Welcome to Wednesday's live blog, with Jack Sexty, Simon MacMichael and the rest of the team.
24/07/2019, 18:16
Tell us who you think will win Le Tour
24/07/2019, 16:47
What's happening here, then?
A bit of beef between @tonymartin85 and @LukeRowe1990?
Watch the post-race analysis and #TheBreakaway coming up LIVE on Eurosport
- Eurosport 1
- Eurosport Player: https://t.co/bt3TbQdoIepic.twitter.com/uXNLVaUBrT— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) July 24, 2019
24/07/2019, 16:03
Tour de France: Trentin takes stage 17
A strong victory for @MATTEOTRENTIN!
Magnifique victoire en costaud de Matteo Trentin !#TDF2019pic.twitter.com/vlG2A3rHPV— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 24, 2019
The Mitchelton-Scott man pulled away with plenty of time to spare as he crossed the line, in a fast and furious stage that saw his average speed clocked at a monstrous 45.87kph - not bad in 40c heat.
Full stage report to follow.
24/07/2019, 15:04
So there was a big climb on today's stage after all...
Not so much #TDFieldArt as dangerous-yellow-jersey-themed-rocky-outcrop-art but this chap with his red hankie deserves a medal for climbing up that without coming a cropper. 7/10 #TDF2019pic.twitter.com/FeOGZUZPSB
— Felix Lowe (@saddleblaze) July 24, 2019
24/07/2019, 12:33
Halfway there: Froome battling back towards fitness
Working hard #cycling@TeamINEOS@Pinarello_com@wahoofitness@SidiSport@CastelliCyclingpic.twitter.com/plJwWHJdZU
— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) July 24, 2019
The four-time Tour de France champ's recovery from his horrific crash just last month is well underway, showing us his best single-leg drills on the indoor trainer.
The doctor that operated said he expected Froome could be back on his bike outdoors in six months at the time - if this clip is anything to go by, looks like he might be ahead of schedule.
24/07/2019, 14:39
City, University of London partner with Beryl to analyse urban cycling data for sustainable city improvements
The knowledge transfer partnership (KTP) between university scholars and smart light innovators/bikeshare firm Beryl is backed by a £287k grant from Innovate UK, analysing and gathering data on urban bike usage with the aim to use it for sustainable city design.
Senior University of London Lecturer Dr Andrea Baronchelli said: "It will give City academics a wonderful opportunity to investigate smart bike share schemes with a world-leading industrial partner, and, more broadly, advance our understanding of urban mobility through the analysis of an unprecedented wealth of data."
24/07/2019, 13:31
Insightful as ever ...
Great to see Lukas Postal Worker is in the breakaway today. Post Office staff were banned from pro professional cycling for many years because of Lance Armstrong’s drugging but it’s good to see the ban has been lifted now.
— UK Cycling Expert (@ukcyclingexpert) July 24, 2019
24/07/2019, 14:50
Tour latest: a big old break
The rain was brief and the breakaway is in dryer territory.
La pluie fut brève, les échappés sont de nouveau au sec.#TDF2019pic.twitter.com/aQuuqLDxBr— Tour de France (@LeTour) July 24, 2019
It looks like this one might just about stay away, with a whopping 14 minute gap to the peloton. Plenty of big names are in there including Thomas De Gendt, Kasper Asgreen, Thomas Skujins, Edvald Boasson Hagen and Greg van Avermaet. Average speed so far: 45.6km/h.
24/07/2019, 12:02
RideLondon to be free of single-use plastic bottles for 2019
In association with Thames Water, Prudential RideLondon will no longer be handing out single-use plastic bottles over the event weekend of 3-4 August. The goal is to become the largest mass participation cycling event that is free of single-use plastic, saving on up to 65,000 bottles that were handed out in previous years. Instead, riders will be able to fill up their own bottles at drinks hubs across the route. Spectators will also be encouraged to bring their own refillable bottles.
24/07/2019, 11:19
Caleb Ewan makes a splash ....
That's one way to warm down when you've just won a Tour de France stage with the temperature nudging 40 celsius ...
No better way to celebrate your second stage win of @LeTour@CalebEwan#TDF2019pic.twitter.com/sPvHOYh4GF
— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 24, 2019
24/07/2019, 09:15
"I don't know why we pay them": Peter Sagan says something needs to be done about extreme heat as Tour head into the mountains
"I think the CPA should do something."@petosagan believes the professional cyclist's union need to act ahead of some extremely hot and harsh conditions this week#TDF2019pic.twitter.com/miz8j3VKGC
— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 23, 2019
Sagan told ITV about the struggles on yesterday's flat stage in temperatures that were in the high 30's, and says the Professional Cyclist's Union (CPA) "have to do something": "I think so yes, I don't know why we pay them."
"Today we were sprinting but if you go into the mountains with this weather it's going to be very bad."
Today's hilly stage is 200km from Pont Du Gard to Gap, and temps are expected to reach highs of 39c. Do you think action needs to be taken, shortened stages for example, if the mercury rises to a certain level? Clearly Michał Kwiatkowski is very much of the opinion that it's just a case of getting on with it...
If you can’t deal with the heat, keep out of @LeTour. Things happen even on a flat stage like today. And it will only get hotter now@TeamINEOS
@GettySportpic.twitter.com/0kCTrw223M— Michał Kwiatkowski (@kwiato) July 23, 2019
24/07/2019, 08:55
"Just let them all do it" - Floyd Landis on doping in cycling
Landis told Outside Online: "Just let them do it. Cyclists already dope at will. Legalising it would stop a few people a year from dying by suicide, from public humiliation. That would be the only change.
"You either quit racing your bike or you dope. The only people that walked away weren’t talented enough to do it in the first place. Let me clarify that: there’s never been a rider that was talented enough to win the Tour that didn’t win because they didn’t take drugs.
"If you’re watching the Tour de France for moral lessons, you have real issues."