“I’m f****d,” says cyclist who wore these shorts in the sun and came home looking like the Tour de France’s polka dot jersey; “Hold on mate, the cycle lane isn’t finished! It’s got to be open before you park on it”; Tour build-up + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
"Hold on mate, the cycle lane isn't finished yet! It's got to be open before you park on it."
Hold on mate, the cycle lane isn’t finished yet! It’s got to be open before you park on it.
Tour bikes (and kits): Trek and Factor bring out blinged-up bikes for the Tour de France
Israel-Premier Tech will be easy to spot at this year’s Tour, the team unveiling a colourful new kit and special edition Factor Ostro Vam ahead of the race. Groovy.
It’s quite funny seeing Jake Stewart be put front and centre on the Ostro Vam. I wonder what bike he’ll be riding on Saturday in Lille…
Anyway, the new Ostro Vam colourscheme is quite fun.
Lidl-Trek too will have a unique ride for the biggest race of the season, the team’s riders sticking with their Lidl masterpiece kit but getting this reimagined Madone paint job for the Tour.
Which do you prefer?
Bianchi teases sneak peek at brand new Infinito endurance bike, featuring down tube storage and unique sculpted seatpost
"Absolutely awful" or a "massive improvement"? Ineos Grenadiers' new Total Energies-sponsored jersey divides opinion
TotalEnergies has one and a half teams at the Tour, with both the self-named TotalEnergies squad of French breakaway fodder and, now, a prominent jersey sponsorship with the Ineos Grenadiers.
We knew it was coming, Ineos seeking new investment in the team to try to get back to cycling’s top table, while the French energy giant had always seemed keen to boost its profile, the marriage with Ineos something of a greenwashing power couple.
As Patrick Pouyanné, TotalEnergies CEO said last week: “We are very happy to support the INEOS Grenadiers team through this jersey sponsorship, which reflects the broader industrial cooperation between INEOS and TotalEnergies on a global scale, in particular in Europe and Saudi Arabia.” Isn’t multinational corporate involvement in sport so poetic…
Anyway, my ramblings aside, what we didn’t know was what the new Ineos x TotalEnergies jersey would look like. Well, now we do.
So, thoughts? Naturally, as it’s the internet we’re talking about, the reaction so far has been near-perfectly split between ‘it’s hideous’ and ‘it’s the best thing to ever grace a bike race’. Some replies to the team’s post sharing the image:
“Intern did a good job with Paint”
“That looks like a proper cycling jersey. Massive improvement.”
“Absolutely awful”
“This is weird… Total Energies on two teams jerseys..”
“Crappy jersey, did you get AI to design it in half a second?”
“There’s no way you paid someone to drop that”
And of course…
— DG (@Bahamuttt76) July 3, 2025
Only one way to settle it.
Make it stop! The Great Lube War of 2025 enters its second day
Our calls for phones to be confiscated at Silca and Muc-Off offices have gone unanswered. The two have thankfully stopped squabbling in the comments, WD40 amusingly getting involved too with a GIF of someone sitting back with some popcorn. Anyway, Silca’s now stuck a new Insta post up bigging up its products…
Will there be any further escalation? Let’s hope not, the last thing anyone needs to see is marketing teams from bike lube brands squaring off in a rap battle or releasing diss tracks. Our resident ultra-cycling legend Matt Page couldn’t help himself last night and got some AI promo for the big pay-per-view showdown…
Carl Dyson over on our Facebook page also earned himself a gold star for the comment… “I can sense friction”. Brilliant.
"Wasn't pleasant, but I guess it was fast conditions": John Archibald breaks RTTC National 50 Mile Championship record with blistering 53km/h average
"You're ticketing law-abiding citizens!": Cyclist fined for "riding no-handed" as police officer claims it "contravenes Human Rights Act"
Hipsters painting murals, avocado, independent coffee shops, art galleries and of course cycling clubs — the Daily Mail is never going to beat this headline
It’s an all-timer on the MailOnline website today, plus it’s an ‘EXCLUSIVE’ don’t you know.
Apparently Penge has been “overtaken” by an “influx” of cycling clubs. The horror.
