thecyclingdane

National Championships weekend has given us a fresh set of jerseys just days before the Tour de France, and in this episode of The Cycling Dane Podcast we break down all of the biggest stories from across Europe. Jonathan Milan fulfilled a lifelong dream by claiming his first Italian national road race title, while compatriot Filippo Ganna once again proved why he remains one of the world's best against the clock by taking another Italian time trial championship.
In Denmark, Magnus Cort added another memorable victory to his career by winning the national road race in what will be his final season as a professional, while Kristian Egholm secured the Danish time trial title. We also discuss Fred Wright becoming British road champion, Ethan Hayter returning to the top in the time trial, Romain Grégoire taking the French tricolore, Rémi Cavagna reclaiming the French time trial crown, Rune Herregodts winning in Belgium, Alec Segaert dominating the Belgian time trial, Wilco Kelderman ending his long wait for victory with the Dutch road title, and Mathias Vacek completing an incredible double by winning both the Czech road race and time trial championships.
With the Tour de France only days away, we discuss which riders head into cycling's biggest race wearing brand-new national champion jerseys, whose performances stood out the most over championship weekend, and whether any of these victories have changed the outlook for the battles to come in July.

In this episode, we rank every major Tour de France 2026 favourite in a full breakdown from outsiders to outright contenders, analysing where each rider truly stands heading into the biggest race of the year.
At the centre of it all is the defining rivalry of modern cycling: Tadej Pogačar vs Jonas Vingegaard. We break down why these two remain the benchmark for Grand Tour success, and how the entire peloton is ranked in relation to them.
Behind the top two, we assess the rising power of Red Bull–BORA-hansgrohe, featuring Florian Lipowitz, and the impact of Remco Evenepoel as he continues to evolve into a true Grand Tour contender. We also look ahead to the anticipation surrounding Paul Seixas, as fans debate whether his Tour de France debut could mark the beginning of a new era.
From GC favourites to breakout hopefuls, this is the definitive ranking of every major contender for the Tour de France 2026.

The countdown to the Tour de France 2026 is on, and this week we are joined by cycling legend Jens Voigt to break down everything ahead of the biggest race of the year.
Jens gives his thoughts on the latest chapter of the sport's greatest rivalry as Jonas Vingegaard prepares to challenge Tadej Pogačar once again. Is anyone capable of stopping the world champion, or are we witnessing the strongest version of Pogačar yet?
We also discuss the rapid rise of French wonderkid Paul Seixas and whether the teenager can live up to the enormous expectations already being placed upon him.
Plus, we take a deep dive into the 2026 Tour de France route, analysing the decisive mountain stages, key tactical battlegrounds, and which riders are best suited to this year's course.

The road to the Tour de France is officially hitting terminal velocity! In this jam-packed weekly race review, we dissect an unbelievable block of June racing that has completely rewritten the script for July.
First up, we have to talk about Tadej Pogačar. Making his highly anticipated debut at the Tour de Suisse, the Slovenian didn't just win—he completely dismantled the WorldTour peloton, sending a terrifying warning shot straight to his rivals. We break down the data behind his Swiss masterclass and look at what this means for his historic yellow jersey bid.
Meanwhile, over at the Tour of Slovenia, it was an absolute clinic by Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe. Florian Lipowitz proved he is a bona fide Grand Tour contender, sweeping the mountains to take a dominant overall GC victory alongside a soaring Red Bull team. Is their Tour de France engine officially fully operational?
Plus, we head to the flatlands for a chaotic Belgium Tour, where Jasper Philipsen snatched the overall crown in a nail-biting showdown, proving his sprinting speed and tactical brilliance are exactly where they need to be. Finally, we celebrate a historic moment at the Giro Next Gen (U23 Giro d'Italia), where young phenomenon Lorenzo Finn put on an absolute masterclass to secure the final Maglia Rosa.

Wout van Aert missing the Tour de France isn’t just a team change—it’s a disruption to the entire script of the race.
In this episode, we react to the news that injury has ruled Van Aert out of the Tour and unpack what that actually removes from Visma–Lease a Bike’s toolkit. This isn’t just a domestique or stage hunter being taken away—it’s one of the most adaptable riders in modern cycling, a rider who can shift a stage, control a breakaway, win on multiple terrains, and reshape entire days of racing.
We dig into how Visma now reshuffle around Jonas Vingegaard, what gaps suddenly open in their Tour strategy, and who within the squad is forced to step into roles they weren’t originally built for. Beyond that, we explore how this changes the rhythm of the race itself—because Van Aert’s presence always forces other teams to react, even before the first mountain stage arrives.
There’s also the bigger picture: what this means for Van Aert’s season, how teams absorb late injury losses at this level, and whether the Tour de France becomes more open—or simply more chaotic—without him.
A raw reaction to one of the most influential withdrawals before the race has even begun.

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