Tour de France 2026 preview: the contenders, sprinters and stage-hunters to watch
From four-time champion Tadej Pogačar to 19-year-old debutant Paul Seixas, a 3,333km route from Barcelona to Paris sets the stage. Here's who to watch across G…
Tour de France 2024 gallery: A day in the dust
James Startt's photographs capture the dust and drama of stage nine at the 2024 Tour de France, the race's first-ever gravel stage around Troyes.
The much-anticipated stage nine of this year’s Tour de France, the stage of the chemins blancs, very much lived up to its expectations. If you were looking for a new stage for these actors, who just happen to be bike racers, it would be hard to do better. Christian Prudhomme and his Tour de France technical team hoped to introduce a fresh alternative to the race with a stage that combined elements of Paris-Roubaix and Strade Bianche. And they clearly found it with this demanding loop around Troyes. 
Starting with the opening section of white roads, the yellow jersey remained near the front.
The Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team did their best to keep the leader Primož Roglič at the front of the race, but it was not an easy day for the team.
The fans, like the riders, quickly faded into the blankets of dust found on each of the 14 gravel sections on today's stage.
Section 11, the Côte de Val Frion, offered pitches of nearly 15% that laced its way through wine vineyards.
Tom Pidcock was one of the key actors of the day, jumping into the breakaway and fighting for victory when the race returned to Troyes.
Polka dots lined the climbs found along the day.
Mathieu van der Poel's rainbow jersey sits clearly in the middle of the pack as they make their way up the final meters of the Côte de Val Frion, 90 kilometres from the finish.
Jasper Stuyven's late-race attack nearly won him the stage...nearly.
Mathieu van der Poel (L) and Michael Matthews (R) were key players in a formidable counter attack, but they came up short on this day.
Remco Evenepoel, Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard, the top three in the overall standings, power through the dust on the final chemin blanc of the day, just a few kilometres from the finish in Troyes.
Vingegaard rarely left the shadows of the yellow jersey throughout the day.
Fans were on hand to cheer the last riders of the day, a grueling but memorable day in the Tour de France.
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Tour de France bookies' favourites 2026: Who will win the yellow jersey?
From Pogačar and Vingegaard to Evenepoel and Roglič — Rouleur breaks down the leading Tour de France 2025 GC contenders and who has the best chance of glory.
Tour de France 2026 start list: The riders for this year’s race
All 176 riders confirmed for the Tour de France 2025 start list, with team selections ranging from GC contenders to sprint trains.
Question Time: Greg LeMond on gravel, Pogačar, and modern cycling
The three-time Tour de France winner on his LeMond Carbon start-up, the team he nearly built, his Eurosport days, and why he rates this as one of the best gene…
Africa Rising: The next young riders chasing the wheels of giants
African cycling has already given the sport Biniam Girmay and Kim Le Court. Jeremy Ford picks the Next Ten – ten riders aged 23 or under, from across the conti…
'There's a lot more to agency work than contracts' — Hannah Barnes and a fresh approach to rider management
The former professional cyclist now works for major football and cycling talent agency, SEG, and is using her experience to ensure that euros never take preced…
Tour de France prize money: How much does the winner receive?
With different jerseys, stage wins, and a GC classification, we look at what is awarded to the riders throughout the Tour de France
How to watch and live stream the Tour de France 2026
With a star-studded line-up heading to the Grand Départ in Lille, you won't want to miss any stages of the biggest race of the year
Dominant champions, a broken collarbone, and a calendar experiment worth keeping – the Tour de Suisse debrief
From Pogačar and Reusser's wins to an injury that could reshape the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, five days in Switzerland left plenty to think about
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In printIssue 144
The Tour Issue
Le Tour de France: a race defined by colour, passion and history, whose drama and romance continue to shape the identity of cycling’s greatest stage.
In printIssue 144
The Tour Issue
Le Tour de France: a race defined by colour, passion and history, whose drama and romance continue to shape the identity of cycling’s greatest stage.