Anyway, for some further reading…
> 20 of the most hysterical Daily Mail anti-cycling headlines
UCI outlines "comprehensive" anti-doping programme which will seek to catch any cheats at the Tour de France
The UCI, cycling’s governing body, has outlined its anti-doping plans for the Tour de France, namely what it calls a “comprehensive” programme to combat potential doping and technological fraud. It will be led by the International Testing Agency (ITA) and features a “targeted, intelligence-led testing plan grounded in the latest scientific developments and risk-based analysis”.
There will be more than 40 ITA staff at the Grand Départ in Lille, around 350 out-of-competition tests in the month prior to the race, and around 600 in-competition samples to be collected during the event.
The UCI also says there will be strong cooperation with French national authorities and long-term storage of samples over a 10-year period “in anticipation of future new detection methods or scientific developments”.
On the technological fraud side of things, a “reinforced monitoring programme” will be undertaken before and after stages. Interestingly, the UCI also says that during stages “an incident and performance monitoring programme will be implemented, relying in particular on the UCI Video Commissaire and the UCI Commissaires officiating at the race”.
“Anything that arouses suspicion will thus be identified, enabling better targeting of checks,” they said.
ITA director general Benjamin Cohen said: “The Tour de France is not only one of the most iconic events in sport, it is also a key moment for protecting the integrity of cycling. Our approach in 2025 reflects a continued commitment to intelligent, data-driven anti-doping strategies grounded in science, collaboration and continuous improvement.
“By combining targeted testing with advanced analytical tools such as the endocrine module, long-term sample storage and performance monitoring initiatives, we aim to ensure that this prestigious race is contested on a level playing field. We are proud to lead these efforts on behalf of the UCI and in close coordination with all our trusted partners.”
The last 'fast' Tour de France? Why the UCI's attempt to slow the pro peloton is unlikely to work
The bloke who cycled from Madrid to Glastonbury didn't stop when he arrived...
"I'm f****d," says cyclist who wore these shorts in the sun and came home looking like the Tour de France's polka dot jersey
This is making me feel a whole lot better about the picture of my weekend sunburn that I stuck up on Monday’s live blog. In my case, the great error was the usual underestimating of overcast skies and a lack of suncream. In this now-rosy Reddit cyclist’s case, it was wearing Castelli’s liner shorts as bibs and missing out on some suncream below.
How it started:
How it finished:
Unfortunately for the cyclist involved, those Castelli bib shorts are its ‘ultimate liner’, a short designed to be worn under baggy shorts. That’s not to say you technically couldn’t use them as regular bib shorts, just that the holes are there to keep you cool when wearing two pairs of shorts and aren’t designed with sun protection in mind. There’s no reason why, if you really wanted to, you couldn’t wear them as bibs, you’d (quite obviously given these pictures) need to remember to fully suncream your legs to avoid this spotty sunburn outcome.
> Cycling survival — how to avoid sunburn & stay comfortable
That’s the context, now onto the good part… the famously unsympathetic internet having its fun in the comments section.
One reply suggested the big problem was going to be aligning the dots on the next ride, while others joked about the poor rider looking like a cross between the Tour de France’s mountains jersey and an allergy test.
“Don’t tell PNS this trick,” another reply joked. “They might make a cutout on the bibs with their logo and you will be wearing their branding as tan.”
It’s funny you should say that, Wout van Aert’s beaten them to it…
Both Van Aert and this Reddit user have a long way to go before they can challenge the cycling sunburn GOAT, however. Returning for another viewing (the third of the week on the live blog no less!) Chris Froome’s back after wearing one of Rapha’s old mesh Team Sky jerseys for a training ride.
Legendary.
Alternatively, to be extra safe, maybe we should all be riding around like Uno-X climber Tobias Halland Johannessen and his heat adaptation outfit. “25 degrees outside, five layers of jackets, body temp 39.6, 2,5 litre fluid loss and one bike rider from Norway that is a bit more adapted,” he told his Instagram followers.
Hmmm maybe, or maybe we should just remember sun cream.
3 July 2025, 08:00
3 July 2025, 08:00
3 July 2025, 08:00
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Latest Comments
@jaymack A thoughtful response to the article. Cycle campaigners seem obsessed with ever-improving infrastructure yet pay no attention to what people really think and feel, not what they claim in a survey. A while ago, my local Green party ran a pro-cycling event where they showed a documentary film made by local teenage schoolgirls to ask why hardly any of them cycled to school. The main reason? Not looking stupid in front of their cool friends or boys.
