Christopher Gargett

IN week one, the Tour de France lost its big favourite when Chris Froome crashed out, despite attempts to carry on with broken bones.

AN estimated five million people took to the paths, fields and hills of Yorkshire, Cambridge and London to view the Tour de France pass through England.

Press cycling columnist Christopher Gargett, a York-based cycling blogger and Sky Ride leader, gives his verdict on the opening two stages of the Tour de France

IN any Tour de France there are those stages where the peloton takes a bit of a breather and lets the stage-win hunters have their day in the spotlight.

THE Tour de France, simply put, is the largest live participation sporting event in the world.

CYCLING, as a sport taken seriously among the wider public, has its origins on continental Europe – chiefly France, Italy and the Low Countries.

I LOST count of the number of times non-cycling friends and colleagues have asked me “if Mark Cavendish is so fast, why doesn’t he just ride off and win the Tour de France?”

TODAY we are going on a historical tour, looking at some of the legends of the Tour de France.

THE two most eagerly anticipated stage races on the professional cycling calendar are Le Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia.

DON’T buy upgrades, ride up grades. So said Eddy Merckx, dispensing advice on improving your performance and buying cycling kit. Well, he is the greatest of all time.