“It’s our time, our moment”: Biniam Girmay makes Tour de France history with first black African stage win; Intermarché-Wanty pro wheelies uphill for over a minute on super steep climb; Are sprinting aero Batman beaks now a thing? + more on the live blog

The battle for the yellow jersey is already on. And it promises to be epic.

After the shadow boxing in the heat through the Apennines on stage one, the Tour GC fight exploded to life yesterday on the iconic San Luca climb in Bologna.

As Kevin Vauquelin pulled off another stunning breakaway win up ahead, Tadej Pogačar blew the race apart near the top of San Luca with a blistering turn of pace that only – notably – reigning Tour champion Jonas Vinegaard could follow.

That Pogi bomb would see the Slovenian move into the yellow jersey for the first time in two years – despite the Slovenian admitting that he sat up at the finish to force Remco Evenepoel (who had bridged across brilliantly on the flat run-in alongside Richard Carapaz) into the race lead – and provided confirmation for the two-time Tour winner that he’s on the right track after winning the Giro (and everything else) earlier this year.

(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

“I did a really good attack, and I was happy that I could explode the contenders a little bit,” Pogačar said at the finish. “Jonas was quite fast on my wheel and he was really strong. We went to the finish and then Evenepoel and Carapaz came in the last kilometre as well.

“It was a good stage. I did a good effort, and it feels good to be in yellow again. Last year I was so close and then I cracked. It’s good to be in yellow even if it’s without any margin. It’s confirmation that I’m strong.”

However, Pogačar’s all-out attack on San Luca also proved something else – that Jonas Vingegaard, on only his second race day back after that horrific crash in the Basque Country in April, is also strong.

“I think this went way better than I ever expected, so I’m really satisfied,” the Dane told NBC after the stage.

“That I was able to follow Tadej on the second climb of San Luca… I think this is probably one of the stages we feared the most, or we actually expected me to lose time.

“Honestly speaking I didn’t have a good preparation for this race. I only had one and a half months to prepare, probably, so I think I can be super happy with how everything is going so far.

“I knew already before my crash that the stage today maybe suited him better than it suited me, and especially after my crash, I was even more behind. At least I can say now that if I’m not back at least I’m super, super close.”

(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

Retired pro Dan Martin was also impressed with Vingegaard’s form so early in the race.

“Super impressive how quickly Vingegaard reacted to Pogačar’s attack yesterday as for me it was a surprise where he went,” Martin wrote this morning on X. “Zero hesitation. To have that level of awareness shows how good his condition is.”

The Tour is warming up nicely…

Mark Cavendish may have admitted on Saturday that he doesn’t have the “body type” for slogging through the mountains in 33-degree heat – but the Manx Missile certainly is built for a pan-flat finish like the one found at the end of today’s third stage in Turin, when the sprinters will finally be thrown a bone after a brutally tough opening weekend:

It’s an early start today, thanks to the 231km the peloton has to cover through Lombardy and Piedmont before Jasper Philipsen, Arnaud De Lie, Mads Pedersen, and maybe, just maybe a record-chasing Cav get their chance to sprint it out for the first time at this year’s Tour.

And judging by the, let’s say, relaxed start to the stage, we could in for a very, very long day before the bunch gallop. So, plenty of chances to get some work done before then…

More cycle storage opposition madness, this time courtesy of Portsmouth and one resident who appears keen to blame bad driving on anyone but the bad drivers:

> “Ridiculous” bike hangar “will cause more accidents” on street where “there have been more than five car crashes”, resident claims — but council defends “popular” bicycle storage

After a relentlessly tough opening two stages, the start of today’s long, flat ride to Turin is, shall we say, somewhat more relaxed, as the peloton has apparently decided to pay homage to the Tour’s Italian Grand Départ by reenacting a typically tranquil stage from a 1980s edition of the Giro d’Italia…

Even the two riders who forlornly tried to form the breakaway early on, Uno-X’s Johannes Kulset and his teammate and green jersey holder Jonas Abrahamsen (yes, that man again), decided to pack it in – and chose to just wait for the peloton to arrive like local club cyclists taking in the Tour during a morning ride:

Yep, that pretty much sums up the stage so far.

We’ll move away from the Tour for a minute or two (don’t worry, nothing is happening anyway), and up to always sunny Inverness, where a public e-bike scheme has been suspended thanks to “relentless vandalism” which left just six of the service’s 56 bikes available to use.