A reason many people don't own a bike is they have nowhere to keep it securely at home. Who likes having a bike in their kitchen or living room? The homes of lower income people are mostly too small and have no garage or outhouse, so where would they store bikes, particularly if there are several people living there?
@open_roads So... exactly the same as a human but there will presumably be a point where it judges it's unsafe to proceed - unlike your typical Uber driver? I genuinely do not give a shit what technology (LIDAR, radar, sonar, cameras, magic, white cane etc etc) a robocab uses, provided that it satisfies any safety case put forward by a regulator.
It would appear that going forward, the Definition Integrale version will be the only model available, meaning that electronic groupset is the only option. There’s still stock available of the Definition 3.0 as of now and I’ve just ordered one with mechanical 105 to replace my aging winter sh*tter.
This is why genuinely I only expect my front and back time stamped bike cameras to ever be used in the event of my death on the road, that is if I don't get killed as pedestrian on a crossing with these bloody taxi drivers who keep stopping on the crossing... as I'm crossing it. It seems to me someone is going to have to take extreme and over the top measures for this constant harassment to been seen as the public danger it is, I'm not saying I or anyone else should do it but it would be great to see a bad driver leave court with a conviction with the word 'kryptonite' embossed backwards on their face... just a hypothetical...
I usually wear a folding helmet - a Hedkayse ONE. What I've learnt from this report is that the Newlane with MIPS is one of the best helmets around. But that's not what the headlines say. It would be a shame if miselading headlines led to yet another folding/alternative design for commuters disappearing from the market (Hedkayse no longer make the ONE and Hovding - the airbag alternative - went bust).
I bought one of these in 2015 and I still ride it. Bought specifically for Paris-Brest-Paris (which I had just failed) and I rode this bike (successfully) in the 2019 edition. Then I changed the tyres on it to 38mm and rode North London Dirt very happily on it a couple of months later. Super versatile. The only box it fails to tick these days is the aero one, but I can live with that. I keep thinking I need a new bike and I list what I really need - fast enough, mudguards, comfortable, disc brakes and think I should buy a Defy or Synapse, then I realise I already have that bike! 15mm front axle and QR rear is a total PITA - you can sleeve the front to 12mm bit even so. Luckily it is flat-mount so there is an upgrade path on the groupset - I have upgraded groupset once and I think only the seat post is original now, but a great find from Genesis' heyday. I had a flyer about this time too and loved that as well.
@eburtthebike Well there's (at least) a third thing - we're letting too many people drive who should never have been on the roads in the first place.
@chrisonabike Something to do with existing in a liminal world between cooperation and competition where every action has multiple meanings, even to the same person, perhaps?
I have given my thoughts on this in the forum thread "Derbyshire: action on close pass reports only in “exceptional circumstances”". My first attempt with links was submitted on 30/10/26 and is STILL AWAITING MODERATION so I resubmitted replacing the links with descriptions. It is copied below : Gloucestershire Constabulary is way ahead. They never took any action on close passes but in September 2024 they started sending out advisory letters to close passers. Note that in Gloucestershire an advisory letter merely asks the driver to refresh their knowledge of the highway code and is not a warning letter. search : close-pass-isnt-offence-says-police-officer on roadcc for the article I have had action taken for a close pass since. In one I am convinced that action was taken because an oncoming driver was inconvenienced. near-miss-day-of the day 946 In the other I suspect someone on the team slipped up and the driver was sent a NIP. I was told afterwards that the driver was going to go to court to challenge the decision but changed their mind when shown the footage. near-miss-day-931 The link also shows that a very similar close pass a year later was back to advisory letters and I have had many similar outcomes since. Some on here think advisory letters are a waste of time and I agree that for some drivers it will be as water off a ducks back, but I have noticed a distinct improvement in driving around me since the policy started. I think most drivers genuinely think they have done nothing wrong but a letter from the police is a real wake up call. In answer to your question then in Gloucestershire someone has to be inconvenienced for action to be taken. Inconveniencing an oncoming driver is one possibility but having to swerve or brake to avoid being hit is another. Obviously this rarely happens with a close pass, especially those at speed which are the most dangerous, you simply don’t have time to do anything. As far as I can make out being frightened out of your skin doesn’t count as inconvenience either. They now seem to have stopped sending even advisory letters for close passes as they are short staffed.
