Skoda renames Peak District ‘Peaq District’ and offers free cycle hire to celebrate launch of 2.5 tonne “ultimate SUV”; Vaughters: 2am drug tests would have saved cycling; Mass Tour de France rest day tests; McNulty hit by driver + more on the live blog

Sometimes a press release pops into our inbox that leaves us scratching our heads. Today was one of those days, thanks to Skoda.

That’s because, according to the car brand’s email, Skoda is “renaming” the Peak District (not sure that’s in its jurisdiction, mind you) to celebrate the introduction of the company’s new electric SUV, the Peaq.

“For one week only, the park will become the Peaq District, encouraging staycationers to explore the UK’s outdoor spaces after research revealed that nearly a third of people (29%) have never visited one of its national parks,” Skoda says.

The company also says the Peaq, described as the “ultimate SUV”, is designed for “everyday adventures” for the family thanks to its seven seats. And to mark its release, visitors to the Peak, sorry, Peaq District between 27 July and 2 August will be able to avail of free cycle hire from Parsley Hay Cycle Centre.

Because cyclists and SUVs go hand in hand, naturally.

In a statement, Skoda UK’s director Eric Boutin said: “The new all-electric Škoda Peaq is the ultimate SUV for families with an everyday sense of adventure, and it fits perfectly with the ethos of the Peak District National Park.

“We’re passionate about encouraging more people to get outdoors and experience these incredible protected spaces. Cycling has always been part of Škoda’s DNA – after all, the brand started life on two wheels – and that heritage still shapes how we think about mobility today.”

Make of that what you will…

I have a feeling we might be hearing about Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard’s Sunday morning drug test wake-up calls for a while to come yet.

Yesterday saw a series of new developments to the Tour de France’s latest doping-related controversy, including the revelation that a judge in Paris signed off on the tests prior to the race, after determining that there was enough suspicion to warrant an out-of-hours knock on the door for the Tour’s then-top two.

In a curious intervention, the CPA riders’ union chose to criticise the nocturnal tests, calling on the UCI to “invest more in scientific research and detection technologies, rather than increasing the number of particularly intrusive unannounced tests”.

> Judge signed off on Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard’s nighttime doping tests due to “serious suspicions” before Tour de France, according to reports

Meanwhile, there have been mixed messages concerning how common nighttime tests are at the Tour. One source within a team informed me that their riders have been subject to controls between 11pm and 6am over the past two weeks, while a member of another team told me their doctors can never remember any of the riders ever being asked to take a nocturnal drugs test at any race.

And now, EF Education-EasyPost manager Jonathan Vaughters has chipped in, arguing that nighttime testing could have saved professional cycling a lot of grief a quarter of a century ago, while apologising to the sport’s modern stars who he claims are still “atoning” for his generation’s sins.

Vaughters, a former US Postal rider who once held the climbing record for Mont Ventoux, admitted doping throughout his career. In the late 2000s, he set up the Slipstream squad (now EF), heralding the American team as a bastion of ethics and clean sport.

“I don’t post here much,” Vaughters wrote on Twitter last night. “But I’ll roll this grenade down the aisle: 2am testing is one of the very effective ways to prevent peptide (EPO, hGH) and testosterone micro dosing.

“If the UCI had tested us in 2001 at 2am? We’d all have been suspended and saved the sport 25 years of drama.

“It’s unfortunate that Tadej and Jonas have to atone for the sh*t we did. However, I’d take some lost sleep for some gained credibility. I should apologise to both of them, honestly.”

> “Cycling is fundamentally a green sport”: EF boss Jonathan Vaughters calls on teams to “take responsibility” as Tour de France on red alert due to extreme heat

Interestingly, Vaughters’ post has acted as something of a Rorschach test for cycling fans’ opinions on doping.

While some were up in arms at his ‘apology’ to the Tour’s big two, others were fuming that the EF boss defended the nocturnal testing, telling him that he should test his own team at 2am if he’s such a fan of out-of-hours controls.

Which says it all, really.

There have been, unsurprisingly, some more developments to the Tour de France drug testing story today, after it emerged that at least three teams were tested en masse last night at 10pm, just before the 11pm to 6pm nocturnal window.

A source within one of the teams subject to the bedtime rest day tests told me this morning that their squad, as well as another team staying in the same hotel, were visited at the same time by the anti-doping authorities last night at 10pm.