In the past few days across Inverness and Fort William, where the Hi-Bike scheme set up three years ago also operates, eight of the e-bikes have been stolen and around 20 damaged, totalling £50,000 in costs.

The bikes have been found crashed and broken, the BBC reports, as well as thrown into rivers and the Caledonian Canal, while the British Transport Police said it was investigating damage to bikes at a hub at Inverness Railway Station. Damage has also been caused by people trying to wrestle the bikes out of charging stations.

Established in 2021 by regional public transport body Hitrans, the Hi-Bike scheme has seen 40,000 rides since its launch, with plans to expand it to other locations.

However, Hitrans has said there has been a “huge surge” in vandalism since the Easter school holidays, leading to the scheme’s suspension.

The transport body added there had also been incidents involving young people sitting in the front baskets of bikes as their friends rode against the flow of traffic in Inverness city centre.

“It is disappointing that a small minority of people are misusing the system,” Hitrans’ partnership director Ranald Robertson said.

“Those who choose to ride the bikes with others sitting in the basket will have their membership suspended should this be reported, while any and all incidents of vandalism are being reported to Police Scotland and the British Transport Police.”

An elderly driver whose eyesight was not good enough to be on the road has been banned from driving for five years, ordered to pay £2,000, and handed a suspended five-month prison sentence having pleaded guilty to causing the death by careless driving of a cyclist.

Glyn Straw was cycling home from a Sitwell Cycling Club ride on 4 September 2022 when he was hit and killed by James Wardle, 83, who when officers arrived failed a roadside eyesight test and was unable to read a number plate at a distance of 20 metres.

Read more: > Driver who failed roadside eyesight test given suspended sentence for killing cyclist returning home from cycling club ride

After England and Newcastle forward Anthony Gordon joined that illustrious club of Newcastle and England forwards who have unceremoniously crashed while riding a bike (looking at you, Michael Owen), the winger has now vowed to perform a cycling-themed celebration if he manages to nab a goal at the European Championships – which considering manager Gareth Southgate’s overly cautious approach both to substitutes and attacking, seems an overly optimistic pledge, if we’re honest.

Speaking to the media after his fall, which took place during the England team’s traditional post-match recovery ride last week and which left the 23-year-old with grazes on his chin and hands, Gordon said: “I could have [been hurt] with the speed I was going down a hill. I could have ended up anywhere. It was on the golf course and I’ve managed to land on the only bit of gravel there was.

“I think the moral of the story is that we spend too much time on our phones these days. The moral of the story is to just enjoy the moment without a phone.”

Anthony Gordon was presented with a helmet and stabilisers after his bike accident yesterday 😅 pic.twitter.com/u7JJU1oG1w

— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) June 28, 2024

Asked if he would mark the bike crash with an appropriate, Gazza-style celebration, Gordon – who was presented with stabilisers and a helmet by England’s coaching staff the day after the incident, much to the amusement of fellow under-used sub Cole Palmer – added: “I’ll put stabilisers next to the pitch maybe and you lot [the media] will get credit for the celebration. I will do it. You’ve got my word.”

Just need to have a word with Gareth then, Anthony, judging by your persistent place on the bench, even during the most dire stages of that lucky last-16 victory over Slovakia last night.

First he subjects us to the most boring brand of football imaginable, then he potentially robs us of a cycling-inspired celebration because he’s afraid of subbing on a player who might actually have a go? You have a lot to answer for, Mr Southgate…

I see everyone on social media has reacted warmly to pro cycling’s latest madcap attempt to eke out the tiniest, most indiscernible aero advantage imaginable (that will be rendered completely void when the rider wearing it gets boxed in during the sprint anyway)…

No, believe it or not, Dylan Groenewegen’s Batman/beak/speed sniffer contraption – which Emily has tactually described in her story on the new tech as a “curious add-on” to Scicon’s Aeroscope glasses – has been received with more than a hint of derision from cycling’s more traditionalist corners.

> “This is getting ridiculous”: Bizarre aero ‘beak’ spotted attached to Dylan Groenewegen’s sunglasses at the Tour de France

“If this is anything other than a guard to protect his nose from skin cancer then it can get in the sea,” cycling writer Simon Warren said on X.

“Maybe he’s just had a rhinoplasty?” another Twitter user offered up by way of rather hopeful explanation.

“Nope, it’s Aero. It’s an AERO ADVANTAGE,” shouted back Simon.

