“What on earth did I just watch?” Cyclist gets “roasted” for bizarrely grabbing fence before crash – as riders suggest “not taking hands off bars next time”; Ineos slammed for no women’s team; Tour de France Femmes weight debate + more on the live blog

In case you missed it last night, here’s my reaction to Pauline Ferrand-Prévot’s history-making Tour de France win – and why it means more than just a yellow jersey and a stirring rendition of La Marseillaise:

> Yellow’s coming home: Pauline Ferrand-Prévot ends 36 years of French hurt with historic Tour de France Femmes win – but what does it mean for women’s cycling?

Oh, Wout…

I guess this means he’s consigned to having terrible hair (I know, glass houses and all that) and a tired, glazed, slightly maniacal expression for the next ten years.

Good job he’s a professional cyclist, then.

 

 

 

 

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Harsh…

Unsurprisingly, the comments section was spicy for this classic spot of rage bait, with one Canyon fan summing up the general mood: “Is this in reverse?”

I’ll leave you to make your own mind up on that one.

Police have released little information about the “disagreement” that preceded the incident, but said the driver was left with grazes to his arm and marks to his throat:

> Driver followed home by cyclists and grabbed by the throat following argument, police investigating Cotswolds assault say 

Now that’s a sight for sore eyes if you’re a French L’Équipe-reading cycling fan:

 

 

 

 

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5,000 extra men were referred for urological cancer in the six months after Sir Chris Hoy publicly announced that he had been diagnosed with terminal stage four prostate cancer, new NHS figures have revealed.

Meanwhile, according to separate data from Prostate Cancer UK, the number of men with a family history of prostate cancer who have assessed their own risk has risen by 77 per cent since the six-time Olympic champion’s announcement last October.

And speaking to the Telegraph at the weekend, Hoy said it was a “privilege” to use his platform to raise awareness and focus his energy on doing something positive for the cancer community.

> Sir Chris Hoy says he is “doing well”, and “going way better” on the bike since chemotherapy, following “terminal” cancer diagnosis that took “away all hope”

“It allows you to see that there can be positives coming out of a really dark situation that you can’t imagine ever having anything remotely positive coming out of it,” the 49-year-old said during his interview with the newspaper.

“For me obviously, it doesn’t change my situation. But I can step back and see the bigger picture. And recognise that it takes people in the public eye to raise awareness. I have a platform, a lot of people don’t and feel helpless when they are in a similar situation.

“They have no means to really make change, other than just to focus on fundraising for a specific charity, or raise awareness amongst their friends or their local community. But to have the wider audience that I do have, it feels like a privilege, to really be able to focus your energies on something positive.”

> Sir Chris Hoy’s “brave” terminal cancer revelation prompts near sevenfold increase in prostate cancer advice searches, says NHS

Hoy, who was told by doctors that he has two to four years to live, was diagnosed at the same time his wife Sarra discovered she had a “very active and aggressive” form of multiple sclerosis. But the father-of-two says Sarra is currently fitter than ever, and is training for his Tour de 4 charity ride in October.

“She’s never been into cycling but she has started training to do this,” he said. “I’ve even got her on Zwift!

“I think in any illness, exercise is a benefit physically and mentally, but particularly for cancer and for MS, it’s important to keep moving and to keep using your body. Physically she’s in the best shape of her life. That’s the ironic thing.

“If it hadn’t been for my diagnosis, [her MS diagnosis] would have been a much bigger thing, but she’s not allowing herself to dwell on it too much. She’s just in full, kind of, push on, deal-with-the-here-and-now mode, and that’s how she’s dealing with it.”

When told that he is doing as much for prostate cancer as former rugby players Doddie Weir and Rob Burrow did for motor neurone disease, Hoy said: “I think Rob and Doddie were, you know, just absolute icons. The way they dealt with their diagnoses. They didn’t just crumble, did they?

“They stood up and they smiled and they used humour and they recognised that they could make a difference. I don’t really see myself in the same vein as those two, but if I could have any impact at all…”

The 11-time world champion continued: “You look back and you think about Doddie and Rob as these amazing rugby players.

