Tour de France Women 2025 on TV: Watch live coverage and highlights
Your guide on how to watch the Tour de France Women 2025 live on TV and details about highlights throughout the event.
The Tour de France Femmes returns for its fourth edition at the end of July as the best in women's cycling battle it out across nine stages. Last year's drama will be hard to beat after Kasia Niewiadoma won by four seconds to deny Demi Vollering a second consecutive title. Niewiadoma and Vollering both go in search of a historic second win in 2025 but will face competition from the likes of Marlen Reusser and Sarah Gigante. Watch the Tour de France Women 2025 on TNT Sports via discovery+ Premium monthly pass The extended route will start with the Grand Départ in Brittany before weaving east across France and finishing with some punishing mountain stages that conclude in the Alpine town of Châtel. That should make for fantastic viewing and if last year is anything to go by, it could go right down to the wire. RadioTimes.com brings you all the details about how to watch the Tour de France 2025. How to watch Tour de France Women 2025 on TV and live stream UK viewers can watch all of the action live on TNT Sports. There are multiple ways to get TNT Sports. If you already have BT Broadband, you can add TNT Sports to your existing contract from just £18 per month. You can add the ‘Big Sport’ package for £40 per month which includes all TNT Sports and 11 Sky Sports channels via a NOW pass. Fans can watch TNT Sports via discovery+ Premium monthly pass without signing up to a contract. Regular subscribers can also stream matches on a variety of devices, including laptops, smartphones and tablets via the discovery+ app. You can also access TNT Sports via discovery+ and stream directly to your smart TV. Watch Tour de France with discovery+ Premium including TNT Sports Tour de France Women 2025 highlights on TV There will be regular highlights shows across TNT Sports, via discovery+, so you can keep track of all the biggest moments. Tour de France Women 2025 past winners 2022: Annemiek van Vleuten 2023: Demi Vollering 2024:Kasia Niewiadoma Check out more of our Sport coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Tour de France 2025 schedule: Stages, dates and times
Your complete guide to watching the Tour de France, with details including dates, times and the full schedule for each stage.
Normal service resumes at the 112th edition of the Tour de France, which will conclude in Paris after last year's shake-up. The French capital hosted the Olympics in 2024, meaning the race ended in Nice and not on the Champs-Élysées, but the iconic finish line returns this summer. Defending champion Tadej Pogačar is the favourite to be wearing the yellow jacket when the riders arrive in Paris at the end of July, but the likes of Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and Primož Roglič will hope to have something to say about that. Watch the Tour de France on TNT Sports via discovery+ Premium monthly pass, ITV4 and ITVX For the first time since 2021, the Grand Depart is back on French soil as this year's Tour de France gets going in Lille. Among the 21 stages that will wind across the country and finally head to Paris are six mountain stages and two time trials – with the biggest race in the cycling calendar set to thrill viewers again this year. RadioTimes.com brings you all the dates and times you need to know in the Tour de France 2025 schedule. When does Tour de France 2025 start? The race begins on Saturday 5th July 2025 in Lille, France. The event will come to an end on Sunday 27th July 2025, with the final stage to be held in Paris, France. Tour de France 2025 route and schedule All UK time. Subject to change. Saturday 5th July – 12:10pm Stage 1: Lille to Lille, 184.9 km Sunday 6th July – 11:15am Stage 2: Lauwin‑Planque to Boulogne‑sur‑Mer, 209.1 km Monday 7th July – 12:10pm Stage 3: Valenciennes to Dunkirk, 178.3 km Tuesday 8th July – 12:15pm Stage 4: Amiens to Rouen, 174.2 km Wednesday 9th July – 12:10pm Stage 5: Caen to Caen (Individual Time-Trial), 33 km Thursday 10th July – 11:35am Stage 6: Bayeux to Vire Normandie, 201.5 km Friday 11th July – 11:10am Stage 7: Saint‑Malo to Guerlédan (Mûr‑de‑Bretagne), 197 km Saturday 12th July – 12:10pm Stage 8: Saint‑Méen‑le‑Grand to Laval, 171.4 km Sunday 13th July – 12:10pm Stage 9: Chinon to Châteauroux, 174.1 km Monday 14th July – 12:10pm Stage 10: Ennezat to Mont‑Dore, 165.3 km Tuesday 15th July Rest Day: Toulouse Wednesday 16th July – 12:15pm Stage 11: Toulouse to Toulouse, 156.8 km Thursday 17th July – 12:10pm Stage 12: Auch to Hautacam, 180.6 km Friday 18th July – 12:10pm Stage 13: Loudenvielle to Peyragudes (Mountain Time-Trial), 10.9 km Saturday 19th July – 11am Stage 14: Pau to Superbagnères, 182.6 km Sunday 20th July – 12:10pm Stage 15: Muret to Carcassonne, 169.3 km Monday 21st July Rest Day: Montpellier Tuesday 22nd July – 11:10am Stage 16: Montpellier to Mont Ventoux, 171.5 km Wednesday 23rd July – 12:35pm Stage 17: Bollène to Valence, 160.4 km Thursday 24th July – 11:10am Stage 18: Vif to Courchevel (Col de la Loze), 171.5 km Friday 25th July – 12:10pm Stage 19: Albertville to La Plagne, 129.9 km Saturday 26th July – 11:05am Stage 20: Nantua to Pontarlier, 184.2 km Sunday 27th July – 3:10pm Stage 21: Mantes‑la‑Ville to Paris (Champs‑Élysées), 132.3 km Check out more of our Sport coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Tour de France 2025 on TV: Watch live coverage and highlights
Your guide on how to watch the Tour de France 2025 live on TV and details about highlights throughout the event.
The Tour de France – the highlight of the cycling calendar – returns for 2025 and has all the makings of an unforgettable edition. Defending champion Tadej Pogačar aims to put his name among the immortals with a fourth title, but will face stern competition from rivals Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and Primož Roglič. Indeed, the return of mountain stages at the likes of Col de la Loze and Hautacam, where Pogačar has come undone in past years, means the race for the yellow jersey is far from a foregone conclusion. Watch the Tour de France on TNT Sports via discovery+ Premium monthly pass, ITV4 and ITVX Twenty-one stages across 23 days will take riders through gruelling climbs, daring descents, and lung-busting sprints before they reach Paris and the race's conclusion on the Champs-Élysées on Sunday 27th July. The Tour de France reaches audiences far beyond anything else in the sport and fans will be licking their lips ahead of the 2025 event. RadioTimes.com brings you all the details about how to watch the Tour de France 2025. How to watch Tour de France 2025 on TV and live stream UK viewers can watch all of the action live on TNT Sports and ITV4 for free-to-air coverage. There are multiple ways to get TNT Sports. If you already have BT Broadband, you can add TNT Sports to your existing contract from just £18 per month. You can add the ‘Big Sport’ package for £40 per month which includes all TNT Sports and 11 Sky Sports channels via a NOW pass. Fans can watch TNT Sports via discovery+ Premium monthly pass without signing up to a contract. Regular subscribers can also stream matches on a variety of devices, including laptops, smartphones and tablets via the discovery+ app. You can also access TNT Sports via discovery+ and stream directly to your smart TV. Watch Tour de France with discovery+ Premium including TNT Sports ITV returns to broadcast live coverage throughout the event on ITV4, while you can also stream it on demand via ITVX. Tour de France 2025 highlights on TV There will be regular highlights shows across TNT Sports, via discovery+, so you can keep track of all the biggest moments. You can also tune in for highlights on free-to-air channel ITV4 in the UK. Tour de France past winners 2010: Andy Schleck 2011: Cadel Evans 2012: Bradley Wiggins 2013: Chris Froome 2014: Vincenzo Nibali 2015: Chris Froome 2016: Chris Froome 2017: Chris Froome 2018: Geraint Thomas 2019: Egan Bernal 2020: Tadej Pogačar 2021: Tadej Pogačar 2022: Jonas Vingegaard 2023: Jonas Vingegaard 2024: Tadej Pogačar Check out more of our Sport coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Tour de France 2024 on TV: Watch live coverage and highlights
Your guide on how to watch the Tour de France 2024 live on TV and details about highlights throughout the event.
The Tour de France is shaping up to be an all-time classic, with the big four riders likely to lock horns for the first time simultaneously in a Grand Tour event. Reigning title holder Jonas Vingegaard, Giro d'Italia 2024 runaway champion Tadej Pogačar, three-time Vuelta a España winner Primož Roglič and Vuelta 2022 top dog Remco Evenepoel are all set to compete against one another. Vingegaard has been uncertain to start due to injury, but the expectation is that he will return to the saddle in time for the Grand Depart. Watch the Tour de France on discovery+ Standard, discovery+ Premium including TNT Sports, ITV4 and ITVX The Tour de France will look a lot different in 2024, with the first ever start from Italy to be staged in Florence. It is also the first time the event won't conclude in Paris, with Nice to be given the honour. Paris will be preoccupied in the run-up to the Olympics 2024, meaning the Tour de France has been shifted, not that fans will mind with such a deep pool of talent to savour across the event. RadioTimes.com brings you all the details about how to watch the Tour de France 2024. How to watch Tour de France 2024 on TV and live stream UK viewers can watch all of the action live on discovery+, the main hub for all Eurosport live coverage, and ITV4 for free-to-air coverage. Every stage will be broadcast between the Eurosport 1 and 2 channels, with discovery+ encompassing all of their coverage online. The discovery+ Standard plan is available for £6.99 a month or £59.99 per year. Alternatively, the discovery+ Premium monthly pass costs £30.99 per month and offers all live sport across Eurosport and TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport) platforms, including Premier League and European football, as well as UFC, motorsport and more. Watch Tour de France with discovery+ Premium including TNT Sports ITV return to broadcast live coverage throughout the event on ITV4, while you can also stream it on demand via ITVX. Tour de France 2024 highlights on TV There will be regular highlights shows across discovery+ and Eurosport throughout the Tour de France, so you can keep track of all the biggest moments. You can also tune in for highlights on free-to-air channel ITV4 in the UK. Tour de France past winners 2010: Andy Schleck 2011: Cadel Evans 2012: Bradley Wiggins 2013: Chris Froome 2014: Vincenzo Nibali 2015: Chris Froome 2016: Chris Froome 2017: Chris Froome 2018: Geraint Thomas 2019: Egan Bernal 2020: Tadej Pogačar 2021: Tadej Pogačar 2022: Jonas Vingegaard 2023: Jonas Vingegaard Check out more of our Sport coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
We’ve sifted through their record of wins to select the best road cyclists ever.