Shades of Mickey Rourkr in Angel Heart pic.twitter.com/gpMJ8tvH2m

— Sean Perry 🇪🇺🇬🇧🇮🇪 (@niceguysean) July 1, 2024

“That’s 1.7 watts saved right there,” added Gregory.

Meanwhile, A D Lawson asked: “Snow plough for Galibier tomorrow?”

Now that’s the best theory I’ve heard yet…

(Though I’m not sure we’ll be laughing if Groenewegen blitzes past everyone, nose piece and all, for the win this afternoon in Turin.)

Just when you thought, after Visma-Lease a Bike unveiled Giro’s new alien-inspired TT helmet earlier this year, that cycling aero tech couldn’t get any more bizarre, Dutch champion Dylan Groenewegen was spotted riding today’s stage to Turin… wearing what can only be described as an ‘aero beak’:

WHY DOES DYLAN GROENEWEGEN HAVE A BEAK?!! 😭 #TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/cMyh0WgRmS

— Katy M, Le Tour Edition (@writebikerepeat) July 1, 2024

What is going on?

Our tech team is currently working hard to figure out what Groenewegen’s Batman-influenced (or, as his own Jayco-AlUla team said on social media, duck-inspired) look is all about – is it about breathing? Is it for helping him cut through the air at 80kph? Is it for solving crime? Or scavenging bread from a park pond? Who knows.

😎 I am Batman!#TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/BpUnwVo0Sa

— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 1, 2024

In any case, I dread to think if Groenewegen wins the sprint wearing that what the rest of the peloton will look like tomorrow…

An aero beak 😎 pic.twitter.com/HmNtbXdn6W

— GreenEDGE Cycling (@GreenEDGEteam) July 1, 2024

Yes, cycling is a normal sport, repeat, cycling is a normal sport.

#TDF2024

200km to go… pic.twitter.com/3p7nuhCgGs

— GreenEDGE Cycling (@GreenEDGEteam) July 1, 2024

Tim ‘the Tractor’ Declercq is setting a nice, casual pace on the front, Geraint Thomas is comparing hotels, Bryan Coquard and Arnaud De Lie were bantering about this evening’s European Championships fixture between France and Belgium (which, at this rate, they’ll need to hurry up if they’re to catch the kick-off), and since the Uno-X duo gave up, nobody has bothered attacking.

Yep, it’s one of those long, dull, but necessary (and hopefully culturally enriching, if nothing else) days at the Tour de France.

Everything is calm and quiet at the moment at the #TDF2024 and we lack any action on the road, but it could be worse. We could be watching one of England’s #EURO2024 games.

— Soudal Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@soudalquickstep) July 1, 2024

And at least the team social media admins are having fun.

Still 100km to go…

Today’s seemingly never-ending third stage to Turin marks the first chance for the sprinters to taste success at this year’s Tour de France – which, by extension, means it’s Mark Cavendish’s first opportunity to finally secure that record-breaking 35th stage win.

Of course, it’s hard to predict how involved the Manx rider will be in today’s bunch gallop, following the sufferfest that was the Tour’s opening weekend, and the clear toil the climbs and heat had on Cavendish, especially during that grim slog through the Apennines on Saturday.

(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

But this is Mark Cavendish – sorry, Sir Mark Cavendish – we’re talking about, and you can never rule him out, especially with his Astana team currently appearing committed to delivering the former world champion in the right place this afternoon.

Which is why you’ll forgive us if we’re a bit excited that today in Turin could prove the crowning glory of one of the great, if not the greatest, sprinting career cycling has ever seen.

So, while we count down to the inevitable sprint showdown (and possible Tour history), why not have a browse through all of Cav’s Tour stage-winning bikes down the years – a list that currently has a Wilier-shaped hole in it…

> Mark Cavendish’s Tour de France stage-winning bikes — from Scott to Specialized, every bike the Manx Missile won his 34 Tour stages on

And no, I can’t promise I won’t behave like this every sprint stage until he wins, alright? You’ll just have to put up with it…

And while we’re at it, let’s take a trip down memory (sprinter’s) lane:

> Mark Cavendish’s top 10 greatest Tour de France stage wins

Alright, that’s enough of the 35 hype until the finish, I swear…

Quick, cut short your afternoon nap or close that spreadsheet – someone’s attacked at the Tour de France!

Yep, with just over 60km to go, TotalEnergies’ Fabien Grellier decided to abruptly end the ennui that had engulfed today’s long, long stage through northern Italy by actually shooting up the road on his own.

🚀 He’s flying. 🇫🇷 @fabien_grellier has gained a 40” lead on the peloton. How long will he last?