“But actually, you think about the difference they made in the world for MND as the main thing that they achieved in their lives. Sport is important and it is life-changing, in a positive way. But this is a different thing entirely. If my legacy is that less men are dying from prostate cancer, that would be incredible.”

> Bizarre cheating scandal as cyclists disqualified for hiding behind parked cars to rejoin front of race

The fact this happened during a pro stage race makes me feel a bit better about the time I took a short cut across a country road to rejoin the back of the bunch during a local Cat 3 race…

What, Oprah’s on the phone looking a tell-all interview? I’ll be right over…

This beauty of a ‘dead-end cycle lane ending abruptly just before a central reservation’ comes courtesy of the extremely thoughtful, bike-focused Cheshire East Council:

Cheshire East abandons bicycle riders wherever they feel that the “needs” of drivers come first. Here they dump the cycle lane immediately before a pinch point. Clever.

[image or embed]

— Macc Sustainable Travel (@fhvjhvgvb.bsky.social) July 31, 2025 at 4:06 PM

Well, at least they’re trying to keep us on our toes.

Sarah Gigante has had one hell of a month.

The Australian climber, who spent the start of this year recovering from iliac artery surgery, was one of the stars of the Giro d’Italia, winning two mountain stages and finishing third overall.

She looked set to repeat the feat at the Tour de France, lurking dangerously close to the big favourites as the race entered the Alps, aided by her AG Insurance-Soudal teammate Kim Le Court’s spectacular spell in yellow.

On the Col de la Madeleine, she lived up to her billing as the best, most scintillating climber in the world, attacking early and exploding the race to bits. In the end, Gigante was beaten by the imperious Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, but that performance on the Madeleine was enough to move up to second overall with one day remaining.

ASO/Pauline Ballet

However, on the final day, a top three on GC well within her grasp, Gigante’s biggest weakness – descending – was brutally exploited by her rivals for the podium, Demi Vollering and Kasia Niewiadoma.

She lost touch with the favourites as they plummeted down the Joux Plane, widely regarded as one of the Tour’s most fearsome descents, and was forced into a long solo and ultimately fruitless chase, falling down the GC in the process and eventually finishing sixth overall.

“I got dropped quickly on the technical and long sections,” a disappointed Gigante admitted after the stage in Châtel. “I wasn’t feeling very strong anyway, so it turned into a super tough, lonely day.

“Right now, I feel pain in my legs. Although I aimed for a better place in the overall ranking, I must reflect on this positively. Of course, I’m disappointed to have missed the podium, which is what I came for, but I gave it my all. My team was amazing. I just didn’t have the legs to finish it off.”

Before the final stage, Gigante admitted that she had been on the receiving end of some online trolling for her perceived lack of descending ability – a completely ridiculous consequence of the toxic, tribal nature of social media, as well as a ludicrously stupid accusation to throw at a rider who’s established herself as one of the best stage racers on the planet, never mind being the most exciting climber in the bunch.

ASO/Pauline Ballet

“In January I couldn’t even ride my bike at all, I was just watching and I didn’t know if the surgery would work. And then I just slowly got more confident. In the Giro I realised I was actually pretty strong, but obviously I have so much work to do on the descents,” she said after the Madeleine.

“I get a lot of mean messages, even if I try not to look, people message me and comment on stuff. I mean, maybe I’m not the best at descending, but to come second here is pretty cool.”

And reflecting on her Tour yesterday, Gigante remains adamant that a Tour podium is within reach – regardless of what the social media haters say.

“We can be proud of our Tour. Next year, we’ll return. I think everyone has seen we are no small team anymore.

“And that podium? It will come.”

> “Blown right across road multiple times”: London–Edinburgh–London ultra cycling event suspended due to “really treacherous” Storm Floris conditions

Shimano’s US subsidiary has announced that the components giant has reached a preliminary settlement in the class action lawsuit stemming from the company’s high-profile recall of its Hollowtech II cranksets in 2023.

A month ago, we reported that Shimano had agreed to overhaul its crankset recall inspection process in the United States, provide retailers with enhanced training and tools, and extend the warranty for owners of the affected cranks by two years as part of the proposed class action settlement.