The source also said they were aware of another team staying at a separate hotel who were tested at around the same time, while there have been rumours that more teams were tested last night, as part of what appears to be a pre-planned programme of targeted testing.

Of course, these tests were conducted within the normal 6am to 11pm window, which means they didn’t need to be signed off by a judge. However, one thing is clear: the ITA is really upping its game at this year’s Tour.

I told you this year’s doping controversy would rumble on.

Brandon McNulty, one of Tadej Pogačar’s key lieutenants at UAE Team Emirates, escaped serious injury this morning after being knocked off his bike by a motorist while reconning today’s time rial route at Lake Geneva.

The American was riding back to the start on public roads at the time of the incident, which saw the driver overtake McNulty before braking suddenly, causing him to slam into the back of the car, his team boss Mauro Gianetti told Jacob Whitehead from the Athletic.

“He was just riding his bike with one car behind him. A normal car, we don’t know who they are,” Gianetti said.

“And when he overtook, he just stopped the car, and Brandon was unable to prevent himself riding into it.”

While Gianetti was originally unsure as to the extent of McNulty’s injuries, he later confirmed to TNT Sports that they were “nothing big”. McNulty is currently 19^th on GC so will be one of the later starters this afternoon.

Was it ever in doubt?

Remco Evenepoel takes his second consecutive stage victory of the race, knocking 1’04” off of Skjelmose’s time. Utter domination from the multiple time TT World Champion against the clock.

The only man near him is the man who sits ahead of him overall. Tadej Pogacar nearly came down on the same corner as Lipowitz but backed off mid-corner and just about kept it upright. He comes home in second place, but conceding only 28 seconds of his 5 minute advantage.

The white jersey/3rd place battle between Isaac Del Toro and Paul Seixas saw both men match each other evenly throughout their respective efforts, with the French prodigy winning out by 5 seconds to cut his gap to what would be an utterly astonishing podium.

Of the rest, Skjelmose is the day’s big winner, whilst his teammate Juan Ayuso suffered, losing more than a minute to his teammate.

Florian Lipowitz however is the big loser, abandoning the race with what looked like a suspected broken collarbone. Our best wishes to him.

Of the TT specialists, Mattia Cattaneo was best, coming home in fourth, whilst Josh Tarling came home in 10th, two minutes behind Evenepoel. Not bad riding with a broken rib. Meanwhile here’s Ryan’s photo of Tom Pidcock…

With both second and third from last year’s race crashing out, we now have a very different looking GC…

I’m sharing the top-15 just to show how quickly the time gaps are ballooning out. Meanwhile with the withdrawals, could we see any of Van Wilder, Carapaz or Piganzoli parachute themselves into the top-10, even if it’s in pursuit of stage wins?

Unfortunately, the only remaining position which looks vulnerable is Isaac Del Toro’s third place, although I’ve got a feeling UAE might work quite hard to put that contest to bed, with Tadej Pogacar looking so secure. It all points to a theory that this year’s race route has not been very well designed…

I was going to save an update until the end of the stage but some breaking news is that Florian Lipowitz has crashed on the descent of his time trial. The German misread a sweeping right-hand bend and slid out.

Third last year, minutes later Paul Seixas comes past whilst Lipowitz is still on the ground. I suspect this might be race over.

Of the other riders, Pidcock rode better than expected, but not as good as Mattias Skjelmose, a storming performance has taken him to the top of the leaderboard as it stands. But here comes a Belgian…

Right, I’m off to the finish now, so I’ll leave today’s top 10 and the results in the capable hands of Callum. Let’s just hope I don’t trip on another barrier this time, otherwise they’ll start calling me the Geraint Thomas of the press room…

Alright, maybe it wasn’t Perico ’89 levels of humiliation, but I’m not sure Thymen Arensman will be too keen to relive this moment:

 

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The Netcompany Ineos man, for some reason, turned up late for his TT start slot and was forced to ride onto the ramp and off it almost in one swift motion, much to his anger (though I reckon that anger shouldn’t be directed at the officials).

What makes Arensman’s missed start all the more galling is that he is on fire out on the course, crossing the second intermediate spot just five seconds down on current leader Cattaneo. For his sake, I hope it isn’t that tight at the finish.

Wings, it turns out, are faster than the train. Even when it’s a TGV.