With a history going back over 130 years, choosing a top ten for road cyclists is difficult; so much has changed in cycling even in the last 20 years, and the modern approach is much more scientific than in the past, when race wins were often measured in hours, not seconds. There’s also a variety of talents to consider. Although winning a three week grand tour (of Italy, Spain or France) is a mark of superiority, there are riders like Mark Cavendish who could never win a grand tour outright, but have still racked up an impressive string of victories. For the four riders who have won the Tour de France five times, that alone is only an indication of their dominance, and all have a string of wins in shorter stage races and one day races to their names as well, justifying their inclusion. With all that in mind, RadioTimes.com rounds up our list of the top 10 road cyclists of all time 10. Chris Froome (Great Britain) Froome has won four Tours de France, two Vueltas a España and the Giro d’Italia once, at one point in 2018 being the reigning champion in all three grand tours simultaneously. A crash in 2019 just ahead of the Tour de France put him out of competition for months. He’s hasn't returned to peak form since and, at age 38, is reaching the end of his professional cycling career, but he’s still the most successful grand tour rider currently competing. 9. Sean Kelly (Ireland) Kelly was the outstanding one day racer of the 1980s, winning all the major classics multiple times, bar the Tour of Flanders. He also won the Tour de France green jersey classification four times and the one week Paris-Nice stage race seven years in a row. Kelly was a natural sprinter and exploited the tough conditions typical in the early season races, but could also climb strongly, which won him a single grand tour win at the Vuelta a España in 1988. 8. Marco Pantani (Italy) Nicknamed The Pirate, Pantani lived up to his name, sporting a bandana, gold earrings and a goatee beard. His riding style was equally swashbuckling, with fearsome climbing and daredevil descents winning him both the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia in 1998. His career was dogged by doping allegations and infractions, though, in an era when this was commonplace in cycling, and he was expelled from the 1999 Giro d’Italia while leading the race. He died of a cocaine overdose in 2004, aged just 34. 7. Jacques Anquetil (France) Anquetil was the first cyclist to win the Tour de France five times, in the 1950s and '60s, and also to win all three grand tours during his career. He wore the yellow jersey for the entirety of the 1961 Tour, after winning it on Stage One. His strength, like Miguel Induráin, was in the time trial stages. His great rival was Raymond Poulidor, grandfather of current star Mathieu van der Poel. Poulidor invariably finished second to Anquetil and never won the Tour de France. 6. Miguel Induráin (Spain) One of four five-time winners of the Tour de France and the only one to win five in a row, from 1991 to 1995, Induráin also won the Giro d’Italia twice. A taller, heavier rider, Induráin's strength was in time trials, at a time when they covered much longer distances than in more recent Tours de France. Induráin is famed for his physical capabilities, with measurements when at his peak showing that his heart could pump twice as much blood around his body as a fit amateur, while his resting heart rate was measured at just 28bpm. 5. Mark Cavendish (Great Britain) With 34 Tour de France stage wins to his name, Cavendish is, along with Eddy Merckx, the most successful rider of all time at the Tour de France. While Merckx was competitive across a range of terrain, Cavendish’s success comes exclusively in sprint finishes, where his power and low sprint position on the bike have given him the edge on flat stages for almost 15 years. He’s riding his last Tour de France in 2023, before his retirement at the end of the year, and will be hoping for at least one more win, to become the most successful Tour stage winner ever. 4. Greg LeMond (USA) LeMond was a contemporary of five-times Tour winner Bernard Hinault in the 1980s, riding for the same team. A bitter rivalry at the 1986 Tour de France saw LeMond eventually prevail and win his first Tour de France. Accidentally shot while hunting in his native California, LeMond was out of contention for two years before returning to reach a total of three Tour de France wins, including the narrowest winning margin ever - just eight seconds. He was an innovator, who was one of the first riders to use a carbon fibre bike, time trial helmet and bar extensions, as well as wind tunnel testing and a power meter. In many ways, LeMond’s career marked the change from the old pedal, pedal, pedal approach to training espoused by Fausto Coppi to modern scientific methods. 3. Bernard Hinault (France) Hinault won five Tours de France in the 1970s and '80s, as well as five other grand tours including two Giro doubles. An aggressive rider, he not only fought with LeMond but with other rivals for captaincy of his team, and would use his authority to control entire races. Hinault also won a string of one day races, including Liège–Bastogne–Liège twice. In 1980, his second win at that race was by almost 10 minutes in a race beset by snowfall that saw him ride on with frostbitten fingers. 2. Fausto Coppi (Italy) Fausto Coppi was the rider to beat in the years following the Second World War. Among his wins were five Giro d’Italia triumphs and two Tours de France, and he was the first rider to win both in the same year. A formidable climber, he won the first ever Tour stage finish in Alpe d’Huez and also broke the world hour record in the velodrome. It was said that once Coppi had broken away from the peloton, the other riders would never see him again. He would win races by huge margins, including almost 30 minutes at the Tour. 1. Eddy Merckx (Belgium) Eddy Merckx was the dominant rider of the 1970s, with 525 professional race victories - around a third of all the races he entered. Nicknamed The Cannibal, he has five Tours de France to his name, as well as five victories in the Giro d’Italia and wins at every other major cycle race, many of them multiple times. Amazingly, Merckx has stated that he might have been better still, but for a crash in 1969 at the start of his career, which he blamed for persistent back problems. Bubbling under: Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia) It’s too early to judge Pogačar’s career, as he’s still only 24 years of age and could easily be racing for a further ten years, but he’s already being compared to Merckx for his prolific record. He’s won two Tours de France and is equally competitive in the one day races that bookend the road cycling season, as well as winning shorter stage races. If you’re looking for something else to watch, check out our TV Guide or Streaming Guide, or visit our Sport hub for all the latest news. Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast.
Our round-up of the best road cyclists in the world right now in 2023.
The Tour de France is the world’s premier cycle race and many of the world’s best riders will be lining up for the start. They’ll be looking to make their mark with stage wins and in the points and king of the mountain competitions over the three weeks of the race, or just to show their team’s colours in a breakaway. A select few will be aiming to wear the race leader’s yellow jersey and maybe win the race overall when it arrives in Paris. Ranking the top road cyclists in the world is a tough task given the variety of events and style differences between some of the best around. Not all will ride the Tour de France. Some are specialists in the early-season one-day races, while others like Primož Roglič, who won the Giro d’Italia in May, will skip the Tour so that they’re in peak form for later-season races such as the Vuelta a España, which starts in August. A three week grand tour takes a lot out of the riders. RadioTimes.com brings you our ranking of the 10 best cyclists in the world right now. 1. Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark) Jumbo-Visma Winner of the Tour de France in 2022, Vingegaard is a superb climber and also won the King of the Mountains classification and two individual mountain stages during the race. Concentrating on stage races, he’s been low-key so far in 2023, but has won all the races he’s started with the exception of Paris-Nice in March, including domination of the Critérium du Dauphiné in early June - a traditional test for riders ahead of the Tour de France. 2. Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia) UAE Team Emirates Pogačar had won two Tours de France before age 23, also taking the King of the Mountains and Best Young Rider prizes on both occasions. He’ll be looking for revenge at this year’s Tour, having been bested by Vingegaard last year. He’s a fearsome competitor, taking a string of one-day race wins in early 2023, before crashing and breaking his wrist in the Liège–Bastogne–Liège classic in April. Since then, he’s largely been out of competition and will be an unknown quantity at this year’s Tour. 3. Primož Roglič (Slovenia) Jumbo-Visma Roglič started his career as a ski jumper before switching to cycling. He’s won the overall general classification in the 2023 Giro d’Italia, and three times at the Vuelta a España. He also has a string of wins in shorter stage races and one-day races to his name. He’s been unlucky at the Tour over the years, losing the race lead to Pogačar in the final stage time trial in 2020 and abandoning the race in 2021 and 2022. He’s skipping this year’s Tour, but is likely to take to the start of the Vuelta in August, aiming to add a fourth victory. 4. Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) Soudal-QuickStep Evenepoel may only be at the start of his pro cycling career, but he’s already made his mark, winning the Vuelta a España and the World Championships in 2022 and the first and ninth stage time trials at the 2023 Giro d’Italia. He’s also won both the Liège–Bastogne–Liège and Clásica San Sebastián one-day races twice, as well as a string of shorter stage races. He looks to be getting back into form after retiring from the Giro with Covid, but will not ride the Tour. 5. Wout van Aert (Belgium) Jumbo-Visma A third talent in the Jumbo-Visma team, van Aert has won sprint stages, mountain stages and time trials at the Tour de France. He won two stages on his debut Tour de France in 2020. In 2022, he held the yellow jersey for four stages and was the overall winner of the green jersey competition by a wide margin. He’s won a range of one-day races, including Milan-San Remo and Strade Bianche in 2020. Van Aert also races cyclocross and was three-time world champion in that discipline before turning to road racing. 6. Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands) Alpecin-Deceuninck A contemporary and rival to van Aert, van der Poel also first raced cyclocross before turning to road racing and is a five-time winner of the cyclocross world championship. He also competes in cross-country mountain biking. Van der Poel comes from a cycling family, with his father Adri and grandfather Raymond Poulidor both top racers, while his brother also races professionally. He’s won a string of prestigious one-day races including the Tour of Flanders twice and Milan-San Remo in 2023. He wore the Tour de France yellow jersey for six stages in 2021, although he’s yet to finish the race. 7. Julian Alaphilippe (France) Soudal-QuickStep World Champion in 2020 and 2021, Alaphilippe has a string of one-day road races to his name, as well as the Tour of California and the Tour of Britain. He wore the Tour de France yellow jersey for 14 stages in 2019, before losing it to the eventual winner overall, Egan Bernal. He’s a powerful rider, who excels at punchy climbs and short uphill finishes. A series of crashes and injuries have meant that Alaphilippe hasn’t been at his best in 2023, but he’ll want to prove himself at the Tour. 8. Tom Pidcock (UK) Ineos Grenadiers A superb young talent, Pidcock has put in some impressive performances for his team, including winning the Tour de France queen stage to the iconic Alpe d’Huez in 2022. He’s a demon descender as well as a powerful climber. He’s won the prestigious Strade Bianche and has had top-five finishes in two other one-day races in 2023. Like van der Poel, he’s another rider who competes across disciplines, winning the gold medal in cross-country mountain biking at the Tokyo Olympic Games and the cyclocross world championships in 2022. 9. Mark Cavendish (UK) Astana-Qazakhstan Mark Cavendish has won 34 stages of the Tour de France over his career, equalling the record set in the 1970s by Eddy Merckx. In this, his final year before retirement, he will be hoping to add at least one more win to his tally. Cavendish is the master of the sprint finish, with his teams building powerful lead-out trains to deliver him to the finishing straight on flatter stages. Cavendish has then been outstandingly successful at putting in the final burst to reach the line first. As well as his Tour stage record, Cavendish has won a string of other races, including Milan-San Remo in 2009, the world championships in 2011 and the points classification at all three grand tours. 10. Filippo Ganna (Italy) Ineos Grenadiers Another specialist who’ll likely never win a Tour de France, Filippo Ganna excels at individual time trials against the clock. He’s also the current world hour record holder, having covered 56.792km in an hour in a Swiss velodrome in October 2022. That bested the previous record by over a kilometre - an incredible feat when previous records had often been broken by tens of metres. He’s also won two time trial world championships and track world championship and Olympic gold medals. He has worn the leader’s jersey at the Giro d’Italia on two occasions after winning the first stage time trials. He’s not just a time trial specialist, either, with the stamina to finish three week grand tours. Honourable mention: Egan Bernal (Colombia) Ineos Grenadiers Bernal won the Tour de France in 2019 and the Giro d’Italia in 2021. In early 2022, he suffered a life-threatening crash while training in his native Colombia, which put him out of competition for the whole of that year. In 2023, he’s sustained a knee injury and another crash, which have marred his early-season racing. A return to peak form could see him challenging for the overall or at least a high placing at this year’s Tour. If you’re looking for something else to watch, check out our TV Guide or Streaming Guide, or visit our Sport hub for all the latest news. Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast.
Tour de France 2023 schedule: Dates, times and route
Your complete guide to watching the Tour de France with details including dates, times and the full schedule for each stage.
