“Diolch!” Live free-to-air 2026 Tour de France coverage confirmed on S4C and iPlayer; “Left-hooking” driver spared police action after driver doesn’t report incident; Men’s Tour of Britain route + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Live free-to-air Tour de France coverage announced!
Blimey, they left it late but Welsh-language broadcaster S4C have announced they will broadcast the opening three stages and the final four stages of this year’s Tour de France live on their linear channel, their own YouTube channel, and on BBC iPlayer!
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The news comes after the broadcaster negotiated to sub-licence the coverage from TNT Sports which has exclusive rights.
In addition, if for whatever reason Channel 5’s highlights offering doesn’t appeal to you, there will be hour-long nightly highlights throughout the race as well.
Among the presenters are Manon Lloyd, who is expected to front TNT’s coverage of the Tour de France Femmes later in the summer, and Peredur ap Gwynedd, guitarist of the rock band Pendulum.
And, we even have a quote from ‘Perry’:
“I am very happy that S4C is broadcasting the Tour de France once again, for the 13th year in a row. It’s pretty bonkers that we’ve broadcast the race since 2014. And of course, with a stage of the Tour taking place in Wales next year, the word ‘exciting’ doesn’t even come close to how I feel about the future!”
Maybe the ITV Cycling withdrawal symptoms won’t be too bad after all…
Mudslide on stage 20 mountain!
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The Col de Sarenne is due to be tackled on stage 20 as part of a climactic weekend featuring a double ascent of Alpe d’Huez. Ominously, it seems like it’s not the first time the mountain has experienced these mudslides, with Domestique reporting there was a similar incident just last week…
One gets the impression Tom Pidcock might not be the biggest fan of active travel...
There’s been quite a lot of talk about air bags in recent months. In April, we did a deep dive on Van Rysel’s latest design that they hoped would be adopted in the peloton in the coming years, although it’ll take quite a bit of UCI regulation to corral a peloton into carrying extra weight and making themselves less aerodynamic.
But that shouldn’t stop similar safety designs being used for urban and recreational cycling. How about this prototype exhibited recently at the Eurobike trade fair…
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Better late than never...
Hmm…
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Le Col enters administration
For many years, EF had the reputation of being the last team to announce their Grand Tour line-up, this year they might have even been among the first.
Instead, the (dis)honour has fallen to Pinarello-Q36.5, who are fronted by a certain Yorkshireman and backed up by a newly crowned two-time British champion.
Also among the line-up are two Aussie climbers, three Belgian breakaway hunters and a Spaniard who I sadly don’t know enough about. Apologies to Xabier Azparren. The team will also be lining up in a whiter kit that should help them stand-out compared to the strange grey worn so far this season.
Anyway, that concludes the rider announcements for the 2026 men’s Tour de France. 176 individuals hoping to make an impression in some way or another. The time for prepping your fantasy team begins now!
Can witnesses not report crimes?
If you’re wondering to yourself why this page has gone a bit quiet for a couple of hours, this is why…
> Le Col enters administration months after takeover by tennis giant Head
Naturally, a big story happens when one of us is flying in the sky…
Cycle Sundays are back!
That’s the question we’re left grappling with, after twitter account “Cycleway, my arse!” shared a video of a driver overtaking a line of cyclists on Cycleway 1 in London before abruptly turning left and forcing cyclists to stop in the middle of the junction.
I reported this left-hooking driver on #Cycleway1 back in September 2025. The Met Police responded saying: “Unfortunately, we can’t pursue the matter any further as there have been no reports made by the driver or the cyclist involved in this incident.” Does this sound right? pic.twitter.com/5LUcBUgW7P
— Cycleway, my arse! @issaddlethereis.bsky.social (@IsSaddleThereIs) June 29, 2026
“I reported this left-hooking driver on #Cycleway1 back in September 2025. The Met Police responded saying: “Unfortunately, we can’t pursue the matter any further as there have been no reports made by the driver or the cyclist involved in this incident.” Does this sound right?”
This seems like a slightly strange response. Do they mean that they just need a second pair of eyes to corroborate what the video is showing, or are they literally needing either the driver who drove carelessly into the cyclists or the cyclist who had to stop abruptly in the middle of the junction to file a report?
Maybe a police officer has decided this isn’t worth their time and are looking for any old for not taking action? Either way, other social media users seem (broadly) in agreement.
“So the whole “see it say it sorted” campaign is a farce… if you see a crime, you can’t complain because you are neither the victim nor the perpetrator !! its quite backwards in my opinion”
“I saw someone being stabbed but neither the victim or the guy with the knife have made a report, so there’s nothing we can do”
“The police: any excuse to worm out of actually doing anything. Especially if it involves taking any action against a motorist, just in case it makes them unpopular in the gutter press.”
