Another sprint stage but with the possibility of crosswinds later.Pinball wizard: how can Netflix compete? They released the second series of their clunky docu-tainment show just before the Tour but viewers of the real thing get the thrill of live TV, script lines that the producers cant concoct, plus its free-to-air. Sure Episode 5 of Le Tour got off to a slow start but the advice was always to tune in for the finale.Alpecin-Deceuninck made a late charge for the finish, rumbling past the other trains at the flamme rouge. Sat on Jasper Philipsens wheel was Mark Cavendish. This was the place to be and the likes of Phil Bauhaus and Fernando Gaviria tried to bump their way in but couldnt dislodge Cavendish. Behind others were tangling and braking but to dab the pads was to quit.With 300m to go Cavendish came around Philipsen and then launched with 150m to go. And that was it, he was well clear and had time to sit up and celebrate.Overtaking Eddy Merckx has been the defined goal but its a stat, not the whole story. At times hes seemed haunted by the need to race and to keep on winning rather than set a record. Its also a tale of longevity, at 39 years old hes the second oldest winner of a stage in the Tour de France and has the widest span in stage wins. 2024 here, 2008 then, beating Oscar Freire and Erik Zabel, whose son has recently from pro cycling. When Cavendish was winning in Chteauroux George Bush and Nicolas Sarkozy were Presidents. The Iphone was new and Samsung had yet to launch a smartphone. Cavendishs bike was a 10 speed with protruding gear cables.The only thing left is to pick his exit. You could forgive him for stopping right now, a night spent bathing in champagne and leaving on but hes still got a team in his service and stages to suitThe Route: a scenic start out of Macon amid the vineyards and a slog over the Col du Bois Clair but only just, the Paris-Lyon-Marseille TGV line runs parallel and does so for more of the course. More vineyards, especially mid-stage, more clattering TGV trains and plenty of white charolais cattle, these details stand out because theres not much else to write about. The general direction of the course is north but it zigs and zags later on, as if trying to appeal to any crosswinds.The Finish: the city of Dijon has its hills but this avoids them. The finishing straight is almost 1.6km long and if there is a roundabout inside the final kilometre passage via the right side only it is a giant one and a wide bend, its not dangerous itself but will thin out the bunch.The Contenders: Mark Cavendish (Astana) has to get a chainring or more. For someone who usually takes a while to warm-up he made it look easy in the first sprint he got to contest.Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) was close yesterday and if his leadout train can be sharper then hes the obvious pick too. Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Dstny) is consistent. Fabio Jakobsen (DSM) was fifth, not quite a come back but notable while Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco) can be close. Once again Biniam Girmay (Intermarch-Wanty) is the obvious priority for his team now he is in greenMads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) took a hard fall yesterday and may not start, this counts twice as hes got a big team in his service but if they dont chase others will.JakobsenCavendishDe Lie, Kristoff, Girmay, Van Aert, BennettWeather: cloudy and a cool 20C. There will be a crosswind for much of the stage 20km/h from the west/left. Normally 25km-30km/h is needed to shred the bunch but 20km/h can suffice for a determined group.TV: KM0 is at 1.50pm CEST and the finish is forecast for 5.25pm CEST. Check for any crosswind action, otherwise get in place for the sprint finish.Postcard from DijonThe Tour de France last visited Dijon in 1997 and heres a riddle for you: Bart Voskamp (TVM-Farm Frites) and Jens Heppner (Team Telekom) rode to the finish together to contest the stage in a two-up sprint. Who won?Embed from Getty ImagesThe answer is Mario Traversoni (Mercatone Uno). Stage 19 saw a breakaway of 12 riders form early in the stage and with 12km to go Voskamp and Heppner slipped away from the rest of them to sprint for the win. Only they tangled, dangled, mangled and wrangled. Voskamp veered sideways to put Heppner in the barriers, the German fought back and leaned on the Dutchman. It was as if they went or lent sidewasy as much as they tried to go forwards for the line. As one of the best Tour chroniclers of the time wrote (my translation):So what do they say, these commissaires? Do we at least know which one was at fault? Who are we going to punish? The little German or the big Dutchman? Its unbearable. At least the president of the jury has got religion and decides to split the difference. King Solomon speaks The two men are disqualified. Mario Traversoni, third, who finished 26 seconds behind the two group riders, is declared the winner. Les gogos dune arrive aux coups coudes by Jean-Louis Le Touzet, Liberation 26 July 1997Apparently it took 35 minutes before Traversoni was declared the winner. And if you think its unusual it is, but this was the third stage that year revised by the commissaires that year after Stage 6 saw Erik Zabel cross the line first but Jeroen Blijlevens was awarded the win and Stage 11 went to Laurent Desbiens after Serguei Outschakov was relegated too. Heres hoping for a safe sprint in Dijon today.The post Tour de France Stage 6 Preview first appeared on The Inner Ring.