The Tour de France schedule is locked in and ready to roll with the world's finest cycling stars ready to convene for another crack at the most prestigious race. The 2023 edition of the Tour will actually begin in Bilbao, Spain, before rising and falling throughout the lush French countryside before arriving at the finish line in Paris. It's not uncommon to start the Tour in another country, with 2022 kick-starting in Copenhagen, Denmark, and next year set to begin in Florence, Italy. Watch the Tour de France on discovery+ via Amazon Prime Video and on ITV4 Last year saw Danish superstar Jonas Vingegaard claim victory after finishing second in his maiden Tour de France voyage in 2021. Fans across the globe will be keen to see how his expected third battle with Tadej Pogačar will develop over the course of the coming weeks, and we're on hand to offer the full route and riders list below. RadioTimes.com brings you all the dates and times you need to know in the Tour de France 2023 schedule. When does Tour de France 2023 start? The race begins on Saturday 1st July 2023 at the Fossacesia Marina. The event will come to an end on Sunday 23rd July 2023, with the final stage to be held on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Most stages begin between 11am and 1pm throughout the event. Tour de France 2023 route and schedule Saturday 1st July Stage 1: Bilbao to Bilbao, 182km Sunday 2nd July Stage 2: Vitoria-Gasteiz to San Sebastian, 209km Monday 3rd July Stage 3: Amorebieta-Etxano to Bayonne, 185km Tuesday 4th July Stage 4: Dax to Nogaro Circuit, 182km Wednesday 5th July Stage 5: Pau to Laruns, 165km Thursday 6th July Stage 6: Tarbes to Cauterets, 145km Friday 7th July Stage 7: Mont de Marsan to Bordeaux, 170km Saturday 8th July Stage 8: Libourne to Limoges, 201km Sunday 9th July Stage 9: Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat to Puy de Dôme, 184km Monday 10th July Rest day: Clermont-Ferrand Tuesday 11th July Stage 10: Parc Vulcania to Issoire, 167km Wednesday 12th July Stage 11: Clermont Ferrand to Moulins, 180km Thursday 13th July Stage 12: Roanne to Belleville-en-Beaujolais 169km Friday 14th July Stage 13: Châtillon-Sur-Chalaronne to Grand Colombier, 138km Saturday 15th July Stage 14: Annemasse to Morzine, 152km Sunday 16th July Stage 15: Les Gets to Saint Gervais, 180km Monday 17th July Rest day: Saint Gervais Mont Blanc Tuesday 18th July Stage 16: Passy to Combloux, 22km Wednesday 19th July Stage 17: Saint Gervais to Courchevel, 166km Thursday 20th July Stage 18: Moutiers to Bourg en Bresse, 186km Friday 21st July Stage 19: Moirans-en-Montagne to Poligny, 173km Saturday 22nd July Stage 20: Belfort to Le Markstein, 133km Sunday 23rd July Stage 21: Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines to Paris Champs-Elysées, 115km Tour de France 2023 start list – teams and riders Jumbo-Visma Jonas Vingegaard Tiesj Benoot Wilco Kelderman Sepp Kuss Christophe Laporte Wout Van Aert Dylan Van Baarle Nathan Van Hooydonck Robert Gesink Attila Valter UAE Team Emirates Tadej Pogačar Mikkel Bjerg Felix Grossschartner Vegard Stake Laengen Rafal Majka Marc Soler Matteo Trentin Adam Yates Domen Novak Tim Wellens INEOS Grenadiers Egan Bernal Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas Omar Fraile Matarranz Michal Kwiatkowski Daniel Felipe Martinez Poveda Thomas Pidcock Carlos Rodriguez Cano Ben Turner Pavel Sivakov Connor Swift Groupama - FDJ David Gaudu Kévin Geniets Stefan Küng Olivier Le Gac Valentin Madouas Quentin Pacher Thibaut Pinot Michael Storer Matthieu Ladagnous Rudy Molard EF Education - EasyPost Richard Carapaz Andrey Amador Alberto Bettiol Jhoan Esteban Chaves Rubio Magnus Cort Nielsen Neilson Powless James Shaw Rigoberto Uran Owain Doull Frølich Mikkel Honoré Soudal Quick-Step Julian Alaphilippe Kasper Asgreen Rémi Cavagna Tim Declercq Dries Devenyns Fabio Jakobsen Yves Lampaert Michael Mørkøv Andrea Bagioli Tim Merlier Bahrain Victorious Mikel Landa Meana Nikias Arndt Phil Bauhaus Pello Bilbao Lopez de Armentia Jack Haig Matej Mohoric Wouter Poels Fred Wright Kamil Gradek Antonio Tiberi Bora - Hansgrohe Emanuel Buchmann Marco Haller Jai Hindley Bob Jungels Patrick Konrad Jordi Meeus Nils Politt Danny Van Poppel Giovanni Aleotti Ryan Mullen Lidl - Trek Giulio Ciccone Tony Gallopin Mattias Skjelmose Alex Kirsch Juan Pedro Lopez Perez Mads Pedersen Quinn Simmons Jasper Stuyven Bauke Mollema Edward Theuns AG2R Citroen Team Ben O'Connor Clément Berthet Benoit Cosnefroy Stan Dewulf Felix Gall Oliver Naesen Aurélien Paret Peintre Nans Peters Franck Bonnamour Dorian Godon Alpecin-Deceuninck Mathieu Van Der Poel Silvan Dillier Michael Gogl Quinten Hermans Søren Kragh Andersen Jasper Philipsen Jonas Rickaert Ramon Sinkeldam Xandro Meurisse Gianni Vermeersch Intermarché - Circus - Wanty Biniam Girmay Lilian Calmejane Rui Costa Louis Du Bouisson Meintjes Adrien Petit Dion Smith Mike Teunissen Georg Zimmermann Sven Erik Bystrøm Rune Herregodts Cofidis Guillaume Martin Bryan Coquard Simon Geschke Ion Izaguirre Insausti Victor Lafay Anthony Perez Alexis Renard Axel Zingle Pierre Luc Perichon Maximilian Richard Walscheid Movistar Team Enric Mas Ruben Almeida Guerreiro Alex Aranburu Deba Gorka Izagirre Insausti Matteo Jorgenson Gregor Mühlberger Nelson Oliveira Antonio Pedrero Jorge Arcas Carlos Verona Quintanilla Team DSM - Firmenich Romain Bardet John Degenkolb Matthew Dinham Alexander Edmondson Nils Eekhoff Christopher Hamilton Kevin Vermaerke Sam Welsford Lund Tobias Andresen Florian Stork Israel - Premier Tech Michael Woods Guillaume Boivin Simon Clarke Hugo Houle Krists Neilands Nicholas Schultz Corbin Strong Dylan Teuns Omer Goldstein Daryl Impey Team Jayco Alula Simon Philip Yates G Lawson Craddock Luke Durbridge Dylan Groenewegen Chris Harper Juul Christopher Jensen Luka Mezgec Elmar Reinders Michael Hepburn Matteo Sobrero Team Arkea - Samsic Warren Barguil Jenthe Biermans Clément Champoussin Anthony Delaplace Simon Guglielmi Matis Louvel Luca Mozzato Laurent Pichon Selie Gesbert Sthibault Guernalec Lotto DSTNY Caleb Ewan Victor Campenaerts Jasper De Buyst Pascal Eenkhoorn Frederik Frison Jacopo Guarnieri Maxim Van Gils Florian Vermeersch Sylvain Moniquet Brent Van Moer Astana Qazaqstan Team Mark Cavendish Cees Bol David De La Cruz Melgarejo Yevgeniy Fedorov Alexey Lutsenko Gianni Moscon Luis Leon Sanchez Harold Alfonso Tejada Canacue Fabio Felline Antonio Nibali Uno-X Pro Cycling Team Alexander Kristoff Jonas Abrahamsen Anthon Charmig Tobias Halland Johannessen Rasmus Tiller Torstein Træen Gregaard Jonas Wilsly Søren Wærenskjold Martin Urianstad Bugge Anders Halland Johannessen TotalEnergies Peter Sagan Edvald Boasson-Hagen Mathieu Burgaudeau Steff Cras Valentin Ferron Pierre Latour Daniel Oss Anthony Turgis Paul Ourselin Alexis Vuillermoz If you’re looking for something else to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide or visit our Sport hub. Take part in the Screen Test, a project from Radio Times and the Universities of Sussex and Brighton, to explore the role of television and audio in our lives. Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Tour de France 2023 on TV: Watch live coverage and ITV highlights
Your guide on how to watch the Tour de France 2023 live on TV and details about highlights throughout the event.
The Tour de France is ready to put riders to the ultimate test once again with a cluster of the world's finest ready to brave the hills of the French countryside in pursuit of glory. Fans can soak up all the action live on TV, with options including comprehensive coverage on free-to-air and paid platforms. Jonas Vingegaard triumphed in last year's Tour after finishing second to Tadej Pogačar in 2021. The pair look set to clash once more this year in a tantalising battle that could shape the Tour. Watch the Tour de France on discovery+ via Amazon Prime Video and on ITV4 British riders include the likes of Mark Cavendish, Adam Yates, Simon Yates and Tom Pidcock. Last year's third-place finisher Geraint Thomas will not feature in France after coming second in the Giro d'Italia and turning his attention to the Vuelta a España later this summer. The route will lead riders from Bilbao, Spain, through to the finish line in Paris, with a whole lot of inevitable drama in between. RadioTimes.com brings you all the details about how to watch the Tour de France 2023. How to watch Tour de France 2023 on TV and live stream UK viewers can watch all of the action live on ITV4 and discovery+, the main hub for all Eurosport live coverage. ITV4 will broadcast daily coverage of all the stages throughout the event. ITVX will also stream the coverage online. Every stage will also be broadcast between the Eurosport 1 and 2 channels with discovery+ encompassing all of their coverage online. The discovery+ Entertainment & Sport plan is available for £6.99 a month or £59.99 per year. You can also add discovery+ Entertainment & Sport to your Amazon Prime Video account by signing up for the service as an add-on. Watch the Tour de France on discovery+ via Amazon Prime Video You can also stream the event on GCN+ which is available for £6.99 per month or £39.99 per year. Welsh-language channel S4C is also showing live coverage of the race. Tour de France 2023 highlights on TV There will be regular highlights shows across ITV4, discovery+, Eurosport, GCN+ and S4C throughout the Tour de France so you can keep track of all the biggest moments. The ITV4 highlights show airs at 7pm each night of the event, with the final day show starting at 9pm. Who won the Tour de France 2022? Jonas Vingegaard triumphed in the 2022 Tour de France with two minutes and 43 seconds between him and former champion Tadej Pogačar. Wout van Aert started the Tour in command, Pogačar picked up the lead approaching the halfway mark, before Vingegaard claimed the lead after Stage 11 and didn't look back. Tour de France past winners 2010: Andy Schleck 2011: Cadel Evans 2012: Bradley Wiggins 2013: Chris Froome 2014: Vincenzo Nibali 2015: Chris Froome 2016: Chris Froome 2017: Chris Froome 2018: Geraint Thomas 2019: Egan Bernal 2020: Tadej Pogacar 2021: Tadej Pogacar 2022: Jonas Vingegaard If you’re looking for something else to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide or visit our Sport hub. Take part in the Screen Test, a project from Radio Times and the Universities of Sussex and Brighton, to explore the role of television and audio in our lives. Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
When is the Tour de France 2023? Dates, schedule and route
Your guide to when the Tour de France 2023 will go ahead, including the schedule for the event.
The Tour de France is on the horizon with riders from across the globe gearing up for the most prestigious cycling event in the world. Last year's edition of the Tour finished with a resounding victory by Jonas Vingegaard competing for Team Jumbo-Visma. The Danish rider finished runner-up in the 2021 edition of the Tour, his maiden voyage in the event, and will be determined to maintain his terrific form across the challenging route this time around. Watch the Tour de France on discovery+ via Amazon Prime Video Tadej Pogačar, champion in 2020 and 2021 and runner-up in 2022, is forging quite the rivalry with Vingegaard for top honours in the Tour - and is expected to go strongly again. Geraint Thomas, who finished third in 2022, will not feature this year after opting to compete in the Giro d'Italia. Fans will be intrigued to see how this edition of the Tour pans out with plenty of upcoming riders determined to enjoy a breakout ride that could see them soar up the classification going into the closing stages. RadioTimes.com brings you all the dates you need to know for the Tour de France 2023. When is the Tour de France 2023? The Tour de France 2023 will begin on Saturday 1st July 2023 and run until Sunday 23rd July 2023. Tour de France 2023 schedule and route All UK time. Saturday 1st July Stage 1 – Bilbao to Bilbao, 182km Sunday 2nd July Stage 2 – Vitoria-Gasteiz to Saint-Sébastien, 209km Monday 3rd July Stage 3 – Amorebieta-Etxano to Bayonne, 185km Tuesday 4th July Stage 4 – Dax to Nogaro, 182km Wednesday 5th July Stage 5 – Pau to Laruns, 165km Thursday 6th July Stage 6 – Tarbes to Cauterets-Cambasque, 145km Friday 7th July Stage 7 – Mont-de-Marsan to Bordeaux, 170km Saturday 8th July Stage 8 – Libourne to Limoges, 201km Sunday 9th July Stage 9 – Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat to Puy de Dôme, 184km Monday 10th July REST Tuesday 11th July Stage 10 – Vulcania to Issoire, 167km Wednesday 12th July Stage 11 – Clermont-Ferrand to Moulins, 180km Thursday 13th July Stage 12 – Roanne to Bellevillie-en-Beaujolais, 169km Friday 14th July Stage 13 – Châtillon-Sur-Chalaronne to Grand Colombier, 138km Saturday 15th July Stage 14 – Annemasse to Morzine Les Portes du Soleil, 152km Sunday 16th July Stage 15 – Les Gets Les Portes du Soleil to Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc, 180km Monday 17th July REST Tuesday 18th July Stage 16 – Passy to Combloux, 22km Wednesday 19th July Stage 17 – Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc to Courchevel, 166km Thursday 20th July Stage 18 – Moûtiers to Bourg-en-Bresse, 186km Friday 21st July Stage 19 – Moirans-en-Montagne to Poligny173km Saturday 22nd July Stage 20 – Belfort to Le Markstein Fellering, 133km Sunday 23rd July Stage 21 – Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines to Paris (Champs-Élysées), 115km How to watch Tour de France 2023 The Tour de France will be shown live on Eurosport platforms, including discovery+, and free-to-air on ITV4 for the duration of the event. ITV4 boasts the rights to show live coverage until the end of this event, bringing you all the daily drama without paying a penny. Streaming platform discovery+ will have full coverage from each stage, available to watch live and on-demand. You can sign up for discovery+ for just £6.99 per month or £59.99 annually. You can also add discovery+ Entertainment & Sport to your Amazon Prime Video account by signing up for the service as an add-on. Watch the Tour de France on discovery+ via Amazon Prime Video If you’re looking for something else to watch, check out our TV Guide or Streaming Guide, or visit our Sport hub for all the latest news. Take part in the Screen Test, a project from Radio Times and the Universities of Sussex and Brighton, to explore the role of television and audio in our lives. Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Tour de France 2020 dates | TV schedule and live stream