> Investigating Shimano’s snapping cranksets: What happened, unanswered questions and an engineer’s report

The suit, led by California cyclist Jarett Hawkins and filed in September 2023, just two weeks after the recall was announced, argued that Shimano, Trek, Specialized, and Giant knowingly sold bikes with Hollowtech II cranks that could suddenly break under load.

The plaintiffs claimed that Shimano had been aware of crank failures for at least 10 years and accused the company of providing “inadequate cranksets” that put riders “nationwide at risk of injury”.

None of the named plaintiffs had been injured, but the complaint described the recall process as deeply flawed and a “nightmare for riders and bike shops”.

> Shimano Hollowtech crank failures, one year on — how the component giant’s handling of this dangerous debacle is continuing to damage its reputation

And now, Shimano has released a statement confirming that the US District Court in California has issued a preliminary approval order based on the settlement agreement between the brand and the plaintiffs.

Because the finalisation of the settlement is currently subject to final approval by the court, Shimano is currently refraining from disclosing the specific terms agreed, though the company has said that it considers the terms “to be reasonable”.

The final decision on the settlement by the court is expected in early 2026.

Believe it or not, there’s still plenty of bike racing on this week (I know, I could have done with a break, too).

And over at the Tour of Poland, Visma-Lease a Bike’s Olav Kooij picked up where he left off at the Giro, winning a chaotic opening stage of the Tour of Poland into Legnica.

 

 

 

 

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In a fast, frantic, and occasionally frightening finale, marred by a crash with two kilometres to go, Kooij surfed the wheels expertly as his lead-out train fell apart, before powering clear with 200m to go to beat Paul Magnier and Jenson Plowright and secure his sixth victory of the season.

Of course, this being the Tour of Poland, the chaos wasn’t just confined to the sprint. Earlier in the day, a local dog tried to make his way across the road – right into the middle of the peloton.

 

 

 

 

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However, after noticing half the bunch barrelling towards him – and forcing a few riders to hit the brakes – the pooch retreated to the side of the road, before eventually making his way across once the peloton had passed.

That’s classic Tour of Poland content right there.

> Chris Froome distances himself from former carer under investigation for link to doping doctor

In a sport where riders weighed their chicken and went around pinching rivals’ waists at the start of the season, weight – and the unhealthy side effects of an obsession with weight – has often been a source of debate within professional cycling.

And it’s a topic that was consistently on the agenda at this year’s Tour de France Femmes, where former pro Marijn de Vries even admitted last week that riders during her era were encouraged to be “so thin” that they didn’t menstruate.

However, while De Vries noted that in the modern peloton the “opposite is true”, some concerns were raised on social media after Pauline Ferrand-Prévot openly admitted that she cut down her weight while training in altitude in preparation for her ultimately successful attempt to win the Tour de France Femmes.

That criticism was amplified by FDJ-Suez sports director Lars Boom, who pointed out to reporters what he regarded as the differences in body type, and their related climbing performances, between Ferrand-Prévot and his rider Demi Vollering, who finished second overall.

ASO/Thomas Maheux

Reflecting on this criticism in her post-race press conference, Ferrand-Prévot said: “I have quite a lot of complaints on Instagram about it, that I am not a good example for young people.

“But I also think parents should educate their kids and say to them, ‘Ok, Pauline is like this because she’s preparing for the Tour de France, and it’s not forever.’

“Everyone prepares the way they want. For Roubaix, I was much heavier because I knew that I needed to be heavier to have some power on the flat. And for this race, I knew that I had to climb one and a half hours, so I tried to make the most of it.”

She continued: “You need to adapt to the terrain you have, and I also know that this shape I have now, I will not keep it forever. It’s just for the Tour de France. It’s also my job to be the best as possible, and we know that it’s an endurance sport, so if you need to climb, you have to have a good w/kg. So, yes, I made the choice, and I work hard for it.

“I don’t want to stay like this because I know it’s not 100 per cent healthy, but we also had a good plan with the nutritionist in the team and everything is in control. I didn’t do extreme, and I still had power left after nine days of racing.

“It’s a tricky subject, because you have to find the limit. I also know that I can’t stay like this forever. It’s the choice I made.”

