The Domestiques

The final 10 kilometres of a Tour de France sprint can look like chaos. To Greg Henderson, it’s a puzzle, and one he still wants to solve.
The former Grand Tour stage winner and one of the most respected lead-out riders of his generation joins Tils and Lee to dissect the Tour’s sprint stages. Greg explains what Olav Kooij got wrong, why Tim Merlier keeps finding a way to win, and how the disappearance of specialist sprint directors is leaving some of the world’s fastest riders without a proper plan.
They also get into questionable relegations, the speed and danger of modern racing, why today’s sprinters need to hit more than 70km/h, and what it takes to come back after a serious crash.
Plus: is Tadej Pogačar already the greatest of all time? Do Lance Armstrong’s seven Tours still count? And Greg shares three practical sessions for anyone wanting to become a faster, and hopefully better-looking sprinter.
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The Tour reaches its first rest day, but there is no shortage of talking points. Isaac del Toro continues to look completely at home on cycling’s biggest stage, while Tadej Pogačar and UAE keep everyone guessing with tactics that suggest they are ready to take control of the race.
Chris Hamilton joins Tils and Marko to unpack the brutal heat, Tim Merlier’s extraordinary sprint speed, Mads Pedersen’s relentless pursuit of green, the rise of Biniam Girmay, and what is really happening inside the bunch. Plus, the team previews a savage Bastille Day stage that could ignite the GC battle all over again.

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The Tour de France has delivered its first decisive mountain showdown, and Tadej Pogačar has wasted no time putting the race on notice.
The crew breaks down UAE’s Tourmalet demolition, Pogačar’s fearless 107km/h descent and the huge time he gained on Jonas Vingegaard. Is the Tour already over, or is there still enough road left for the race to turn?
They also unpack Remco Evenepoel’s public frustration with Florian Lipowitz, the emerging battle for the white jersey, Olaf Kooij’s chaotic sprint victory and why Mads Pedersen may be perfectly placed to take green all the way to Paris.
Plus, the heartbreak of crashing out in yellow, the UCI’s latest questionable rulings and a look ahead to two sprint stages before Sunday’s breakaway battle.
The Domestiques is live throughout the Men’s and Women’s Tour de France, breaking down the stages and bringing you inside the bunch with the riders. Powered by Black Sheep.

A Norwegian in yellow. A Dane winning the stage. And Lidl-Trek putting on a tactical masterclass.
Matilda Reynolds is joined by Mark O’Brien to break down a brutal opening week of the Tour de France, where the heat, the climbs and the relentless racing have already started to take their toll. We unpack Mads Pedersen’s brilliant breakaway win, Uno-X’s dream day in yellow with Torstein Træen, the suffering of the sprinters, and what UAE’s control of the race says about the battles still to come.
They also look ahead to the first true sprint showdown, debate whether Jasper Philipsen, Tim Merlier or Biniam Girmay has the edge, and preview the coming Tourmalet stage as the GC contenders prepare for their first major mountain test.

The Tour de France is here, and it has wasted no time reminding everyone why it is the biggest race in cycling.
This week on The Domestiques, Tils, Marko and Hollywood break down the opening stages of the Tour, from the Barcelona team time trial and Visma’s early masterclass, to Pogacar’s ominous start, Del Toro’s rise, Remco’s pressure, the first breakaway chances, and the brutal heat already shaping the race. The first week has barely started, but the GC picture is already shifting.
They are joined by EF Education-EasyPost’s Harry Sweeny, who gives a brutally honest update on the toughest stretch of his career. After a flying start to the year at Tour Down Under, Harry looked set for a huge European season before illness, knee pain, surgery, chicken pox at altitude, a mystery nerve issue, and a second operation wiped out months of racing.
Harry talks through the physical and mental toll, life in Monaco, switching off from cycling, rebuilding from a CTL of 28, staying locked in with EF, and why the Vuelta could still be on the cards.
Plus: Hollywood’s Tour kit verdict, Marko’s Hellride downfall, heat training, AI in cycling, sprinters, GC predictions, and the usual amount of abuse between mates.
The Tour is on. The heat is up. And the Sween Dog is rebuilding.