The Tour de France 2020 is coming around after being rescheduled and we've got all the details including date and TV schedule
Following the coronavirus lockdown, elite-level cycling is back in business as a fresh batch of contenders aim for glory in the 2020 Tour de France – and by the end of this weekend we'll have a winner. The rescheduled pinnacle of the cycling calendar may not have been able to draw crowds to the streets, but plenty will be tuning in from across the globe to see the race come to an end. Former champions – and British stars – Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas are not taking part in this year's event with Team Ineos. Froome has spent most of the last year on the treatment table recovering from a horror crash prior to last year's Tour, but had returned to action, albeit in a more tepid manner. However, their absence hasn't reduced the drama on the roads. Check out all the details you need to know about the Tour de France in 2020 including dates, teams, riders, the route, stages and past winners. When did Tour de France 2020 start? The Tour de France started on Saturday 29th August 2020, roughly two months after it was originally scheduled to take place. It has been a full-length event, wrapping up in Paris on Sunday 20th September 2020. How to watch Tour de France 2020 on TV and live stream You can watch all of the live action on ITV4 with highlights shows running regularly on the night of every stage at approximately 7pm. Exact times for live coverage will be confirmed below in the stage list. Coverage can also be live streamed daily via ITV Hub. Fans can also tune in to watch all of the action live on Eurosport in the UK. Free 7-day trial for Eurosport via Amazon Prime Live coverage of every stage will be broadcast between the Eurosport 1 and 2 channels before a daily highlights show each evening. Amazon Prime members can get a 7-day free trial to the Eurosport channel. After the free trial, the Eurosport channel is £6.99 per month. Amazon Prime is £7.99 per month but can be accessed with a 30-day free trial. Tour de France 2020 route and TV times Stage 19 Date: Friday 18th September Start: Bourg-en-Bresse Finish: Champagnole Distance: 160km WATCH: ITV4 from 2pm / Eurosport 1 from 12:25pm Stage 20 Date: Saturday 19th September Start: Lure Finish: La Planche des Belles Filles Distance: 36km WATCH: ITV4 from 2pm / Eurosport 1 from 12pm Stage 21 Date: Sunday 20th September Start: Mantes-La-Jolie Finish: Paris Distance: 122km WATCH: ITV4 from 3:45pm / Eurosport 1 from 11:20am Tour de France 2020 results Stage 1 – Winner: Alexander Kristoff Date: Saturday 29th August Start: Nice Moyen Pays Finish: Nice Distance: 156km Stage 2 – Winner: Julian Alaphilippe Date: Sunday 30th August Start: Nice Haut Pays Finish: Nice Distance: 187km Stage 3 – Winner: Caleb Ewan Date: Monday 31st August Start: Nice Finish: Sisteron Distance: 198km Stage 4 – Winner: Primoz Roglic Date: Tuesday 1st September Start: Sisteron Finish: Orcieres-Merlette Distance: 157km Stage 5 – Winner: Wout Van Aert Date: Wednesday 2nd September Start: Gap Finish: Privas Distance: 183km Stage 6 – Winner: Alexey Lutsenko Date: Thursday 3rd September Start: Le Teil Finish: Mont Aigoual Distance: 191km Stage 7 – Winner: Wout Van Aert Date: Friday 4th September Start: Millau Finish: Lavaur Distance: 168km Stage 8 – Winner: Nans Peters Date: Saturday 5th September Start: Cazeres-Sur-Garonne Finish: Loudenvielle Distance: 140km Stage 9 – Winner: Tadej Pogacar Date: Sunday 6th September Start: Pau Finish: Laruns Distance: 154km Stage 10 – Winner: Sam Bennett Date: Tuesday 8th September Start: Ile d'Oleron Finish: Ile de re Saint-Martin Distance: 170km Stage 11 – Winner: Caleb Ewan Date: Wednesday 9th September Start: Catelaillon-Plage Finish: Potiers Distance: 167km Stage 12 – Winner: Marc Hirschi Date: Thursday 10th September Start: Chauvigny Finish: Sarran Correze Distance: 218km Stage 13 – Winner: Daniel Felipe Martinez Date: Friday 11th September Start: Chatel-Guyon Finish: Puy Mary Distance: 191km Stage 14 – Winner: Soren Kragh Andersen Date: Saturday 12th September Start: Clermont-Ferrand Finish: Lyon Distance: 197km Stage 15 – Winner: Tadej Pogacar Date: Sunday 13th September Start: Lyon Finish: Grand Colombier Distance: 175km Stage 16 – Winner: Lennard Kamna Date: Tuesday 15th September Start: La Tour-du-Pin Finish: Villard-de-Lans Distance: 164km Stage 17 – Winner: Miguel Angel Lopez Date: Wednesday 16th September Start: Grenoble Finish: Meribel Col de la Loze Distance: 168km Stage 18 – Winner: Michal Kwiatkowski Date: Thursday 17th September Start: Meribel Finish: La Roche-Sur-Foron Tour de France teams and riders The provisional start list for the Tour de France 2020: Ineos Grenadiers Egan Bernal Andrey Amador Richard Carapaz Jonathan Castroviejo Michal Kwiatkowski Luke Rowe Pavel Sivakov Dylan Van Baarle Team Jumbo - Visma Primož Roglic George Bennett Amund Grøndahl Jansen Tom Dumoulin Robert Gesink Sepp Kuss Tony Martin Wout Van Aert Bora - Hansgrohe Peter Sagan Emanuel Buchmann Felix Grossschartner Lennard Kämna Gregor Mühlberger Daniel Oss Lukas Pöstlberger Maximilian Schachmann Agr La Mondiale Romain Bardet Mikael Cherel Benoit Cosnefroy Pierre Latour Oliver Naesen Nans Peters Clément Venturini Alexis Vuillermoz Deceuninck - Quick - Step Julian Alaphilippe Kasper Asgreen Sam Bennett Rémi Cavagna Tim Declercq Dries Devenyns Bob Jungels Michael Mørkøv Groupama - FDJ Thibaut Pinot William Bonnet David Gaudu Stefan Küng Matthieu Ladagnous Valentin Madouas Rudy Molard Sébastien Reichenbach Bahrain - McLaren Mikel Landa Pello Bilbao Damiano Caruso Sonny Colbrelli Marco Haller Matej Mohoric Wouter Poels Rafael Valls Ferri EF Pro Cycling Rigoberto Uran Alberto Bettiol Hugh John Carthy Sergio Andres Higuita Jens Keukeleire Daniel Felipe Martinez Neilson Powless Tejay Van Garderen Team Arkea - Samsic Nairo Quintana Winner Anacona Warren Barguil Kévin Ledanois Dayer Quintana Diego Rosa Clément Russo Connor Swift Movistar Team Alejandro Valverde Dario Cataldo Imanol Erviti Enric Mas Nelson Oliveira José Rojas Marc Soler Carlos Verona Trek - Segafredo Richie Porte Niklas Eg Kenny Elissonde Bauke Mollema Mads Pedersen Toms Skujins Jasper Stuyven Edward Theuns CCC Team Greg Van Avermaet Alessandro De Marchi Simon Geschke Jan Hirt Jonas Koch Michael Schär Matteo Trentin Ilnur Zakarin Cofidis Guillaume Martin Simone Consonni Nicolas Edet Jesus Herrada Christophe Laporte Anthony Perez Pierre Luc Perichon Elia Viviani UAE Team Emirates Tadej Pogacar Fabio Aru David De La Cruz Davide Formolo Alexander Kristoff Vegard Stake Laengen Marco Marcato Jan Polanc Astana Pro Team Miguel Angel Lopez Omar Fraile Hugo Houle Gorka Izaguirre Insausti Ion Izaguirre Insausti Alexey Lutsenko Luis León Sanchez Harold Tejada Lotto Soudal Caleb Ewan Steff Cras Jasper De Buyst Thomas De Gendt John Degenkolb Frederik Frison Philippe Gilbert Roger Kluge Mitchelton - Scott Adam Yates Jack Bauer Samuel Bewley Esteban Chaves Daryl Impey Christopher Juul Jensen Luka Mezgec Mikel Nieve Israel Start-Up Nation Daniel Martin André Greipel Ben Hermans Hugo Hofstetter Krists Neilands Guy Niv Nils Politt Tom Van Asbroeck Total Direct Energie Niccolò Bonifazio Mathieu Burgaudeau Lilian Calmejane Jérôme Cousin Fabien Grellier Romain Sicard Geoffrey Soupe Anthony Turgis NTT Pro Cycling Team Giacomo Nizzolo Edvald Boasson Hagen Ryan Gibbons Michael Gogl Michael Hundahl Valgren Roman Kreuziger Domenico Pozzovivo Maximilian Walscheid Team Sunweb Tiesj Benoot Nikias Arndt Cees Bol Marc Hirschi Søren Kragh Andersen Joris Nieuwenhuis Casper Phillip Pedersen Nicolas Roche B&B Hotels - Vital Concept P / B KTM Bryan Coquard Cyril Barthe Maxime Chevalier Jens Debusschere Cyril Gautier Quentin Pacher Kévin Reza Pierre Rolland Who won the Tour de France 2019? Egan Bernal ended a run of British dominance in the Tour de France last year. Froome and Thomas combined to sweep up the last four years of TDF titles for Team Sky before a name change to Team Ineos. Colombian star Bernal rode to victory for Ineos despite not winning any individual stages and only leading twice. The 23-year-old was rewarded for his consistency throughout all the stages as he was crowned in Paris. Tour de France past winners 2010: Andy Schleck 2011: Cadel Evans 2012: Bradley Wiggins 2013: Chris Froome 2014: Vincenzo Nibali 2015: Chris Froome 2016: Chris Froome 2017: Chris Froome 2018: Geraint Thomas 2019: Egan Bernal If you're looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.
Tour de France 2020 prize money - How much the winner earns
The Tour de France gets underway with riders battling for up to £2m in prize money this year
The Tour de France is back this autumn following a forced postponement due to coronavirus. And the riders will all be desperate to get their race underway and fight for the money, honour and status at stake. Legends have been made at the Tour de France over the years, while the very best cyclists can become exceptionally wealthy should they win one of the individual prizes. Tour de France 2020 dates The Tour this year has no international Grand Depart. Instead it will begin in Nice and end, as is tradition, in Paris. Here’s everything you need to know about the The Tour de France 2020 prize money available. The Tour de France 2020 total prize money The Tour de France 2020 had to be hurriedly rescheduled once the original race earlier this summer was cancelled. But organisers have not changed the prize money total that will be paid to riders and teams during the month-long race. The Tour de France 2020 total prize money stands at €2,293,000 (£2,064,000). That’s a tiny increase from €2,291,700 in 2019 and €2,287,750 the year before. How is Tour de France prize money split? The prize pot is spread across a number of disciplines during the Tour de France. The biggest prize is for the overall winner of the General Classification race, who also earns the Yellow Jersey and the glory. However, there are also prizes for the top sprinter, mountain climber and young rider. What’s more, prizes are handed out every day for whoever wins each stage, whoever wears the Yellow Jersey and even for the first rider at the top of the Col de la Loze (17th stage). Tour de France 2020 winner prize The overall winner of the Tour de France 2020 will earn €500,000 (£450,000). There is also €11,000 available for the rider who wins the stage classification. Whichever rider wears the Yellow Jersey will earn €500 a day. Tour de France points classification prize money Sprinters earn €1,500 for each sprint they win, while the daily Green Jersey holder will earn €300. The overall winner of the points classification receives €25,000, with a total prize fund here of €131,000. Tour de France climber classification prize money The Tour de France 2020 hits the mountains from the eighth stage at Cazeres to Loudenvielle, and the climbers will be primed to hunt down victories. The most gruelling mountain stages offer €800 for the winner, while the final classification for the mountains offers a top prize of €25,000 and the polka-dot jersey. Tour de France young rider prize money The winner of the Young Rider jersey at the 2020 Tour de France will earn €20,000, while every stage a rider wears the white jersey will earn them €500. Adam Yates (2016) and Simon Yates (2017) are the only ever Brits to win the young rider classification at the Tour de France. Tour de France team prize money Teams also compete for up to €178,800 by ensuring their riders win individual stages and the overall classification. In 2019 Team Sky earned the most money of any team on the Tour de France as they picked up €779,200. The second-highest earners that year were Jumbo-Visma (€203,400), with Deceuninck – Quick-Step (€189,940) third. Tour de France special bonus prize Race organisers also keep a little money aside for bonuses during the Tour de France. This year there is a bonus of €5,000 for the first rider to reach the top of the Col de la Loze. The mountain pass outside Meribel is new to the Tour de France and involves a 13.4 mile climb at a 7.5 per cent average gradient. When is the Tour de France 2020? The Tour de France 2020 was delayed due to coronavirus and will get underway in August 2020. The official start date is Saturday 28th August 2020. The Tour de France will finish in Paris on Sunday 20th September 2020. Check out the Tour de France 2020 dates or visit our TV Guide for what else to watch.