20 thoughts on ““I’m f****d,” says cyclist who wore these shorts in the sun and came home looking like the Tour de France’s polka dot jersey; “Hold on mate, the cycle lane isn’t finished! It’s got to be open before you park on it”; Tour build-up + more on the live blog”
What choice did the taxi have
What choice did the taxi have but to park on the cycle lane? The road has zig zags, so can’t park there, and somebody else has beaten them to the pavement!
Mot expired September 24. In
Mot expired September 24. In lancs ?
MOT expired September 24. In
MOT expired September 24. In Lancs ?
They would get a police commendation in Lancashire for an MOT expired only 9 months ago- or it could be a taxi authority which claims its own tests are more stringent than the ‘real’ MOT.
Or inexplicable ones like
Or inexplicable ones like this:
How has that Rover managed to
How has that Rover managed to be taxed but hasn’t had an MOT for 16 years ?
You can’t tax a vehicle without an MOT certificate?
That’s why it’s inexplicable.
That’s why it’s inexplicable. Could be a DVLA failure- they think it’s an exempt vehicle, for instance. My MP is awaiting a further letter from a transport minister concerning the hopelessness of DVLA over vehicles without VED for years which DO keep passing MOT
wtjs wrote:
Even if it is an exempt vehicle, e.g. used by a disabled person, they still have to renew VED each year just as with electric vehicles (up until earlier this year), it’s charged as £0 but it’s still a legal requirement to have it.
Wrong argument! If you read
Wrong argument! If you read the sequence you’ll see that the question is about vehicles without MOT for years which have remained taxed, and common instances are police vehicles and taxis – it’s MOT-exempt I’m referring to. My assumption is that DVSA issues some type of exemption flag for a vehicle, and this may not be properly gathered or maintained by the considerably less competent DVLA. Therefore, the MOT-checkpoint for ‘permission to tax’ may fail.
Rendel Harris wrote:
Even if it is an exempt vehicle, e.g. used by a disabled person, they still have to renew VED each year just as with electric vehicles (up until earlier this year), it’s charged as £0 but it’s still a legal requirement to have it.— wtjs
Historic vehicles, too: I get a reminder each year to log in and renew my VED of £0.00
Owners of historic vehicles are not obliged to MOT them, but are still legally required to make sure that they are roadworthy (so still have their vehicles serviced as often as and, let’s face it, sometimes more than, the owners of ‘modern vehicles).
The bike lane is not
The bike lane is not completed until the broken glass is scattered over it!
dabba wrote:
Edinburgh has you covered! The south end of the cycle path at Marine Drive had broken glass people lobbing their empties over the barriers before you could even get on it!
And the cycle slaloms on Leith walk were “finished” before they’d done things like remove lamp posts and holes where they’d already dug up the surface they’d “finished”.
That’s an interesting tan
That’s an interesting tan line!
Vote!
Vote!
The time and effort Gobik put
The time and effort Gobik put in to create the design of the new jersey must have cost them about 99 euros in labour costs
Don’t be daft, they didn’t
Don’t be daft, they didn’t spend that much.
The Silca photographer needs
The Silca photographer needs to learn to focus, that Merckx is much more interesting.
That Ineos-Grenadiers-Total
That Ineos-Grenadiers-Total Energies jersey is just embarrassingly poor.
Whoever ‘designed’ this
Whoever ‘designed’ this jersey showed they couldn’t careless. One don’t need to be an expert in brand management to know that this awful design will generate negative feedback. Any doubt? Ask Jaguar about their woke ad and the whopping sales 97% drop.
G must be delighted to wear this rag for his last TdF.
The only explanation I can
The only explanation I can think of is that they had hardly any time between realising they needed a new design and having to submit it to the Tour organisers for approval.
Both the new Factor and Trek
Both the new Factor and Trek paint jobs are lovely, I’d have a hard time picking between those. However just had a quick squint on the trek website and its a staggering extra £2200 just for that colourway !!!!!