Alexander Vinokurov and whole Astana Qazaqstan Team have another reason to celebrate on top of Mark Cavendish's Tour de France stage victory. You could say the Kazakh team has finally completed the mission they embarked on back in 2023. 18 months ago, they put their WT license in a stake to assist t...

The Gloucestershire based bike park was forced to temporarily close so that work on the A417 missing link road project could commenceFresh trails waiting to be ridden (Noakes)Gloucestershire bike park Flyup 417 will be reopening on 17 July after work on the A417 Missing Link road project Continue reading

Mark Cavendishwas of course over the moon after his 35th stage win at theTour de France. One of the first people he hugged after the finish wasCees Bol, an important link in the sprint train ofAstana Qazaqstan. "I am very happy to be part of this, and especially that it worked out," the Dutchman...

We're here at Eurobike roaming the endless abyss of madness to filter out the best things we can find. In part one, we take a look at some really impressive new stuff, including Dangerholm's Mad Max bike, an axle-mounted rack and more from Ortlieb, a new prototype handlebar cradle, new lights and hubs from SON, a dropper stem(!?), and much more. Find it all here...The post 2024 Eurobike Finds (Part 1): Danger Max, Ortlieb Racks and Packs, SON Ladelux, and More appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

Erin Creighton, Mia Griffin, Alice Sharpe, Kelly Murphy and Lara Gillespie during the Team Ireland Paris 2024 team announcement for Cycling at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Blanchardstown, Dublin. Photo by David Fitzgerald/SportsfileThe Olympic Federation of Ireland has officially selected the womens track cycling team who will compete at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer. The Irish track cycling team has secured qualification in the Womens Team Pursuit, the Womens Omnium and the Womens Madison following a two-year competition journey.The track cycling competitions take place in the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome on the outskirts of Paris, and run from the 6 August until the 11 August.The success of this team in qualifying is all the more impressive considering Ireland doesnt have an indoor velodrome. This team has dedicated a significant amount of time to training at the Cycling Ireland base in Majorca.Speaking on the official selection, member of the team, Alice Sharpe, said,Its really special, its been a long-term goal of Cycling Ireland and us as a team of girls. For it to actually come true, and to be weeks away from going to Paris, is really really special.The feeling in the camp is good. The last camp we had was like head down, making sure that were strong and fast, and now weve got to come home, collected our kit, and have had a really fun open training session this morning. I think this has really built the excitement for us and made it feel a bit more real. I think before it was it was something we had achieved but now it feels like its really happening.Olympic Federation of Ireland Chef de Mission for Paris 2024, Gavin Noble said,Im really happy for this team, and for Cycling Ireland in qualifying in the womens team pursuit in particular. It has been a long-term goal for them, and we are delighted to see this squad realising this ambition. The velodrome is always one of the most exciting events in the Games, and we are looking forward to supporting the team.Iain Dyer, Cycling Ireland High Performance Director said, We are very proud to see this team selected to represent Ireland in Paris at the Olympic Games. Its a testimony to their hard work and commitment, and the support theyve had from the High-Performance unit that theyve been able to overcome the absence of an indoor velodrome in Ireland, and qualify as one of the top 10 teams in the World.This brings to seventy-nine the official number of athletes who have so far been selected to represent Team Ireland at Paris 2024, a Games that will see us celebrate our centenary competing as a nation at the Olympic Games. The team announcements for each sport will follow over the coming weeks, with the final team announcement scheduled for the second week of July. The Olympic Games in Paris will run from the 24th July to the 11th August 2024, with the Opening Ceremony taking place on the 26th July.Performance analyst Laura Ostler, track coach Dan Henchy, team manager Ian Dyer, road sports director Martin Irvine and physio Dee Quinn during the Team Ireland Paris 2024 team announcement for Cycling at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Blanchardstown, Dublin. Photo by David Fitzgerald/SportsfileThe post Historic first for Irish womens team pursuit team named for Paris 2024 appeared first on IrishCyclingNews.com | Irish Cycling News | IrishCycling.