Tour de France 2019: Watch on TV, live stream, start time, route map, prize money, jersey colours
The Tour de France 2019 is under way and we have rounded up the key details you need to know about the big event
The Tour de France has started its 106th run with riders from around the world gathering to prove their worth in the saddle. Defending champion Geraint Thomas will hope for back-to-back success but faces stiff competition from other top contenders in the field. Sport on TV in 2019 calendar: How to watch every major event LIVE on TV and online Colombian stars Nairo Quintana and Rigoberto Uran are desperate to make an impact this year while Vincenzo Nibali is also among the contenders expected to make a charge for the prestigious title. RadioTimes.com has rounded up everything you need to know about how to watch the Tour de France 2019 – plus route and prize money information. When is the Tour de France 2019 The event gets underway on Saturday 6th July and runs until Sunday 28th July. Some of our articles contain contextual affiliate links. You can support us by clicking on these as we may earn commission if you make a purchase. There is no extra cost to you and we never allow this to bias our content. How to watch the Tour de France 2019 You can watch all of the live action on ITV with a highlights show on the night of every stage. Coverage can also be live streamed daily via ITV Hub. Welsh-language channel S4C are also broadcasting every stage of the competition live. Fans can also tune in to watch all of the action live on Eurosport in the UK. Watch the Giro for free with a 7-day trial for the Amazon Eurosport channel Live coverage of every stage will be broadcast between the Eurosport 1 and 2 channels before a daily highlights show each evening. Eurosport's comprehensive coverage will also feature a new show, The Breakaway, which will discuss the big issues from the Tour de France along with fan interaction and questions from viewers at home. Amazon Prime members can get a 7-day free trial to the Eurosport channel. After the free trial, the Eurosport channel is £6.99 per month. Amazon Prime is £7.99 per month but can be accessed with a 30-day free trial. Tour de France TV schedule All UK time. Coverage details to be updated once confirmed. Stage 18 – Thursday 25th July Eurosport Live: 9:45am Highlights: 8:00pm ITV4 Live: TBC Highlights: TBC S4C Live: 2:00pm Highlights: 9:30pm Stage 19 – Friday 26th July Eurosport Live: 12:15pm Highlights: 8:00pm ITV4 Live: TBC Highlights: TBC S4C Live: 2:00pm Highlights: 9:30pm Stage 20 – Saturday 27th July Eurosport Live: 12:00pm Highlights: 8:00pm ITV4 Live: TBC Highlights: TBC S4C Live: 2:00pm Highlights: 10:00pm Stage 21 – Sunday 28th July Eurosport Live: 4:30pm Highlights: 11:00pm ITV4 Live: TBC Highlights: TBC S4C Live: 5:00pm Highlights: 10:00pm Tour de France 2019 teams Our sister website Bike Radar is packed full of information on the runners and riders in this year's Tour. Check out their comprehensive guide to all of the Tour de France 2019 teams including the full list of favourites to triumph. Tour de France 2019 route The Grand Depart will take place in Brussels for just the second time in 106 editions of the race. Riders will cross the Belgian border into France on the third day before drifting to the east of the country. The group will cycle south-west through the heart of France before reaching the southernmost point of the route, Tourmalet. From here, riders will head back to the eastern border before flying up to Rambouillet for one final stage which will finish up at the Champ-Elysees in Paris. For more details, check out Bike Radar's comprehensive guide to the Tour de France route. Tour de France jersey colours There's far more to each jersey than meets the eye, with each dazzling design carrying its own significance. The yellow jersey is worn by the classification leader, but what do the polka dots, green, and white outfits represent? Tour de France jersey colours explained Who will win the Tour de France? Orla Chennaoui is Eurosport's new lead presenter for the Grand Tour coverage, and she has given her predictions on who to watch out for. "I’m going to go for Jakob Fuglsang as my pick for yellow, and stick with Egan Bernal as outside," she said. "Everyone is expecting huge things from Bernal but we have to remember he’s never led a Grand Tour team before and by rights, he should be riding in support of Geraint Thomas. "If Thomas shows any crack in form though I’d expect Ineos to throw their full weight behind Bernal which, in my mind, would then make him the favourite." Why is Chris Froome not in the Tour de France? British star Chris Froome missed the Giro d'Italia in order to fully focus on the Tour de France, but was then ruled out of the big event after a major crash in training left him with a broken leg. The four-time champion broke a leg, ribs and an elbow on the outskirts of Roanne, France and was rushed to intensive care following the incident. Eurosport presenter Chennaoui has also spoken about the impact Froome's absence could have. She said: "It has to completely re-shape Ineos’ approach first of all. One of the things neutral fans were very much looking forward to was seeing how the dynamics between Chris and Geraint would play out on the road because we were looking at it from afar last year and you would have seen one version of events. "Having to pull out from the Tour de Suisse was unfortunate for Thomas, but the important thing is he’s ok and can still compete. "His preparation has been far from ideal and he had that crash at Milan San Remo too. "It’s been disrupted, but I think if he can get some decent training rides in him I don’t think it will make too much difference." Tour de France 2019 prize money A total prize money pot of £2million (€2.3m) is on offer for riders competing in the Tour de France this year. The winner of the individual general classification will earn approximately £445k (€500k) for triumphing in the iconic competition. The remainder of the prize money will be divided between riders based on their finishing position, though exact figures are yet to be confirmed.
Tour de France 2018 live on TV: full ITV and Eurosport coverage guide and stage schedule
What time to watch Geraint Thomas win the biggest event in the cycling calendar on TV and online
The 2018 Tour de France is nearly over, with the best cyclists in the world having ridden over 21 gruelling stages on the race to Paris. Live TV coverage in the UK is on both ITV4 and Eurosport, right through to the finish line – which Geraint Thomas is expected to cross in first place – at the Champs-Elysees in Paris on Sunday 29th July. Sport on TV 2018 calendar: how to watch the Fifa World Cup, Wimbledon and more How to watch the new Premier League season on TV – fixtures, costs and sports rights revealed How can I watch the Tour de France on TV and online? Daily live coverage of the tour will be shown on ITV4 and Eurosport (see below for exact times) though the final day (Sunday 29th July) will be live on ITV. Coverage of the final stage will air from 3-7pm on ITV and 2:30-6:30pm on Eurosport. Stage 21 runs from Houilles to Paris Champs-Élysées – a distance of 116km. Each day's racing will also be available to stream live online via the ITV Hub and the Eurosport Player. There will be a daily highlights show on both ITV4 and Eurosport 1 from 7pm every day (though it will jump to 9pm on the final day of competition on ITV4). Can I watch Eurosport if I'm not a subscriber? Yes, there is an option to follow Eurosport's cycling coverage even if the channel isn't part of your TV package. If you're an Amazon Prime subscriber, you can sign up to watch Eurosport via their Amazon Channels service. It gives you a seven-day free trial, and then afterwards you can pay to watch for just the month of the race without having to pay for a year's contract. A similar service is also available on online streaming service TV Player. Full Tour de France 2018 – live TV schedule and stage dates Saturday 7th July – Stage 1 Noirmoutier-en-l'Ile to Fontenay-le-Comte, 189km ITV4: 9.30am- 3.15pm Eurosport 1: 9.30am- 3.15pm Sunday 8th July – Stage 2 Mouilleron-Saint-Germain to La Roche-sur-Yon, 183km ITV4: 12pm- 5pm Eurosport 1: 12pm- 5pm Monday 9th July – Stage 3 Cholet to Cholet, team time trial, 35km ITV4: 1.45pm- 5pm Eurosport 1: 2pm- 5pm Tuesday 10th July – Stage 4 La Baule to Sarzeau, 192km ITV4: 12pm- 5.15pm Eurosport 1: 11.45am- 5.15pm Wednesday 11th July – Stage 5 Lorient to Quimper, 203km ITV4: 11.15am- 5pm Eurosport 1: 11am- 5pm Thursday 12th July – Stage 6 Brest to Mur de Bretagne, 181km ITV4: 12pm- 5pm Eurosport 1: 12pm- 5pm Friday 13th July – Stage 7 Fougeres to Chartres, 231km ITV4: 11am- 5pm Eurosport 1: 11am- 5pm Saturday 14th July – Stage 8 Dreux to Amiens, 181km ITV4: 10.30am- 3pm Eurosport 1: 10.30am- 3pm Sunday 15th July – Stage 9 Arras to Roubaix, 154km ITV4: 11.30am- 3pm Eurosport 1: 11.30am- 3pm Monday 16th July – Rest day in Annecy Tuesday 17th July – Stage 10 Annecy to Le Grand Bornand, 159km ITV4: 9.30am- 5.30pm Eurosport 1: 9.30am- 5.30pm Wednesday 18th July – Stage 11 Albertville to La Rosiere, 108km ITV4: 12.45pm- 5pm Eurosport 1: 12.45pm- 5pm Thursday 19th July – Stage 12 Bourg-Saint-Maurice to L'Alpe d'Huez, 175km ITV4: 11am- 5.15pm Eurosport 1: 11am- 5.15pm Friday 20th July – Stage 13 Bourg d'Oisans to Valence, 169km ITV4: 12.30pm- 5pm Eurosport 1: 12.30pm- 5pm Saturday 21st July – Stage 14 Saint-Pauol-Trois-Chateaux to Mende, 187km ITV4: 12pm- 5pm Eurosport 1: 12pm- 5pm Sunday 22nd July – Stage 15 Millau to Carcassonne, 181km ITV4: 12pm- 5.15pm Eurosport 1: 12pm- 5.15pm Monday 23rd July – Rest day in Carcassonne Tuesday 24th July – Stage 16 Carcassonne to Bagneres-de-Luchon, 218km ITV4: 10.15am- 5pm Eurosport 1: 10.15am- 5pm Wednesday 25th July – Stage 17 Bagneres-de-Luchon to Saint-Lary-Soulan, 65km ITV4: 2pm- 5pm Eurosport 1: 2pm- 5pm Thursday 26th July – Stage 18 Tries-sur-Baise to Pau, 172km ITV4: 12.45pm- 5.15pm Eurosport 1: 12.45pm- 5.15pm Friday 27th July – Stage 19 Lourdes to Laruns, 200km ITV4: 11am- 5.15pm Eurosport 1: 11am- 5.15pm Saturday 28th July – Stage 20 Saint-Pee-sur-Nivelle to Espelette, individual time trial, 31km ITV4: 10.45am- 4.45pm Eurosport 1: 10.45am- 4.45pm Sunday 29th July – Stage 21 Houilles to Paris Champs-Elysées, 115km ITV: 3.30pm- 7pm Eurosport 1: 3.30pm- 7pm Is Chris Froome competing in the Tour de France 2018? <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2018/07/GettyImages-963091600-a295b43.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="ROME, ITALY - MAY 27: Podium / Christopher Froome of Great Britain Pink Leader Jersey / Celebration / Champagne / during the 101st Tour of Italy 2018, Stage 21 a 115km stage from Rome to Rome / Giro d'Italia / on May 27, 2018 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)" title="GettyImages-963091600" /> Yes - in early July, cycling's world governing body UCI dropped an anti-doping case against the four-time tour de France winner, meaning he will be able to take part in the competition. The 33-year-old Briton said he was "grateful and relieved" to bring a end to an "emotional nine months" – and he is keen to get back in the saddle to defend his title. Who is in Team Sky with Geraint Thomas for the Tour de France? Froome was leading the team, but it is Welsh rider Geraint Thomas who is all but certain to cross the Paris finish line in first place. He is supported by fellow Sky riders Froome (due to finish third), Luke Rowe, Egan Bernal, Jonathan Castroviejo, Michal Kwiatkowski, Gianni Moscon and Wout Poels. Who were the favourites to challenge Chris Froome? Only seven riders competing on this year's tour have won all three Grand Tours. Of these, Froome was the likely favourite to wear the Maillot Jaune heading into the race, but he was expected to face stiff competition from home favourite Romain Bardet (racing with the Ag2r-La Mondiale team), who finished just 2 minutes and twenty seconds behind him in 2017. He finished second the previous year. <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2018/07/GettyImages-977032946-1066607.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="BELLINZONA, SWITZERLAND - JUNE 17: Podium / Richie Porte of Australia and BMC Racing Team Yellow Leader Jersey / Celebration / Trophy / during the 82nd Tour of Switzerland 2018, Stage 9 a 34,1km individual time trial stage from Bellinzona to Bellinzona on June 17, 2018 in Bellinzona, Switzerland. (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)" title="Cycling: 82nd Tour of Switzerland 2018 / Stage 9" /> However, 33-year-old Australian Richie Porte (BMC Racing) was the bookies' second favourite to win the contest this year, despite having never won a single stage at 11 starts in the three Grand Tours. He has fully recovered from a terrifying crash on the Mont du Chat during last year's race, however, and won the Tour de Suisse in June. <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2018/07/GettyImages-970878344-9db9f2a.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="SAINT-GERVAIS LES BAINS - MONT BLANC, FRANCE - JUNE 10: Romain Bardet of France and Team AG2R La Mondiale / Adam Yates of Great Britain and Team Mitchelton-Scott / during the 70th Criterium du Dauphine 2018, Stage 7 a 136km stage from Moutiers to Saint-Gervais-Les Bains-Mont Blanc, Montee du Bettex 1372m on June 10, 2018 in Saint-Gervais-la-Foret, France. (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)" title="Cycling: 70th Criterium du Dauphine 2018 / Stage 7" /> What is the route for the 2018 Tour de France? Unlike some previous years where the Tour has started in countries outside of France, this year almost the entire route remains in French territory, apart from one brief foray into Spain during Stage 16. The 3,351km route takes in classic cycling routes including the Alpe D'Huez and the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix. This year also sees the introduction of a grid start for Stage 17, a 65km dash and one of the shortest stages in Tour de France history.
What time is the Tour de France 2017 on TV?
Everything you need to know about how to watch the race live on TV
The Tour de France 2017 will be the 104th edition of the race. The cyclists set off in Düsseldorf (yes, Germany – cycling can be odd sometimes) on 1 July, and conclude with the Champs-Élysées stage in Paris on 23 July. Here's how to watch the action live on TV and catch up with the highlights every evening. What time can I watch the race on TV? ITV4 Live coverage of stage one, a 14km individual time-trial in Düsseldorf, will begin at 2pm on Saturday 1 July. Subsequent stages will then be broadcast from 11am every day live on ITV4. You can also catch highlights at 7pm every night on ITV4, or via itv.com/tourdefrance. ITV4’s coverage will be presented by Gary Imlach, with analysis by Chris Boardman, commentary by Ned Boulting and David Millar, and reports from Daniel Friebe. Check out the full live ITV Tour de France schedules below: Saturday 1st July Live: 2:00pm-6:00pm, highlights: 7pm-8pm Sunday 2nd July Live: 11:00am-4:45pm, highlights: 7pm-8pm Monday 3rd July Live: 11:00am-4:45pm, highlights: 7pm-8pm Tuesday 4th July Live: 11:00am-4:30pm, highlights: 7pm-8pm Wednesday 5th July Live: 12:00pm-4:45pm, highlights: 7pm-8pm Thursday 6th July Live: 11:00am-5:00pm, highlights: 7pm-8pm Friday 7th July Live: 11:00am-5:00pm, highlights: 7pm-8pm Saturday 8th July Live: 11:00am-4:30pm, highlights: 7pm-8pm Sunday 9th July Live: 10:30am-4:30pm, highlights: 7pm-8pm Monday 10th July Rest day highlights: 7pm-8pm Tuesday 11th July Live: 12:00pm-5:00pm, highlights: 7pm-8pm Wednesday 12th July Live: 12:00pm-5:15pm, highlights: 7pm-8pm Thursday 13th July Live: 09:45am-4:30pm, highlights: 7pm-8pm Friday 14th July Live: 1:30pm-5:00pm, highlights: 7pm-8pm Saturday 15th July Live: 12:00pm-5:00pm, highlights: 7pm-8pm Sunday 16th July Live: 12:00pm-5:30pm, highlights 7pm-8pm Monday 17th July Rest day highlights: 7pm-8pm Tuesday 18th July Live: 12:30pm-4:45pm, highlights: 7pm-8pm Wednesday 19th July Live: 11:00am-5:00pm, highlights: 7pm-8pm Thursday 20th July Live: 11:30am-5:00pm, highlights: 7pm-8pm Friday 21st July Live: 11:00am-5:00pm, highlights: 7pm-8pm Saturday 22nd July Live: 12:30pm-5:00pm, highlights: 7pm-8pm Sunday 23rd July Live: 3:30pm-7:00pm, highlights: 9pm-10pm Eurosport 1 The Tour de France will also be broadcast live on Eurosport every day. Viewers who don't have a TV sport subscription can also pay to watch Eurosport via the newly launched Amazon Channels, which allows you to watch Eurosport via Amazon Prime.