That tortured analogy is the result of Matteo Cattaneo’s storming ride, the Italian Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider knocking 13 seconds off Bruno Armirail’s time to earn a spot (for now) on the hot seat.

 

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We’re now into the top 20 overall, however, and all the big hitters are about to hit the course. So Cattaneo, gifted and successful time trialist though he is, shouldn’t get too comfortable.

Some sad news from Japan this morning, where the country’s Olympic silver medal-winning track rider Toshiaki Fushimi died after a crash in a keirin race at the weekend.

The 50-year-old was taking part in the Matsusaka Keirin when he struck a barrier at the side of the track while trying to avoid a pile-up just in front of him, according to the Independent.

He sustained spinal and skull fractures in the crash, and died the following morning.

 

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Fushimi was part of the team sprint trio who won silver for Japan at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. He was also renowned in his home country for his prowess in their national sport, the keirin, amassing 619 wins during his career, including three victories at the prestigious Keirin Grand Prix titles.

In a post on social media, his old rival Josiah Ng paid tribute to Fushimi, writing: “R.I.P. Fushimi San. Toshiaki Fushimi wasn’t just a competitor. He was one of the best keirin riders Japan has ever produced. Grand Prix winner. Olympic Silver Medalist. A true professional on the track. We raced against each other for years. That kind of rivalry builds a respect that doesn’t fade.

“Devastated to hear he lost his life doing what he loved. My thoughts are with his family and the entire Keirin community in Japan. Rest in peace, champion.”

After edging the battle of the Netcompany Ineos TT titans, beating his mate Filippo Ganna by four seconds, Josh Tarling’s time in the hotseat in Thonon-les-Bains is over.

The young Welsh star was knocked off the top spot a few minutes ago by Visma-Lease a Bike’s French TGV Bruno Armirail, who covered the tough, technical course in 34.14, seven seconds up on Tarling.

 

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At the start, I spotted Luke Durbridge rocking the latest warm-up marginal gain: the earphone in the nose strategy:

 

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Or maybe he’s simply aiming for perfect surround sound…

Roll up, roll up, it’s time for Callum’s latest mild cycling take! And this one’s all about this year’s misguided (in Callum’s harmless opinion) Tour route:

> This year’s Tour de France route does the race organisers no favours

Here are a few of the other things I spotted at the start in Evian before I so rudely hit the deck and made an idiot of myself (and a mess of my knee)…

First up, Remco’s pimped-out TT bikes were looking very cool in the sun:

While Pogačar’s spare bike (he was riding his normal one) was looking pretty menacing:

There were also a lot of riders doing their best to keep cool while warming up:

And I also grabbed a photo of one of my favourite cycling pastimes – riders looking glum (and daft) waiting around in their TT kit:

And finally, here’s Lake Geneva in all its splendour… with a big yellow box blocking the view:

Sorry for the delay, if you’re wondering where we’ve been this morning, the answer is out on today’s TT course…

 

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A relatively long but straightforward climb kicks things off. But at the top of the hill things get technical through the village before a rapid, twisty descent. A long false flat downhill section then leads into another technical descent and run-in to the finish on tight roads with lots of pinch points and sharp corners. The riders will need their wits about them…

And here’s the descent…

 

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Incidentally, Josh Tarling is currently in the hotseat having beaten teammate Filippo Ganna by 5 seconds. However, with that long, steady climb the expectation is it will be a stage for the more GC focused specialists against the clock…

Apologies once again for the delays to today’s live blog coverage, a result of the lack of signal among the team buses at the start.

It also wasn’t helped by the fact I suffered my own fall, tripping on the legs of a race barrier (like an idiot, or Abdoujaparov) and hitting the road hard, knee first, in front of a large crowd of spectators. The bag of Haribo I was holding in my hand thankfully survived unscathed, unlike my dignity.

My knee was still bleeding pretty badly by the time we reached the press room, so I paid a visit to the Tour’s medical truck (Jonas Vingegaard wasn’t there, surprisingly), where I was patched up and deemed fit enough to return to live blog action.

Let’s hope the long-term effects of my injuries aren’t so bad and I can still make it to Paris…

Quite a lot of work went into this rather bizarre, sometimes infuriating story, so go on, give it a read while you’re having your mid-morning coffee:

> Police seize and destroy delivery cyclist’s legal e-bike hired through council-funded scheme after “bogus” test – but officers claim rider didn’t have insurance