag, as well as off-road and running socks, but Im only here for the purest of pure white alpine foot huggers with some latitude for a cheeky minty number and a Caf du Cycliste-inspired hooped edition.Alicia B, creative director and COO of Bissini, says the company uses older machinery to create a finer and denser sock something I can very much believe based on the delightful feel of the material.Unfortunately, my windfall hasnt arrived yet, so Im laundering my Bissinis with the rest of the great unwashed. I only wear them on el scorchio days, and even when theyve been roundly doused in my ghost-strength suncream, the whiteness has remained at pleasingly young-rider levels of white.Buy now from Bissini (20)Styrkr Gel50 Dual-Carb energy gelsI was converted to vowel-phobic nutrition knigins Styrkr back in 2022 on the last day of an ultra race. They used to sell gels in some heinous-looking ~100g sachets. I necked one of these battery-acid-tasting caffeine grenades and it propelled me through the final 100km when my legs were already folded up in a bed somewhere. Im still grateful.Sizes are now down to a more digestible 72g with the new Gel50s, which deliver 50g of carbs per sachet. The contents are vegan and tested for WADA banned substances (phew!) and taste legitimately delicious. The utterly unspellable Styrkrthon bars (let me just check that spelling again) provide 22g of protein without a bombardment of sugar, and they too are vegan and gluten free. The chocolate, peanut and caramel flavouring is a winning formula and reminds me of another pretty famous and similarly named bar (for boomers and aged millennials only.)I can also vouch for both as excellent for chucking into your overnight bag if youre planning on birthing a child anytime soon. I think my girlfriend made it through a dozen during that particular sportive. Buy now from Styrkr: gels (29.99) and bars (34.99)Ad featureWin 400 of Rab Cinder adventure biking kitRabRabs Cinder collection was born from sun-dappled forest tracks and long-distance bikepacking epics.From stashable shells to streamlined biking tees, the range keeps you comfortable and prepared for anything on your two-wheeled summer adventures.Simply enter your email at the link below for your chance to bag yourself 400 of Rab Cinder kit.ENTER HEREAd feature endsWhat were into this week: Habanero Tabasco and Sainsburys jalapeosNever a truer word spoken amigoIf youre running a cash-cow dynasty like Tabasco, you could be forgiven for resting on your laurels. Theres a bottle of the stuff in every caf, restaurant and household in the Western world. In some larders the diddy bottles remain a dazzling ruby red, used frequently and frequently replaced. In other houses the red fades to a tired brown, the sell-by date disappears into the preceding decade, and unsuspecting visitors drip a separated orange liquor thats fermented into around 15% ABV onto their scrambled eggs.But rest these Louisianans do not, and the Habanero edition of Tabasco tricky to find and even trickier to drink blows its more established hues (red and green) out of the Gulf of Mexico. The vinegary blandness of the original Tabasco is elevated and clarified by the sweet smokiness of the bewitching habanero. Theres a muddy-looking Chipotle edition knocking around too, but its a flavour thats been bashed around mercilessly by modern fast-food culture and to my mind lacks the elegant heft of this masterful take on habanero spice.Yes, I ended up eating half while taking the photo.If youre looking for some freshly jarred jalapeos to go alongside your new favourite hot sauce, look no further than our very own Sainsburys, whose freshly jarred jalapeos, sourced in Poland, throw shade on every branded competitor. Crisp, crunchy, and mouth-wateringly tart even the brine they swim in should be cherished and stored: chuck it into your dressings, slaws and chillis or lob a bit in a bloody Mary. Better yet, tuck a jar in the jersey pocket and guzzle those salty electrolytes when you most need them.Buy now from Ocado (2.50) and Sainsburys (1) Related Posts Who actually are the underdogs for the Tour de France? The climbs that will decide the 2024 Tour de France What does it take to win the Giro-Tour double? Where trendy bar bags are born: Behind the scenes at Restrap Mens Tour de France 2024: Route, how to watch and all you need to know The post In the Drops: Restrap backpack, The General Classification clothing, Bissini socks, Styrkr gels and bars, and hot stuff appeared first on Cyclist.

Mathieu van der Poel enters the 2024 Tour de France with only 7 race days this year. A very small schedule but one that led to lots of success in the spring; the World Champion now looks to build on a success story at the Tour alongside Jasper Philipsen once again just as what happened last year."I...

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