Tour de France 2016: The ups and downs of this year's route
Procycling magazine gives us the expert view...
The real star of the Tour is always the route, and while it’s not as initially intimidating in 2016 as it was last year, it’s going to be tricky to plot a course to victory through it. Comparatively subtle the route may be but the effect of this is to raise the tension and intensity. There’s an uphill finish on stage 2, a mountain summit finish on stage 5, and the Pyrenees begin on stage 7. 2015 was a series of four clearly-defined phases: Classics opening week, Pyrenees, Massif Central, Alps. 2016 is far more complex, less regular, more a piece of free-form jazz than a traditionally-constructed symphony in four movements. There’s a flat stage, a hilly stage, and two more flat stages in the first four days, and then the uphill finish at Le Lioran in the Massif Central, followed by one more flat stage. At this point, the sprinters will have had four of their seven chances for a stage win. Meanwhile, the GC contenders will have had to manage the Cherbourg hill finish, and the very hard route to Le Lioran. Mont St-Michel, stage 1 None of the Massif Central climbs of stage 5 are particularly hard – there are two third-cat climbs and two second-cats, before the final third-cat ascent and a short downhill to the finish. It’s ambush territory, and the final 50km look intense, without being outrageously hard – the kind of territory, in other words, on which the best bike racing happens. The Tour peloton is still getting used to the idea that hilly stages can be as good a place to win the yellow jersey as the high mountains but the 2016 route, and stages like this, are an ideal place to continue working on this project. Read more: A quick guide to the Tour de France's jargon There are three nicely varied Pyrenean stages to follow: an easy one, and two more difficult ones. Stage 7 ‘only’ includes the Col d’Aspin, near the finish.Meanwhile, stage 8 is an interesting mix of the traditional and the modern – the classic Pau-to-Luchon stage is a Tour staple. But instead of running over the normal Aubisque-Tourmalet-Aspin-Peyresourde route on the D918 – the Pyrenean ‘Circle of Death’ – the parcours has been tweaked to run along a parallel road to the south. Tourmalet-Hourquette d’Ancizan-Val Louron Azet-Peyresourde is not quite as hard, because the Aubisque has been sacrificed, but the Hourquette d’Ancizan, a minor-road alternative to the Aspin, is hard. Either way, it’s still one of the toughest stages of the entire race, followed the next day by the high point of the Tour, the summit finish at Andorra Arcalis, at 2,240m. This, finally, is a more traditional challenge – the first true summit finish of the 2016 Tour. If there is a theme for the middle week, it’s that there is no theme. There’s a stage for the baroudeurs – the finish in Revel loops over the Côte de St-Ferréol, which in the past has been enough to kill the chances of the sprinters’ teams, although admittedly this was before Peter Sagan came along. Then a flat stage to Montpellier. After that comes the Bastille Day ascent of Ventoux, possibly the crux of the entire Tour. Gorges de l'Ardèche, stage 13 The stage 13 time trial is another key stage. The parcours tracks the scenic route along the sunbaked Gorges de l’Ardèche. The Tour went through the Tarn Gorges last year, and the helicopter shots were spectacular. However, the D290 road which runs along the Gorge is not just a scenic Tour treat. The road through the Tarn Gorges is cut along the bottom, beside the river, but the D290 follows the cliffs at the top. It climbs a lot, and is extremely twisty. As the road leaves the gorges to pass the Pont d’Arc, a huge limestone archway cut by the river, there is a steep 2km descent, including tunnels, with a hairpin bend towards the bottom. Any riders distracted by the beautiful scenery are going to come a cropper here. Then two more flattish stages sandwich another television highlight of the 2016 Tour, the climb of the Grand Colombier, one of France’s most scenic climbs, on the stage to Culoz. While some stages look more intimidating on paper, this one, the 15th, looks very hard to control. There are six categorised climbs, including one HC ascent, but the profile shows countless more significant uncategorised climbs along the way. The stage only breaches 1,000m once but it makes up in intensity what it lacks in altitude. Mègeve, stage 20 The final week is more traditional Tour fare – three mountain stages and a tough uphill time trial to Megève. The new HC summit finish at Finhaut-Emosson in Switzerland on stage 17 will see the beginning of the final battle and the St Gervais summit finish two days later will probably reinforce what we’ve already learned. But ASO have one final trick up their sleeve on stage 20, with the final mountain of the race, the Col de Joux-Plane. It’s not just a very tough climb, but there’s a 2km false flat at the top and a very steep, twisting descent to Morzine. The Tour organisers appear to be saying that the biggest mountains might make for the hardest challenge, but that the smaller mountains of the 2016 race might make for a more interesting one. This is an extract from an article originally published in Procycling magazine, which brings you the colour, action and drama of cycling every month. Subscribe and get five issues for £5. .
Lance Armstrong won his races even if he did take drugs says biopic actor
Ben Foster, who plays the disgraced cyclist in new film The Program, also discusses his own use of the same performance-enhancing drugs that Armstrong took
The fall of seven-time Tour de France champion and charity founder Lance Armstrong is well documented. The cyclist was stripped of his titles in 2012 after he was discovered to have taken performance-enhancing drugs ahead of all of his victories. But the actor who plays the disgraced athlete in anew film, The Program, thinks Armstrong won those races fair and square – because when it came to drug use the playing field was level. “I think he did win – I do!” actor Ben Foster (who plays Armstrong in the Stephen Frears-directed biopic) told RadioTimes.com. “Some people will say he didn’t win, he stole, he doped, he lied. “My feeling is that, statistically, you have to go down 18 riders to find one clean rider. So this is a culture of dope – he just did it better. That’s the competition.” Foster in The Program, left; Lance Armstrong, right Foster went on to compare Armstrong’s use of performance-enhancing drugs to other techniques used by athletes to give them an edge, including 18-time Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Michael Phelps. “I mean, Phelps was sleeping in the oxygen tents, where it reduces your oxygen so you create more of it,” Foster said. “People train at altitude, for this reason. Everybody’s looking for an edge.” “The line of it – there’s always gonna be doping, there’s always gonna be enhancement. How it’s regulated is the most interesting to me. There’s too much money at stake. And companies and endorsements are tied up with making sure that their races and games are exciting.” “Hopefully people who leave the theatre will be struck with a question rather than an answer, which is – what would you do if you could raise half a billion dollars in cancer research and awareness, but you also had to lie in a culture of lying? Would you lie to protect that which you built, which is saving lives? I pose that question. It keeps me up sometimes at night.” View oEmbed on the source website Foster has more insight than most into Armstrong's choice – in the course of his research for playing the controversial figure, the actor admits he took some of the same performance-enhancing drugs as the cyclist, albeit in more controlled conditions. So how did he find the experience? “The drugs work, that’s why people do them,” Foster said. “I did it in a very contained way, with Doctor’s supervision, and privately, where nobody on set knew about it.” However, the actor was keen to stress that the research wasn’t all about seeing Armstrong’s point of view – rather, it was about immersing himself in the culture of doping. Foster in The Program “It’s not about ‘I’ve got to become Lance Armstrong,’” Foster explained. “It’s ‘I’ve gotta know about this part of the world.’ “It’s akin to being a food critic, and not eating the food. I’m not saying if you’re playing a meth addict you’re gonna go do meth, or if you’re playing a serial killer you go out and kill people. “But for me, in a safe, legal way… creating a program for myself informed the world in a physical way that I’d repeat. I don’t recommend it, but I’d repeat it.” The Program is in cinemas now
Chris Froome won the Tour de France but Geraint Thomas has won cycling fans' hearts
The Welshman has come through crashes, controversy and crunching pain, and done it all with a smile on his face. Here's why Geraint Thomas has been the real star of Team Sky
Chris Froome has made history, becoming the first British rider to win the Tour De France twice. But in a challenging year for both the Tour and 'Froomey' himself, it's been another British rider who has captured the imagination. Geraint Thomas, Froome's faithful 'domestique' throughout this year's remarkable Team Sky victory, is an easy man to get behind. He's frank, open, and seemingly happy to go the extra mile in front of the media as well as on the bike. From dusting himself down after crashing off a cliff to being touted as a future team leader, this was the Welshman's breakthrough year. The ups Thomas eventually finished 15th in the overall rankings, but if he hadn't broken his body for the sake of team leader Froome there is every sign he could have finished much higher. He was fourth until stage 19, and former Team Sky coach Sean Yates even compared him to another Great British rider: Sir Bradley Wiggins. "Geraint Thomas is a phenomenon, he's a one of a kind almost," Yates said after stage 12. "Obviously Bradley Wiggins has won Olympic medals and won the Tour de France, and Geraint looks like he can follow in his footsteps in the long term." The downs Even when he's had a rough ride, Thomas took the setbacks with philosophical good grace – and a way with words worthy of Eric Cantona. When he slipped down the pecking order during Stage 19, this was his answer. “As they say, sometimes you’re the hammer, sometimes you’re the nail," he said. "I was a cheapy little Ikea one today. It was terrible.” The fun What do riders facing 3,360km of cycling hell eat? Teams have tightly regulated diet plans thanks to their own travelling chef – although, in Thomas's case, clearly there's some room for manoeuvre. Surely Welsh cakes are not Team Sky-sanctioned snacks? View oEmbed on the source website No lasting damage – they make 'em tough in Cardiff. View oEmbed on the source website The boos Team Sky are a victim of their own success; in such a dominant year, in a sport with such a murky recent past, it was inevitable that questions would be asked. Was Froome clean? The questions turned ugly, with Froome being spat at mid-race and even at one point having urine thrown at him. All of Team Sky fought back and insisted they were "winning clean", and Thomas was no exception, pointing out that when the British team was losing last year the spectators couldn't get enough of them. "They loved us last year when we were losing, but I’d rather be winning and get booed than be where we were last year,” he said. The celebrations It's been a heavy three weeks, but judging by Thomas's Twitter feed on Sunday it was an even heavier night... View oEmbed on the source website ... Featuring the compulsory Queen sing-a-long. View oEmbed on the source website When he arrived back at Team Sky headquarters, Thomas seemed to be feeling the effects. Winner of worst stage 22 hangover: @GeraintThomas86. Style it out G, style it out ;) https://t.co/bxCrOaCoFP — Alex Murray (@leguape) July 27, 2015 View oEmbed on the source website He'll have to recover quickly: his stag do's planned for tomorrow. "Tuesday is the start of my stag," he told BBC Sport. "I'm getting married at the end of October, and the plan is to fly off to Berlin after a night out in Cardiff with some mates." The future Could Thomas be challenging from a Tour win himself next year? Plenty of people believe he has what it takes, including, most importantly, Team Sky boss Dave Brailsford, who said he "could lead other teams" at the Tour De France, as well as leaving the door open for him to lead Team Sky in a future Grand Tour. View oEmbed on the source website As for Thomas himself, he thinks he's ready for whatever the future holds: "I'm really looking forward to it," he said. "I think if I was a leader here I'd run the podium close, if I wasn't doing so much early on – even though that's easy to say now it's certainly something I'd like to look at."
Everything you need to know about 2015's Tour de France
Who’s going to win? What challenges lie ahead? Our stablemate Procycling magazine answers these questions and more...