🇫🇷 @fabien_grellier a creusé un petit écart ! Il a pris 40” sur le peloton et ne relâche pas son effort.#TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/6MbCxk0yo4

— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 1, 2024

Yes, he’s completely doomed, and yes, the move is probably just a belated attempt by TotalEnergies to drum up some much-needed publicity for their underperforming team, but still – there’s been an attack!

Thank you Fabian Grellier #TDF2024

— Michael Rasmussen (@MRasmussen1974) July 1, 2024

You can keep your aero nose beaks – all the marginal gains you’ll ever need can be found in a roll of tape, at least judging by Cavendish’s track-style strapped-up shoes and dials this afternoon…

Cav, who had an interesting double wheel change with 90km to go (and a subsequent tetchy exchange with the TV motorbikes), has also been spotted with an aero bottle, so – despite the rigours of the opening weekend – appears to be all in for No. 35 in Turin.

Though maybe he’ll regret not opting for the Batman beak, too…

> General Election 2024 — What do the main parties promise for cycling and active travel?

So, who did you pick for your ride of the day at the Tour de France yesterday in Bologna? (And if anyone mentions Jude Bellingham’s ‘bicycle’ kick, that’s an automatic 200 Swiss Francs fine and 20 second time penalty).

(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

Maybe you went for the obvious choice and picked stage winner Kevin Vauquelin, whose poise, strength, and timing on the final ascent of the iconic, bustling, and brutally steep San Luca climb dispatched his fellow escapees, to secure the 24-year-old the biggest victory of his career and his Arkéa-B&B Hotels’ first ever Tour de France triumph, while also keeping the breakaway and France’s winning streak alive at a race that has so far, thrillingly, favoured daring, attacking riding.

Or perhaps you thought Tadej Pogačar’s explosive attack at the top of the San Luca, which devastated the group, putting time into some of the best climbers in the world, such as a surprisingly faltering Primož Roglič, laying down an ominous marker just two days into the Tour?

(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

Or was Jonas Vingegaard’s ability to immediately counter Pogačar’s move, and stick with the flying Slovenian to the finish, the demonstration that made you sit up and take note, proving that the reigning Tour champion has what it takes to win his third straight title, on what was only his second day of racing since his horror crash in April?

Or maybe you enjoyed Jonas Abrahamsen’s relentless determination to swoop up every jersey going at the Tour? Or Remco Evenepoel’s late ‘where’d he come from?’ move to bridge across to Pogačar and Vingegaard, reminding everyone that he’s here to win, too?

Well, you’d all be wrong.

Because the ride of the day yesterday actually went to Intermarché-Wanty’s Laurenz Rex who, despite finishing 129th on the stage, won the hearts of every fan packed in and lining San Luca’s iconic 600-plus archways…

By pulling off a wheelie on the climb’s 11 per cent average gradient for a whopping one minute and 13 seconds.

Impressive wheelie by Laurenz Rex lasted over 1 minute 😆 #TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/uwm62Xz1Nt

— Intermarché-Wanty (@IntermarcheW) June 30, 2024

Proper tekkers.

“The people here in Italy are quite crazy. When I saw all the people the first time on the climb, I thought that was a good point to maybe do a wheelie, like last year at the Giro,” Rex, who survived a classic early celebration scare to win Le Samyn earlier this year, told Road Code about his showboating San Luca skills last night.

“But first I had doubts, thinking I’m at the Tour de France, I should be serious here. But in the end, I said the people come to see us, they come to see the spectacle around the race.

“And if Pogačar and all the guys are riding fast, then maybe I can ride slow and do a wheelie for them to enjoy! And all the people were really going crazy about the wheelie, and that’s why they come in the end. I like it and it’s really funny to do it for them, so they enjoy the race even more.”

The fans were suitably impressed – though I’m not sure Dylan Groenewegen, who rode the climb stony-faced beside the young Belgian, thought the same… (Though I don’t blame him, he’s spent the whole of his career watching Peter Sagan do the same thing in the gruppetto.)

Now, this is what the Tour de France is all about:

Bini! Bini! Bini!