ASO/Thomas Maheux

Meanwhile, Vollering told reporters after the race that her “biggest priority is to be healthy”, and that, after falling sick at the Tour de Suisse, she chose to recover fully rather than trying to reach a weight target.

“I mean, for me, it’s not too difficult, because I don’t have problems, and in my eyes, health is always the most important,” the 2023 Tour winner said.

“I can show girls that you don’t have to be super, super skinny, and that you can just believe that if you have the power and that you train hard, that you can make it.

“I hope I can be back there. I mean, for me, it’s also kind of a nice challenge to keep going for big wins in the mountains with the body I have.

“So, I think for me, personally, it’s not difficult, but I know that a lot of riders in general struggle with this. But for me, it’s not the case, but I just really hope that young girls now don’t think that they need to be super skinny to ride in the mountains.”

ASO/Pauline Ballet

For Ferrand-Prévot, however, it’s clear the sacrifices required to win the Tour have taken their toll, with the yellow jersey admitting that she may not prepare in the same way again for cycling’s biggest race.

“Because my preparation was so hard for the Tour de France, now I don’t really see myself doing the same again,” she said.

“Maybe it’s just because I’m tired and want to have a small break. Over these past months, dedicating myself to this has been good, it’s paid off, but it’s also been really hard. That’s why I couldn’t do it multiple times in the year. It’s so much sacrifice.

“Anyways, I still have two years of contract, and I still love what I’m doing. It’s my life… I will try to win as many races as possible.”

It’s hard to believe, the morning after she crossed the line in Châtel in the yellow jersey, the first French winner of the Tour de France in almost four decades, that this time last year, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot was an Ineos Grenadiers rider.

Throughout the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Ferrand-Prévot – then still fully focused on mountain biking – was backed by the petrochemicals firm, raced in Ineos Grenadiers colours, and was supported by the British team’s coaching staff.

That relationship, the first time Ineos/Sky had a female rider in their ranks, culminated in her Olympic triumph on home soil in Paris last summer. But, as many pointed out on social media over the weekend, it could have been so much more.

Ineos Grenadiers

When Ferrand-Prévot was unveiled as an Ineos rider at the end of 2022, it was widely assumed that the French star’s signing would mark the first step towards the British team finally, after over a decade in the sport, creating a professional women’s team, following in the wheel tracks of so many of their WorldTour peers.

But that dream never materialised, the 15-time world champion instead jumping across to Visma-Lease a Bike following her Olympic success, with the stated aim of winning the Tour de France Femmes – and becoming the first French rider in 36 years to claim the maillot jaune.

Which she accomplished, just eight months into her return to the road, yesterday evening in Châtel.

ASO/Thomas Maheux

The Ineos Grenadiers, meanwhile, spent their July licking their wounds after yet another underwhelming GC attempt at the men’s Tour de France, and chastened by a summer of doping-related allegations. And still with no women’s team in sight.

And it’s fair to say that the cycling world hasn’t been too forgiving of Ineos, Sir Dave, and Sir Jim’s botching of their shot at cycling history.

“Remember when Pauline Ferrand-Prévot rode for Ineos and they still didn’t make a proper women’s team?” women’s cycling writer Mathew Mitchell said on BlueSky.

“Add it to the list of near misses in this era… They had so many opportunities to either be early adopters, to the point where Valcar were basically giving up a free WWT entry, same with TIBCO. And now it’s too late to just be able to waltz in and claim the glory!”

“Never write Sir Dave off in a waltzing-in-and-claiming-the-glory competition,” noted Jens Hagström.

ASO/Thomas Maheux

“Ineos staring at Pauline Ferrand-Prévot after refusing to invest into a women’s cycling team for the last decade,” added Benji Naesen.

Meanwhile, Jayco-AlUla press officer and former journalist Sadhbh O’Shea branded it the “biggest mistake not to set up a women’s team to keep her”, and Lukas Knöfler asked: “Seriously, why *did* she ride for Ineos (on the mountain bike)? What was the point of that?”

“Been thinking that more and more,” wrote the Lycra Economist. “Not to mention all the other riders who have jumped that ship the last two years. This is Ratcliffe. He’s making a mess of Manchester United, he’s making a mess of Sky/Ineos.”