The Big Four Every now and again, you get a Tour de France in which a generation of champions are all in their prime. Think back to the contests of the mid-1970s, when Eddy Merckx, Luis Ocaña, Bernard Thévenet, Felice Gimondi and Joop Zoetemelk, all past or future yellow jerseys, went head to head. Or the late 1980s, when Greg Lemond, Laurent Fignon, Pedro Delgado and Stephen Roche contested a series of exciting and high quality races. There’s a similar sense of anticipation about 2015. A quartet of Grand Tour winners have targeted the race and all four can realistically hope to win the final yellow jersey in Paris on 26th July. It’s hard to look past Chris Froome, Vincenzo Nibali, Alberto Contador and Nairo Quintana for the eventual winner. The bookies agree – at the time of writing, you couldn’t find a better price than 5/1 on Nibali, the fourth favourite; the fifth favourite, Joaquim Rodríguez, was 25/1. Between them, these four have won 12 Grand Tours. One or other of them has won seven of the last eight, and in the exception, the 2013 Vuelta, Nibali was second by only 37 seconds. The exciting thing is that, assuming the big four all get a clear run to the race, any one of them could win. Chris Froome out-climbed both Contador and Quintana when he won the 2013 tour and at his best, physically he is probably the strongest Grand Tour rider in the world, but he is tactically vulnerable and prone to crashing. Chris Froome at the Critérium du Dauphiné last month, which he won Contador is consistent, strong and tactically sharp, and has been the dominant Grand Tour rider of the last eight years but he is 32 now and may have his July peak compromised by the fact he has already won a tough edition of the Giro d’Italia. Nibali might not be such a spectacular climber but he’s tactically the sharpest of the four, descends faster and copes much better with the demands of the opening week – not coincidentally, he’s the only one of the four with a strong Classics pedigree. Quintana, the youngest of the four, came in between Froome and Contador in the 2013 Tour, and won the 2014 Giro. Two years ago, aged just 23, he climbed almost as well as Froome and he is now stronger but his inexperience may count against him. What makes the 2015 Tour an even more tantalising clash of champions is that this will be the first time all four have been in the same stage race. In fact, all four have only lined up together three times: the Worlds in 2012 and 2013, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2013. Nibali finished first of the four each time, which is unsurprising given that he is by far the superior one-day racer. Who wins? As last year’s Tour showed, crashes and bad luck can play as big a part as strength and tactics. But there are a few areas in which we can anticipate a hierarchy. 2015 is a climber’s Tour. Four hard days in the Alps mean that the strongest climber here wins the yellow jersey. Judging by recent Tour form, Froome is the strongest climber on paper, although he won’t put minutes into these rivals as he did to his competitors in 2013 for two reasons: they’re climbing better and he’s been doing so with less zip. The climbing margins are tight – it may come down less to talent and class than getting the training and the timing of attacks right. View oEmbed on the source website None of the big four has a weakness in their teams. Sky, Tinkoff, Astana and Movistar all have strength in depth, along with climbing domestiques who could lead any of the other 18 Tour teams. Sky and Astana will be all-in for their leaders; Movistar will have a deputy leader in Alejandro Valverde, fourth last year. He won’t out-climb Quintana but he will have the freedom to ride his own race. Only Tinkoff will have split goals but Sagan’s green jersey campaign shouldn’t detract from Contador’s bid for yellow. With the big four so close to each other in their climbing form and team strength, it may come down to tactics. it’s here that Nibali, who’s a less showy climber than the others, has an advantage. He correctly identified the opening week of the 2014 race as territory to take time out of his rivals. When Contador and Froome crashed out they were already on the back foot, and the Italian will be relishing the prospect of crosswinds, cobbles and classics-style racing between Holland and Brittany. He’ll lack the element of surprise this time round but he should still thrive. In terms of form, Nibali has shown the least so far this season, just as he did in 2014, with a steadily improving but unspectacular series of results. He was 20th in Oman, 16th in Tirreno-Adriatico, 13th in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and 10th in Romandie. But the others have all won at least one stage race – Quintana beat Nibali and Contador to win Tirreno-Adriatico, Contador won the Giro and Froome won the Ruta del Sol. The 2015 tour looks like a generation-defining moment in the race’s history. Whatever happens, the quality of the main contenders is the highest in many years. Better still, it sets us up for the tantalising prospect of an ongoing rivalry between four genuine champions. The Tour route The 2015 tour can be divided into four phases. The first takes the riders from the start in Utrecht, across Belgium and Northern France to Brittany. The second consists of the Pyrenean stages. The third, a lumpy series of transition stages, crosses the Massif Central and the Rhône Valley to finish in Gap, in the foothills of the Alps. And the final phase is the most brutal – four alpine stages. There’s also the final stage into Paris, although this is traditionally a (very fast) procession and sprint, with the general classification already settled. A classic opener The opening week of the Tour used to consist of a prologue, a series of flat sprints, occasionally a team time trial and often a long, flat time trial. But since Christian Prudhomme and Thierry Gouvenou took over from Jean-Marie Leblanc and Jean-François Pescheux as the Tour’s president and route designer respectively, the race has sought more variety and unpredictability in the first week by using territory that is more traditionally associated with the classics – cobbles and short, sharp hills – together with uphill sprints. These changes have made the opening week a compelling spectacle. In 2014, the best excitement of the tour was in these stages, while the mountain stages were more predictable and formulaic, albeit as televisual, brutal and beautiful as ever. The early stages arguably had more of an effect on the race, as well – Nibali won the race in the first week, and confirmed his superiority in the mountains. He was the strongest climber in the 2014 event, especially once Froome and Contador were out, but his performance in the first week meant that he didn’t need to be. It’s difficult to stress how chaotic and varied the opening nine days of the 2015 tour are going to be. The race starts with a flat time trial in Utrecht, slightly longer than a normal tour prologue, although the gaps between the favourites should not be any more than 20 seconds. Stage 2 is also flat but if the wind is blowing, the bunch could be split into several pieces. Stage 3: a steep uphill finish at the Mur de Huy, along with a complicated run-in. And then come the cobbles, on stage 4 to Cambrai, with 13 kilometres of pavé in total, most of which come in the final 50 kilometres. While the anticipation is obviously sky-high, there’s one problem with this new trend in Tour route design, and that is the prevalence of crashes. Crashes have always happened in the first week of the Tour, and the relationship between the recent inclusion of classics territory and crashes is not exactly causal. The pressure is higher every year at the Tour as the race gains in size and the stakes get higher, and that would translate into a nervous peloton whether riding over a series of hills or cobbled sectors, or on a flat, wide road into a sprint finish. After all, Bradley Wiggins crashed out of the 2011 tour on the most straightforward stage of the race up to that point, a flat run to Châteauroux, having survived several uphill finishes. Brit Mark Cavendish crashed out in the first stage of last year's Tour However, there’s another recent trend: the GC teams are riding at the front of the race deep into the final kilometres of the opening stages, until the safety net of 3km to go marker, after which riders affected by crashes receive the same time as the group they were in. This tactic was spearheaded by BMC, protecting Cadel Evans, during the 2011 Tour, and it was very effective. So effective, in fact, that a lot of teams have started doing it. Sky picked up the tactic in 2012 and at the recent Giro d’Italia the Tinkoff, Astana and Sky trains were all riding in front of, and in among the sprinters’ trains on some of the flat stages, especially in the opening week. With 3km to go, they would melt back into the peloton, their job done, but it’s disruptive to the sprinters’ teams. On top of this, the sprinters’ teams are not riding as they were even five years ago. Up to around 2010, a single team tended to dominate and control the final 10 kilometres but now sprinters’ teams are co-ordinated to attack at different points over the final five kilometres to try to usurp whichever team is currently leading. In short, it’s absolute chaos at the front of the peloton these days, and the classics-style territory is just one more disrupting factor among many. Following the cobbles, things calm down a little bit. A trio of flat stages, to Amiens, Le Havre and Fougères will see the sprinters’ teams assume control again. Amiens and Fougères should be straightforward. Not so Le Havre, where the road rises from sea level to 75 metres in the run-up to the line. The final two stages of the first phase of the race also have uphill finishes. The climb above the town of Mûr de Bretagne for stage 8 is a steep, two-kilometre haul. It’s longer than the Mur de Huy, where stage 3 finishes and it will likely see the GC riders contesting the stage win, as they did when the Tour finished here previously in 2011. Stage 9 could also be crucial. It’s a short team time trial, just 28 kilometres long, but with a hard uphill finish. This is set to be different to any team time trial we’ve seen in the Tour in modern history. The TTT has traditionally taken place in the opening few days of the race, while teams are generally intact. However, for the 2015 test, it’s not out of the question that some of the teams riding the team time trial will be starting with seven or even fewer riders, a huge disadvantage. and that’s before taking into account the two mid-stage climbs and the final climb, the Côte de Cadoudal, which is just under two kilometres long, at an average gradient of 6.2 per cent. In 2011, the 23-kilometre team time trial saw four other teams within five seconds of Garmin’s winning time. That is not going to happen in 2015. Triple whammy Following a rest day and a long transfer from Brittany to the far south of France, the riders will hit phase two of the race – three stages in the Pyrenees. there’s a triple whammy of Pyrenean stages in 2015 which would be worthy of a race finale even though we’re barely halfway through the race. Each finishes on a summit: the more straightforward third category climb of Cauterets on stage 11 is sandwiched by the hors catégorie giants of La Pierre St Martin and Plateau de Beille, which finish off stages 10 and 12 respectively. The Pierre St Martin stage will hit the peloton hard. After a hard opening week, transfer and rest day, they have a rolling but largely unchallenging 140 kilometres to race on their first day back in the saddle, then the climb straight up La Pierre St Martin. Some riders don’t deal too well with the first day after a rest day. Still more riders don’t deal too well with a long, flat stage followed by a hors catégorie climb – this is known as a changement de rythme. This stage could offer us the result that is least consistent with the others. The Cauterets stage will take the riders over the Col d’Aspin and the Col du Tourmalet, the highest pass in the Pyrenees, making it another crucial day, but the third Pyrenean stage, to Plateau de Beille, is yet harder. Plateau de Beille is one of the three or four toughest summit finishes regularly used by the Tour – it’s two kilometres longer than Alpe d’Huez but has a similar average gradient. Plateau de Beille Time for a break Phase three of the race, across the Massif central to Gap, will probably mainly be contested by breakaways, but there are still likely to be GC skirmishes, especially on the steep climb to Mende in the finale of stage 14, and on the tricky descent of the Col de Manse into gap. The fourth phase is ludicrously hard, with a quartet of hard alpine stages, including three summit finishes. Stage 17 celebrates the 40th anniversary of Bernard Thévenet beating Eddy Merckx in the 1975 tour by reprising the stage to Pra-Loup where the Belgian rider cracked. The cat 1 Col d’Allos is hard, as is the cat 2 finishing climb, but the Allos descent is narrow, twisting and hard work. The next stage crosses the hors catégorie Col du Glandon and second category Lacets de Montvernier climb, just before the finish in St Jean de Maurienne. The final two mountain stages also demonstrate a recent trend in Tour route planning: the abbreviated mountain stage. Stage 19, over the Col de la Croix de Fer to the summit finish at la Toussuire, is only 138km, while the penultimate stage, to Alpe d’Huez over the Col du Galibier covers 110km. It could be argued that the 2015 Tour is too hard. In total, there are 26 climbs of second category and above this year. That compares with 24 in 2014 and 27 in 2013, so there’s no significant difference in the number of climbs. However, the route is heavily skewed towards summit finishes this year. The Giro and Vuelta have each experimented with multiple summit finishes in the last few years, and while there are a number of factors in play, in general the mountain stages merely reinforce what has gone before, with the strongest climbers dominating. This year’s tour has nine uphill finishes, not including the team time trial. Three of these are only third category climbs but they are still hard enough that the strongest climbers can snuff out any more nuanced tactics by their rivals. Clever Climbers The logical conclusion is that the 2015 tour will be won by a climber, even with the chaotic, tactical opening nine days to take into account. This is perfect as the four main contenders are all good climbers. One of these climbers will win, but the opening nine days, plus the transition across the Massif Central, also ensure that it might not be the strongest climber who wins, but the cleverest. Tour de France begins on Saturday 4th July on ITV4 from 1pm This article was originally published in Procycling magazine.
What do the coloured Tour de France jerseys mean?
From polka-dots to the iconic yellow jersey, those eye-catching tops have nothing to do with fashion or cyclists' team colours...
A pack of 198 riders have descended on the Dutch city of Utrecht for this year's Tour de France. It's the 102nd edition of the prestigious three-week racing event and on 26th July the holder of the iconic yellow jersey will be crowned champion. The jerseys often move between riders as each team battles to get their riders the most points or the fastest times in each of the 21 stages. Here's how the cyclists, including defending champion Vincenzo Nibali, can get their hands on one (or more) of those instantly recognisable jerseys: Yellow Traditionally known as the maillot jaune, this iconic jersey is given to the rider with the lowest cumulative time going into each new stage. At the end of the entire tour, it’s the holder of the yellow jersey who’s crowned the overall winner. Throughout the tour, if a rider is leading in more than one classification, he’ll wear the yellow jersey as it’s the most important in the race. The other jersey will be given to the rider placed second in that classification. The Tour de France has finished on the Champs-Élysées every year since 1975 when French cyclist Bernard Thévenet won. To mark the 40th anniversary of this famous finish, the 2015 yellow jersey is inspired by Thévenet's jaune maillot (same collar and zipper), and features an Arc de Triomphe motif (click the thumbnail for a larger image). Polka-dot The rider wearing the white jersey with red polka-dots is known as the 'King of the Mountains', as it’s awarded to the best climber in the race. During stages that involve climbs, points are awarded to the first rider to reach the top, as well as a number of riders who follow closely behind. Ascents are graded – based on length, gradient and their position in the stage – from 4 (the easiest) to hors catégorie (the hardest). The category of the climb denotes how many points are awarded and how many riders are eligible. For example, ten riders can pick up points on a climb that falls into the hardest category, while only the first over the top of the climb of a fourth category ascent will be awarded a point. Points are doubled on summit finish days, which this year is stages 10, 12, 17, 19 and 20. The King of the Mountains classification was created in 1933. Spain’s Vicente Trueba was the first winner, although the polka-dot jersey only appeared in 1975. France’s Richard Virenque holds the record of most KOM jerseys, winning it seven times between 1994 and 2004. Green This is the sprinter’s jersey and so points are based on position across the line rather than time. Flatter stages offer greater points rewards and extra points can be obtained via intermediate sprints called ‘primes’ or ‘hot spots’ along the route. For race finishes, points are awarded on a sliding scale to the first 15 riders across the line. There’s been an increase in the points for the six flat stages this year, where the winner will pick up fifty (instead of 45) points and then continuing as follows: 30, 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. For seven stages the highest number of points on offer is 25 while for the mountain stages and opening time trial the winner will receive 20 points. The team trial during stage 9 won't result in any points being awarded. The first week of the race will also see the reintroduction of time bonuses, last seen in the tour in 2007. These will be awarded at the finishes from the second to eighth stages. Ten, six and four seconds will be awarded to the first three riders of each of these stages, giving the sprinters a chance of also wearing the yellow jersey. The first green jersey in history was held by Swiss Fritz Schär in 1953. White The white jersey is awarded in the same way as the yellow, but only riders aged 25 and younger are eligible. It was created in 1975. In 1988, the jersey was abandoned, but not the best young rider classification. The white jersey was reintroduced in the peloton in 2000 and has been worn by some of the best talents in the sport including Alberto Contador in 2007 and Pierre Rolland in 2012. Tour de France will be shown live from Saturday 4th July from 1pm on ITV4 and British Eurosport
You don't have to be a pain in the Tour de France to get a cycling selfie
All you need is a bit of consideration (and imagination), so it seems...