A couple of users have the gumption to suggest the driver is in the right, having driven slowly and indicated when turning into the junction, despite the Highway Code giving priority to cyclists at junctions.
“If l were a cyclist l would put my own wellbeing & common sense over undertaking a left indicating turner.” wrote one user, to which another had the perfect rebuttal…
“Undertaking? It’s the car who was overtaking, the cyclist is going the same consistent speed the whole time. The car never even makes it in front of the cyclist enough for the cyclist to even see the rear indicators.”
Near miss!
Transport for London have announced the return of Cycle Sundays, enabling people to cycle across the capital free of charge in July. On a Sunday of course.
Promo codes will be available on Santander Cycle’s website enabling riders to redeem a free day pass that would otherwise cost £3.50. TfL have also collaborated with various organisations, including British Cycling, the London Cycling Campaign and the WalkWheelCycle Trust to design 50 ‘beginner-friendly’ routes which will be available on the app. Lovely stuff…
Men's Tour of Britain route revealed!
Dutch door-opening needs to be taught quickly…
Drivers: Don’t cycle in the middle of the lane (road).
Also drivers:…
#DNRPoliceScotland
— David Brennan (@magnatom.bsky.social) 1 July 2026 at 09:52
Netcompany-Ineos announce Tour team - Tarling and Bernal make the cut
Time to start planning the biggest bike race of the year… in Britain. On the road.
Last week we got confirmation of the start and finish towns on the men’s Tour of Britain, and now we know where they’re going in between.
Stage One is properly punchy, heading into the Lincolnshire Wolds as they exit the city, through Market Rasen, Caistor Waddingham and Ingham before heading back towards Lincoln.
The riders will then tackle the prestigious 11.3% average gradient climb of Michaelgate five times on a final circuit in the city centre after nearly 120km of racing, taking in the renowned Lincoln Grand Prix circuit. (View on Strava)
Stage Two should be a bunch sprint by the seaside in Skegness. From Boston, the route will pass through Coningsby, Woodhall Spa, Horncastle, Wragby, Louth, and the coastal towns of Mablethorpe and Sutton-on-Sea. (Strava)
Stage Three is a rather long 200km stage departing from Hull on Friday 4 September, and heads through Withernsea, Hornsea, and Skipsea. Can you tell we’re on the coast?
A series of climbs face the riders around Driffield before heading downhill into Wetwang (great name) as the race gears up for an exciting climax. Four laps of a 16km circuit in Beverley mean it should be an uphill finish – maybe even a drag – to the line. It’s probably the best day to see the riders multiple times. (Strava)
A mini Tour de Yorkshire on a late summer Saturday? Go on then. Stage Four should decide the race overall with 2500m of climbing starting in the North York Moors and heading over to the Dales. Easingwold, Boroughbridge, and Ripon are the towns en route, Pateley Bridge, Wharfedale, Kidstones, Greets Moss and Grinton Moor are the climbs before a finish in Leyburn. (Strava)
The final stage should be a bunch sprint with laps around Earlston in the Scottish borders. Before then, the peloton will skirt Kelso before heading north to take in Duns and the excellently named Longformacus. If that doesn’t excite you I don’t know what will… (Strava)
Tech! Specialized SL9; Zipp wheels; Look!
The British team have become the penultimate team to announce their Tour de France line-up (all eyes on you Pinarello), and if they don’t win the opening Team Time Trial, a lot of questions will be asked…
Two-time TT world champion Filippo Ganna, 2022 TT world champion Tobias Foss, and former European champion Josh Tarling (who has recovered from a broken collarbone at the Dauphine last month) all make the cut. Thymen Arensman is also one of the fastest time trialists among GC riders, having beaten Jonas Vingegaard at the Giro d’Italia in May, whilst Kevin Vauquelin’s impressive results last year while riding for the not so aero-R&D focused Arkea-B&B team (now defunct) attracted a lot of attention.
Kwiatkowski is an Sky/Ineos mainstay and surely falls into the category of rider Geraint Thomas would now describe as ‘solid’. A Dorian Godon stage win on any of the several ‘punchy’ stages would lift the pressure off the whole team. He remains one of the few riders to have beaten Tadej Pogacar over the finish line this year – when Pogacar was aiming to finish first that is.
Finally Egan Bernal! With Oscar Onley injured and Carlos Rodriguez out of form, what are the team’s expectations for the 2019 champion? 10th in the Giro earlier this year, Bernal finished 12’54” behind Vingegaard and 5 minutes behind teammate Arensman. A bit of combativity or a mountains jersey mission surely wouldn’t go amiss. How good would it be to see him on a podium in this race?