“You make history”

🇪🇷@GrmayeBiniam#TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/CZpy1qdHYw

— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 1, 2024

💛💛💛Ecuador hacer Historia💛💛💛!
🇪🇨Richard Carapaz (EF Education) se viste de amarillo como nuevo líder en la clasificación general del 🇨🇵Tour de Francia 2024. 🇫🇷 #TDF2024 #Noticiclismo #Ciclismo pic.twitter.com/rmhW1h4OGT

— NotiCiclismo 🇫🇷 #TDF2024 (@Noticiclismo1) July 1, 2024

While the spotlight tonight will be rightly lingering on Biniam Girmay and his latest groundbreaking, generation-inspiring achievement on a bike, we’ll quickly divert our attention to that little old thing called the GC battle.

And after Tadej Pogačar tried fruitlessly to avoid donning yellow on yesterday’s stage, the Slovenian was finally able to relinquish that race-controlling burden, as he eased to the finish in the wake of the mass crash with 2km to go – while up ahead, EF’s Richard Carapaz was ducking and diving his way to 14th overall.

And with Carapaz locked on the same time with Pogačar, Evenepoel (who rode in just behind Pogačar, equally afraid of accidentally slipping into yellow), and Vingegaard, it was that high placing in the sprint which saw the Ecuadorian manage to grab the race lead.

Which seemed to please his EF boss Jonathan Vaughters:

Fhhio gf ffsedghiiu view we yo ping do hi uh fduu guy iiio!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

— Jonathan Vaughters (@Vaughters) July 1, 2024

And as if today wasn’t already an important enough moment in the Tour’s history, former Giro winner Carapaz’s smart ride into yellow – which he will add to a collection that already includes the Giro and Vuelta’s leader’s garments – means he is the first Ecuadorian ever to lead the Tour de France.

Remember 1 July 2024 in Turin – the day Eritrea and Ecuador sat on top of the cycling world.

Since turning pro under three years ago, Biniam Girmay has been busy making history.

The Eritrean star, a former winner at Gent-Wevelgem and Giro d’Italia, added the most important line yet to his revolutionary list of achievements, as he became the first black African to win a stage of the Tour de France in its 121-year history, at the end of a chaotic sprint in Turin.

HISTORY MAKER BINIAM GIRMAY WINS TOUR DE FRANCE STAGE 3!!!!! 🥇 #TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/n5myfnETU9

— Intermarché-Wanty (@IntermarcheW) July 1, 2024

Following the most relaxed 220km or so the peloton will experience throughout the next three weeks, a predictably messy run-in ensued on the Tour’s last full day in Italy, as pre-stage favourite Jasper Philipsen was hampered first by lead-out man (and world champion) Mathieu van der Poel suffering a mechanical with 6km to go, before a mass high-speed crash brought Philipsen himself down, along with a host of others, just before the 2km mark.

Another rider hampered by the crash, but who didn’t hit the deck, was Mark Cavendish, who failed to tag on to the small group that contested the finish after the bunch was split by the spill.

Of the riders who made it to the end, Girmay’s Intermarché-Wanty team took control heading into the final kilometre, before Mads Pedersen launched with 200m to go after a late, powerful surge by his Lidl-Trek teammate Jasper Stuyven.

However, much like during Saturday’s sprint into Rimini, Pedersen faded fast once he hit the wind, and it was Girmay – a rider often more suited to a harder sprint and who had originally been detailed to lead out teammate Gerben Thijssen – who possessed the skill, nerve, and power to burst through tight on the barriers to easily hold off a surprisingly resurgent Fernando Gaviria and Arnaud De Lie for his first Tour de France stage win.

BINIAM GIRMAY 🇪🇷

History maker, again! #TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/D9XGhXrSeu

— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 1, 2024

And it’s a win – like everything Girmay has done on a bike since turning pro – that holds a deeper resonance than just another victory at the world’s biggest bike race, a history-making, breakthrough moment for Eritrea and Africa, as well as for the rider himself.

It’s a moment that both firmly establishes Girmay as cycling’s leading 21st-century pioneer, the figurehead of all that will surely come after him, while also transcending his sport, and even a race as big and important as the Tour, entirely.

“First of all, I thank God for everything, for giving me all the strength and support,” an emotional Girmay said at the finish.

“Since I started cycling I always dreamed of being in the Tour de France, but now I can’t believe it. To win at the Tour, in a big bunch sprint, against the fastest riders in the world, it’s unbelievable. I want to thank my wife, my family, and every Eritrean and African. We can be proud – we’re now a real part of the big races and getting a lot of victories.

“It’s our moment, it’s our time.”

It certainly is Girmay’s time – and boy, did he make it count today.

And going from crowd-pleasing wheelies to making history on the biggest stage of them all – it’s not been a bad few days for Intermarché-Wanty, has it?