Of course, as all fans of Manchester United’s women’s team will know, Sir Jim doesn’t seem to be the biggest fan of investing in the female sides of his sporting empire.

> Ineos Grenadiers head carer who left Tour de France amid doping investigation reportedly worked at Manchester United last year

“She was their token,” noted Trudgin. “When questioned about their lack of a women’s team, they pointed at PFP.”

Charlotte Goodall wrote: “Imagine having PFP under contract for years and just… letting her go and win the Tour for another team the following year. Galaxy brains at Ineos.”

However, not everyone was hypercritical of Ineos’ refusal to build a team around Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, with Will McAlpine pointing out that “she hadn’t ridden on the road for five years when she joined them”.

A.S.O./Jennifer Lindini

Though that didn’t seem to slow her down over the past nine days, to be fair. Or at Paris-Roubaix for that matter.

Others, meanwhile, were quick to ensure that the focus remains where it rightfully belongs.

“Or… Congratulations Pauline!” added Johnny. Good point…

If you assumed that over the years, you’d witnessed every type of crash imaginable in bike racing, well think again.

Because, at the Sherpa Performance Stage Race over the weekend, one classic crit pile-up resulted in maybe the most bizarre mid-crash decision you’ll see this year. Or ever, really.

During the second stage of the two-day, four-stage event in Colchester – a 60-minute criterium held on the city’s 1.6km purpose-built cycle track in Northern Gateway Sports Park – a touch of wheels brought down a number of riders. So far, so National B.

But footage of the crash, posted on Instagram by Sid Beach, who filmed the race from inside the bunch on his bike cameras, revealed that this wasn’t your average, run-of-the-mill spill.

Because, faced with the prospect of riders hitting the deck in front of him, Beach responded by – wait for it – taking his hands off the handlebars and grabbing the metal fence beside him. The cyclist, soon facing sideways on his bike and with no control over his bike, then hit another rider in front before clattering to the ground.

 

 

 

 

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Ouch.

After uploading the footage to Instagram, it’s fair to say Beach’s innovative crash-evasion technique has divided opinion.

“What on earth did I just watch?” asked a baffled Sam Welsford, the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe sprinter who is currently out of action following his own heavy crash at the Antwerp Port Epic in June.

“Needs to stop… ‘yeah I’ll just let go of my bike and the brakes’,” added Jack Hartley.

“Someone needs to confiscate your BC race licence,” wrote a rather harsh Seb, while another user suggested “try using your brakes next time”.

“Maybe if you held your hands on your handlebars you wouldn’t crash,” chipped in Jens, while Sander reckoned Sid “genuinely could have made it without crashing, just push your hips back and squeeze both brakes”.

Meanwhile, Noah came up with this top piece of guidance: “Bit of advice from my own crashes: try to use the brakes to stop rather than grabbing the rail.”

Good call.

However, not everyone joined in on the social media pile-on.

Offering a more balanced take on the crash, Ryan Forde wrote: “Could you have kept your hands on the bars? Yes. Would you have still crashed? Most likely, yes. Would we be laughing at/with you for your split-second decision making? No. 360 cameras literally warp reality, lighten up and enjoy the brain fart people.”

Meanwhile, the reaction to his clip seemingly forced Sid to defend his actions and share another clip of the crash (which, to be fair, prompted some commenters to note that the spill “looks more avoidable from this angle”).

 

 

 

 

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“Wasn’t as many people in front as I remember but you can see us getting pinched in from this angle,” Sid wrote.

“I could have hit the brakes but then my face would have been smacking the metal or I would be going over the fence. Thank you for all the experts in the comments.”

He continued: “I was trying not to fly over the railing, and I was crashing whatever happened. It’s only my sixth or seventh crit I’ve done, second crit that day, and we’d just come out of an intermediate sprint and I was firing at like 195bpm.

“I’m not saying I’m perfect, but everyone is being so binary about it, it’s a bit ridiculous. There was a bike sliding towards me at 30mph and I knew I was crashing no matter what. Also a dude had already flown over the same barrier earlier on.

“Also, it’s a crit – crashes are gonna happen.”

Especially if you grab the fence, I suppose.