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@chrisonabike True, things went back to normal once the pandemic was over. In this case, however the problems are still ongoing, and aren't likely to be resolved in the near future. If anything, they're going to get worse. Food shortages are predicted because of the effect that the heatwave has had on crops. This is bound to push prices up. The Straits of Hormuz aren't likely to reopen anytime soon and the strategic oil reserves are running low. Russia is having to import petrol because its own refineries have been badly hit, so that's even more competition for an even more scarce resource. I think that more and more people are going to see cycling as a way of cutting household bills.
I think if "grown up" cyclists * are quibbling about ASLs we've very much missed the road safety point anyway. (Not to mention the wider "better transport choices" picture). ASLs are poor-to-useless "cycling infra", even for their design intent. If the idea is "for less confident cyclists" then a design that requires that you re-position in front of the motor traffic - waiting to accelerate - seems unhelpful. Of course they're only designed to help when traffic is stopped, and you can reach the front in time and if vehicles aren't already occupying them. As we're noting here drivers frequently ignore them - whether that be deliberate, a lack of road craft, because they were concentrating on following the vehicle in front, or because the paint has rubbed off. * Aside: shouldn't cycling also be safe and accessible for kids? Or should they only be allowed to do this when accompanied by sufficient qualified adults? Or be limited to parks and otherwise being driven around by their carers? Perhaps there is another way...?
Hi Bungle, I saw you follow-up comment. I can't imaging there's a tolerance of 4 seconds on camera enforced lights, seems an odd decision - an offence is committed if a vehicle starts crossing on a red, any tolerance is discretionary. There does seem to be some odd thinking about 'advanced stop lines' where the rules relating to them are identical to a regular stop line, as explained correctly elsewhere in the Highway Code. It does seem a regular offence. Where I live it doesn't help that some of them are very faint and disappear in rain.
@ktache Not sure he's totally ruled out of the worlds yet (though I think it would be best if he doesn't), normal recovery time is about eight weeks but surgery can halve that...depending on the nature of the break he could be just about fit to ride by the time of the elite men's race, but he'll have missed a lot of training. Hopefully his managers and team will persuade him to wait until Lombardia, if not just to knock it off for the rest of the year.
@Bungle_52 The Met told me a couple of years ago when rejecting a submission that they needed a clear three seconds of red visible before they would consider it for an RLJ prosecution. I pointed out to them that this meant that at 30 mph a driver could see a light change to red from 40 metres away and still get through without sanction, or 55 m if they accelerated to 40 as most do. They just replied "them's our rules..."
@Ben Graham I have just checked the footage from my report. The driver crosses the 1st stop line 4 seconds after the light turns red. All on camera from behind the vehicle. No further action. So I assume the margin is at least 4 seconds.
Oh, and active travel funding per head (in England at least) is laughable compared to other places. Plus it is delivered intermittently. It's more like a Blue Peter contest...
Yup, I see those opportunities being missed all the time in Edinburgh. When it gets really bad, dig it all up and put it back down again how it was. Contrast with what seems to happen in NL - when things are dug up the whole thing seems to get a "let's redo this according to the current standards" treatment. They even coordinate with the utilities, so that after a refurb the street isn't immediately dug up again because of leaking pipes / we suddenly realised the new estate being planned for round the corner will want broadband etc. Pros and cons of course - you may wait longer there for changes as smaller changes may be deferred until a major redo is due. (Though in the UK case you likely wouldn't get them at all...) It seems we "can't have nice things" in the UK in part because a) we have greater motor traffic speeds/volumes spead across "streets" / within urban areas b) the funding and organisational responsibility differs. Are we in the "Sam Vimes boots" territory (being too poor to afford better products which not only save money over time but actually work)? There is long term money pressure on LAs and it seems that due to poor construction and maintenance we have to regularly pour money into (pot-)holes in the road. And it seems there's no budget to check up on or enforce adequate standards from utilities work or even private building.
Shame about the world champs defence. Speedy recovery. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/aug/30/tadej-pogacar-vuelta-a-espana-cycling-crash-hospital-stage-nine
I believe the accepted form for this kind of argument is "I know you are, you said you were, but what am I?".
24 thoughts on ““Diolch!” Live free-to-air 2026 Tour de France coverage confirmed on S4C and iPlayer; “Left-hooking” driver spared police action after driver doesn’t report incident; Men’s Tour of Britain route + more on the live blog”
RE: witnesses can’t report crimes.
I’m sure wtjs will be along with proof that even victims can’t report crimes in Lancs if it’s a road offence (and Police Scotland have arranged things similarly)…
… but isn’t this all of a piece with the creeping “gosh this Op Snap seems to generate lots of work and our superiors have given us the nod that ‘these are not the crimes you’re looking for’ in the current political climate” viewpoint?
