Thoughts on LeTour 2026

 Le Tour de France 2026

Zio Lorenzo at LeTour 2024

Le Beeg Shew is over for another year. A few thoughts below:

First, a big F-YOU for this. The author has some nerve to write: Those who succeeded Froome as the sport’s pre-eminent general classification riders, Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard, have had to face the same questions and doubts that Froome did in his career. Namely, credibility over their performances.

Really? Based on what? The author even admits: Froome tested positive for the prohibited asthma drug salbutamol at the 2017 Vuelta a España – which he won – but he was cleared by the UCI and WADA of any wrongdoing nine months later. There were also accusations of Team Sky exploiting Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs) for certain medications.

Have you read anything like this about the other guys? Me neither. So why the nasty comparison?

Sure, the yellow jersey race went rather flat once the pasty Dane crashed himself out but Pogacar can only beat the guys who are there, right? Remco Evenepoel proved Zio wrong when he said he should stick to one-day races while Isaac Del Toro raced well for a relative newbie and it was great to see the champ help his young protege. Zio contrasts this podium with the Giro's with the pasty Dane on top with Felix Gall and Jai Hindley on the next steps. So much for the woulda/coulda/shoulda from the Dane's camp.

The battles for the white, green and polka-dot jerseys were compelling in contrast, none of 'em truly wrapped-up until the race was nearly over. It was great to watch 19 year old Paul Seixas try to get on the podium as well as Lenny Martinez get 5th place, good news for the French but also tough to note none of the big-3 cycling countries (France, Italy or Spain) had riders win a single stage. Talk about globalization!

We watched Eurosport's TV coverage with Italy's RAI subbed-in now and then. We skip the English-language commentary, that pie-faced British woman they have is annoying enough when she comes on. She does interviews but rarely asks a question, instead just making a half-baked comment while nodding her head like a fan someone just handed a microphone and camera crew. Can't they do better? There are other women out there that are ex-racers and/or better journalists for sure! 

Vive LeTour!