Sticking your head out in front of 200+ cyclists pounding down the road to grab a quick selfie of the Tour de France may sound like a good idea… No wait. That sounds like a terrible idea. And frankly, it’s really staring to get on the cyclists’ nerves. “It’s the new pain the a***,” says Team Sky’s Geraint Thomas. “People have got their back to the peloton taking selfies… They don’t realise we use every part of the road. They’re a lot of us and we use every inch.” Best Tour De France selfie ever? @ITV @letour @KatieHolroyde #amazing pic.twitter.com/HaqwCnvPwj — Fran Reeve (@FranJReeve) July 6, 2014 Of course, cyclists are chuffed with the turn out. “Going up Holme Moss I had goosebumps,” Thomas admits, as aerial pictures doing the rounds on the web show the cyclists can barely be differentiated from the crowd. But if you want to grab a picture of yourself with the cycling stars, “go and sit in a tree,” says Thomas. US racing star Tejay van Garderen agrees. He writes on Twitter, “Standing in the middle of the road with you [sic] back turned while 200 cyclists come at you, just to take a selfie. #think #TDF2014 “That being said, I love the crowds and thank you for your support. But please give us room.” And of course – you are technically missing the action… View oEmbed on the source website But, there are ways around it... This would be the ideal time to jump in View oEmbed on the source website This is a pretty good effort View oEmbed on the source website This looks pretty darn safe "Standard- barrier selfie! #tourdefrance" via @becsj76 Or forget the lycra-clad pros altogether and grab a Tour-themed yellow Boris Bike... View oEmbed on the source website Follow the Tour de France action from 12:00pm today on ITV
Chris Boardman talks Tour de France: I would unequivocally have taken Bradley Wiggins
“It might not be the best decision for team morale, or the overall result, but I think it would be best for British cycling”
Imagine Harrogate without Betty’s tea rooms, or even Yorkshire without puddings. To some folk, the thought of a Tour de France unfolding without 2012 winner Bradley Wiggins is no less unsettling, especially a Tour de France beginning just across the Pennines from Wiggins’s Lancashire home. But when the Tour gets under way in Leeds on Saturday, with genteel Harrogate at the end of its 190km first stage, Britain’s most decorated still-competitive cyclist will not be a part of Britain’s Team Sky. His relative lack of race-fitness and the reported “friction” (which might be read as mutual loathing) between him and the team’s main rider, Chris Froome, who won last year’s Tour, are all factors in his almost-certain exclusion. Chris Boardman, the 1992 Olympic gold medallist who also knows what it feels like to wear the Tour’s coveted yellow jersey, understands why Wiggins is being left out, but thinks the British public will feel short-changed. “There is an assumption that winning the race should always be the team goal. And taking Bradley Wiggins might not be the best recipe for bing on the top step in Paris [where the Tour ends on Sunday 27 July]. But it’s what the fans want to see, it’s good for the brand. Crossing the line first isn’t always what’s best.” Boardman, who promotes cycling not just as a sport, but also as a form of transport, knows that in Wiggins he has PR gold. “Bradley can be mercurial, volatile, but that makes him interesting,” he says. “He wears his heart on his sleeve, and people enjoy that. I watch other sports people, like Lewis Hamilton, who are very correct and always say the right thing, and frankly it’s pretty boring. Get Tour de France DVDs and books at the Radio Times Shop, click here for more details “So if it had been my decision, if he was fit and healthy and committed, I would unequivocally have taken Bradley Wiggins. It might not be the best decision for team morale, or the overall result, but I think it would be best for British cycling. Saying that, I know it’s been a huge dilemma for Dave [Team Sky principal Dave Brailsford], especially with the Tour coming here. Dave is very collegiate in his decision-making, and if the team leader [Froome] has said, ‘These are the people I want around me, people I trust and get on with’, that opinion can’t be ignored. I feel for Dave.” Boardman feels for Wiggins, too, and perceives a man in some kind of existential midlife crisis. “I see a lot of sports people trying to work out how to be happy, and for a long time they think success is the answer. When they achieve it, as Bradley did in 2012, they get to see whether that’s the case. And sometimes it’s not. Up to 2012 I saw someone setting himself goals and going after them ruthlessly. Now I see a very fit athlete, but not a hungry one. Riding bikes still pays his bills, but he’s trying to decide whether he really wants to do that. And the team are basically saying, ‘While you work that out, we’ll crack on with trying to win the Tour’.” Boardman, only 45 but something of an elder statesman in British cycling, declines to describe the relationship between Wiggins and Froome as feud, exactly. “Friction, certainly. It’s normal with winners – they both want to be top dog.” At the moment, top-dog status belongs to the less controversial, less charismatic Froome. If Wiggins had raced in the Tour, it would have been as part of the support act, trying to get Froome over the line first. Clearly, Froome believes that Wiggins is ill-equipped for such a supporting role. “We rode around him and his moods like he was a traffic island,” he writes in his autobiography, The Climb. Wiggins is clearly disappointed to be left out. He admitted to BBC Breakfast, “I’m gutted. I’ve worked extremely hard for this... I feel I’m in the form where I was two years ago.” He also told French newspaper l’Equipe that he’d “wanted to play a supporting role” to Froome in the Tour. Boardman believes that Wiggins could have suppressed his ego, could have been a team player. “But the perception is that he performs best as part of a team when the team is supporting him. And of course the team ethic is everything in the Tour. In cycling, 90 per cent of your energy is spent pushing air out of the way, so having somebody sitting in front of you, doing that for you, makes an enormous difference.” Boardman hopes that the excitement the Tour generates in Britain, and the burgeoning popularity of cycling in general, will make an enormous difference, too, in changing the nation’s dependence on cars. “I have a wonderful soapbox,” he says, “because you don’t need to be pro-cycling to be pro-logic. Whichever battleground you choose – health, pollution, economics – it makes sense to get people riding bikes. “I recently had a letter from David Cameron, saying he wants to see a cycling revolution and that his Government has committed £270 million over its term to cycling. Well, that’s £1 per head [per year]. In Denmark they spend nearly £30 per head. So the goal and the resources don’t match. And what the Government won’t do is set measurable targerts. “There are more than 30,000 obesity-related deaths in this country every year. Last year, there were 109 cycling deaths. So it’s incredibly safe, but it doesn’t look safe, and that’s because of the transport infrastructure. To change our car-driven culture will be painful and slow, but we have to do it.” Wiggins or no Wiggins, the exhilarating spectacle of nearly 200 of the world’s best cyclists whizzing up hill and down Yorkshire dale might just bring Boardman’s vision a little closer to reality. See Tour de France from Sat 10:30am ITV, from Tues 2:00pm ITV4 Get Tour de France DVDs and books at the Radio Times Shop, click here for more details
Lance Armstrong admits to doping in all seven Tour de France wins - video
In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, the disgraced cyclist says he repeatedly used performance-enhancing drugs, calling himself "arrogant" and "a bully"
Lance Armstrong has publicly admitted that he used performance-enhancing drugs to help him win all seven of his Tour de France titles, after years of denying he had cheated. The 41-year-old cyclist, once considered the greatest his sport had ever seen, finally came clean in the first part of a much-hyped exclusive interview with Oprah Winfrey on her American cable network OWN. The interview opened with a simple but extremely revealing exchange (see video below) with Oprah asking Armstrong to answer her questions with just a “yes or no”. “Yes or no? Did you ever take banned substances to enhance your cycling performance?” asked Oprah. “Yes,” replied Armstrong. “Was one of those banned substances EPO?” / “Yes.” “Did you ever blood dope or use blood transfusions to enhance your cycling performance?” / “Yes.” “Did you ever use any other banned substances like testosterone, cortisone or human growth hormones?” / “Yes.” “In all seven of your Tour de France victories, did you ever take banned substsances or blood dope?” / “Yes.” “In your opinion, was it humanly possible to win the Tour de France without doping – seven times in a row?” / “No, not in my opinion.” However, Armstrong stopped short of admitting accusations that he was a mastermind behind doping in the sport and that had bribed officials to cover up his cheating. He also said that he had not taken drugs during his comeback in 2009. "I didn't invent the culture and I didn't try to stop the culture... and the sport is now paying the price of that and I'm sorry for that. I didn't have access to anything else that anybody else did," he said. Armstrong said that he lost himself in the fairytale of an athlete overcoming testicular cancer and making a comeback to rise to the top of his sport. He said “This story” – which included the establishment of his own cancer charity, Livestrong – “was so perfect for so long.” Answering allegations that he instructed team mates to take EPO and similar drugs, he said: “[I was] the team leader but not the manager. There was never a direct order or directive that 'you have to do this'. We were grown men, we all made our choices." However, he did admit “I was a bully. In the sense I tried to control the narrative and if I didn't like what someone said... I tried to control that”. Looking genuinely embarrassed when shown video of a previous on-screen denial of doping, Armstrong said "I look at that clip and think, 'look at that arrogant prick'. That's not me today. "These were people who believed in me, who believed me, and they have every right to feel betrayed. I'll spend the rest of my life trying to earn back trust and apologise to people." The second part of the exclusive interview will run on OWN tonight. View oEmbed on the source website
Everything you need to know about this year's cycling extravaganza
Saddle up - the Tour de France starts on Saturday Almost 200 riders face a major cycle-logical battle – they’re going to be cycling 163 kilometres a day for the next three weeks. That’s equivalent to riding from London to Coventry every day. OK, they get a couple of rest days but you’d need them if you were planning to ride a total of 3,430.5 kilometres in three weeks. If you start from London now and stay with the pace, you’d be in Beirut in three weeks. Except Le Tour wheels around France. Aaah, France, home of cheese eaters And some magnificent scenery that provides a stunning backdrop as the peloton glides along at an average speed of 25mph. You can spend up to five hours a day admiring the countryside while watching Eurosport’s live coverage. ITV4 coverage is more compact. The spokesmen start on Saturday in La Vendée. Sunday’s stage two sees the team time trial, then it’s off through Brittany, Normandy and a tour of France in an anticlockwise direction, ending in Paris. At the front will be Alberto Contador, who is favoured to win his fourth Tour. Last time out he got the better of Andy Schleck by the slimmest of slim margins – 39 seconds. Contador got the drop on the Luxembourger when Schleck’s chain came off while climbing an Alp. Flying the British flag Bradley Wiggins heads the British challenge at the front of Team Sky. No Brit has ever made the final podium, although Wiggins did come fourth in 2009. So far, Wiggins is having a good season, having won the Dauphiné, which is to the tour as Queens is to Wimbledon. Whooosh. . . Would be the sound of the Manx Express, alias Mark Cavendish, stealing a stage win with a sprint finish that makes the rest look like they’re going backwards. He’s won 15 stages in three tours so far but it all depends on his team-mates at HTC-Highroad getting him to the front at the right time. Apart from leg-tremblingly fast acceleration, one reason why Cav is so hard to beat is that his low position on the bike means his rivals can’t launch a coup de grace from the shelter of his slipstream. It’s a team game Riding in another cyclist’s slipstream can reduce the effort required to keep up by as much as 70 per cent. So it’s not just the sprinters who are surrounded by team-mates. The top riders like Wiggins have specialists to break the air for them so they can conserve energy for the decisive phases. Diary dates Few of us have the time to follow all the action so be aware that the serious stuff begins when the race reaches the mountains. The first one is Thursday 14 July, a Bastille Day treat when the Tourists face the first serious climb in the Pyrenees. The decisive day is Saturday 16 July, with six draining climbs up Plateau de Beile. Every winner here has gone on to win the Tour. The Big One is Thursday 21 July with the highest altitude finish in the entire history of the Tour on the Galibier Serre-Chevalier. After that it’s downhill all the way to The Finish on the Champs-Elysées in Paris on Sunday 24 July. Tour de France can be viewed on ITV4, British Eurosport/HD and online