@chrisonabike Yep, its just a convenient excuse. Much the same as GDPR and “we can’t be sure that the person who was very clearly not even 1.5m from the edge of the road passed you within 1.5m”.
@chrisonabike Aha so the police have progressed. No longer is it just “Oh yeah it’s a terrible problem but there’s nothing much we can really do” but a more finessed version: “Oh yeah its a terrible problem but there’s nothing much we can really do as you aren’t the victim or the perpetrator”. Not so catchy though. I think the folks at police training college will struggle to get the coppers to remember this one. Oh well. The original is still the best one.
@chrisonabike I’m sure wtjs will be along with proof that even victims can’t report crimes in Lancs if it’s a road offence
I don’t need to, you CAN report them, but they’re all ignored- anyway, it’s already been done with my videos of the recent spate of Stagecoach bus attacks, with no response from the police, and you’ve all seen the dire RLJs, unbroken white line offences, mobile phone use etc. where the reports are all immediately binned by the out-of-control, hopelessly inept, idle and bent Lancashire police. However, for variety this is yet another of what Lancashire police refuse to admit are offences. This is B16 NEA, belonging to Neil Armstrong of Plumbwise (some sort of franchising operation), Garstang, which can be found by searching plumbwise.net Garstang. You can see that he has ‘misrepresented’ the ‘6’ as a ‘G’ by the deliberate use of a white cap on the plate fixing screw. This is supposed to be a serious criminal offence, but it’s condoned in Lancashire and I saw it again yesterday- first seen a couple of years ago. The address is about half a mile from Garstang Police Station. It’s either too much effort for them, or they’ve come to a private arrangement with the offender.
This news is definitely one for the “no news” category:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj3g20yxvm4o
Reputable high street retailers blurring the lines you say? Shocked, I was… actually, not.
Reputable retailers? Well, I suppose it’s true that Amazon do have a certain reputation…
Absolutely ludicrous from the police.
I would file a formal complaint.
I reported this driver for phone use and left hooking another cyclist.
The phone use was not actioned due to the dark tint of the window making it too difficult to see (I should have reported the tint too).
But the left hook definitely was actioned.
@mitsky I wonder what the police think those little fingers in their lap were holding onto and doing? “Officer, I was just twiddling my thumbs”.
@mitsky But the left hook definitely was actioned
With what action?
@wtjs
I got an NIP ref and subsequent update saying
“The case has been transferred for court proceedings.” but nothing after that (request to attend as witness or result).
I’ve chased the police for an update but I won’t be surprised if I get no response.
@mitsky Roger. Thanks
Saw a bit on BBC News this morning about the weight limit on Vauxhall Bridge starting today.
Nothing on the BBC website as of today, just the previous article:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn4p10l3833o
But it was mentioned here:
“Hammersmith Bridge car plans axed over £300m cost”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yzqv29d1eo
@mitsky And long may Hammersmith and Albert bridges remain for foot and bicycle traffic, hopefully with Vauxhall to follow soon.
There was me thinking you could do that any time you liked…
27! Exclamation marks! On today’s live blog! Maybe too much! Of a good thing!?
And why is the second item overlooking a perfect opportunity to use the wonderful interrobang‽
Why would one expect a nearly 27-yo professional with millions at the bank, who rides a bicycle for a living and wins cycling races, to cycle to the start of TdF?
@MaxiMinimalist Absolutely, and there is not one inch of middle ground between cycling there and using an incredibly selfish and wasteful supercar, is there? Fortunately I suspect the whole thing is AI, as the footage on his Instagram shows the numberplate GT3…
(Plus I’m pretty certain TDF team leaders don’t drive themselves to the start nor bring their own bicycles)
My last collision with a car happened like that too, except we were pulling from a red light and she didn’t signal til I was next to her. But I wasn’t hurt, damage to my bike and clothing was minimal, and she stopped and apologized profusely, explaining she had a brain fart and simply forgot I was there. Fair enough. I already knew her insurance adjuster, and we had a good laugh.
So, it’s now the month of July and I’m going to have to pay to watch the TdF, for one month only. On a tablet unfortunately, as I didn’t manage to get a laptop to rig up to the TV, grrr. Just wondering, what package will I have to fork out for? Not wanting to pay for the wrong one…
@ktache Just go for the TNT Sports only package, £30.99 for a month. Alternatively have you considered experimenting with a VPN for a few pounds, allowing you to sign up for a free stream abroad, e.g. SBS Australia which streams the Tour live? If I didn’t have a kind mate’s login that’s what I’d do!
Thanks, just going to have to suck it up. Got next week off and will take the easy, if expensive option…