The epitome of competitive cycling, the Tour de France marks the high point of the World Tour every summer for pro riders and fans alike. Rivalries heat up throughout July as teams battle it out to see which rider will end up in the yellow jersey along the Champs-Élysées. Most years, that is.

For the first time in its history, the Tour de France didn’t take place in July, at least not on actual roads. While select riders curbed their competitive cravings online in the Virtual Tour de France, the majority of challengers and fans spent the first summer of their lifetimes nervously waiting on when La Grand Boucle would happen, if at all.

While the riders didn’t line up in July, the Tour de France luckily wasn’t cancelled, only postponed, and will be kicking off tomorrow with September taking the main honours as the month with some of the steepest competition (and climbs) of the pro tour calendar.

So join us this July September when rivalry returns to French roads as riders once again undertake the long, difficult and beautiful journey to Paris.

The famous Polka Dot jersey was worn onto the Champs-Élysées by French hero Romain Bardet.

“This jersey symbolizes hope and not giving up,” said the AG2R LA MONDIALE rider, who rides with Arione 00, after a testing Tour de France that saw his General Classification hopes dashed early in the race, forcing a rethink of his targets.

Following his own mantra of ‘take the risk or lose the chance’, Romain chose to commit to his talents as an extraordinary climber, amassing enough points in the mountains to add one of the most coveted and distinctive jerseys in professional cycling to his palmarès.

Romain’s ‘never say die’ attitude has proven that setbacks should never deter riders from striving to reach their goals, and we are immensely proud to support him!

Huge congratulations to Movistar Team, winners of the Team Classification at the 2019 Tour de France.

With three riders, Mikel Landa, Nairo Quintana, and World Champion Alejandro Valverde finishing in the top 10, ably supported by teammates Marc Soler, Imanol Erviti, Nelson Oliveira, Andrey Amador and Carlos Verona, Movistar Team were the clear winners in the competition.

Riding Infinito R1 Movistar Team and Antares 00, Nairo put in a masterful solo stage win in the Alps, showing a return to his scintillating best form in the mountains on the Stage 18 Valloire. Meanwhile, Mikel was a consistent aggressor and won the Combativity Award for his exploits on the Stage 15 Prat d’Albis, while evergreen Alejandro proved the strongest of super domestiques throughout the race to earn his top ten finish at the age of 39 years.

We are incredibly proud of all 2019 Tour de France Movistar Team riders!

This is it, this is the one that really matters, the biggest race in the world and the most coveted prize: “Nothing compares to the yellow jersey,” says Chris Froome. And none of the general classification contenders would disagree with the four-time winner.

We can’t wait for Saturday 6^th July and the Grande Départ in Brussels. After a flat start the 106^th edition hits the hills and tips into a balance that’s heavier on the climbing than most editions, advantaging the lighter riders, but still offers lots of opportunities for sprinters, exciting breakaways, and two time trials: one team, one individual.

There will be a final battle in the Alps before the traditional processional finish in Paris on the 28^th where one GC contender and his team will sip champagne. But who…?

With Chris Froome crashing at the Criterium de Dauphiné, Team Ineos have announced joint leadership roles for Geraint Thomas in defence of the yellow jersey he won last year while wearing grey Infinito R1 Knit and Arione saddle– and, given his electrifying form, including winning the Tour de Suisse, for Egan Bernal. Many think the 22-year-old is ready to win the Tour, with no less than Alberto Contador labelling Bernal the “clear favorite”. The Colombian was a vital lieutenant for the Welshman in 2018 but could the roles reverse in the mountains?

Resting Richard Carapaz after his Giro d’Italia victory Movistar Team roll out the big guns in terms of big-race experience: World Champion Alejandro Valverde (fresh from winning the Spanish national championships following victory at the Route d’Occitanie), Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España winner Nairo Quintana, and mountains-ready Mikel Landa.

With no Primož Roglič (third in the Giro and recently moved into second spot in the UCI rankings), Team Jumbo-Visma are led by Steven Kruijswijk. The 32-year-old is a strong option for the mountains and wants to turn his GC podium near-misses into hits. The Dutch squad could be off to an early flyer – in the 26.7km Team Time Trial on Sunday 7th’s stage 2 with a chromo-focused line-up that includes Wout van Aert, who became Belgian TT champion this week, Jos van Emden, who just claimed his second Dutch TT title and the legendary nine-time German TT champion Tony Martin.

The first of the two French fizik-riding squads, AG2R La Mondiale have built their season around the Tour de France. In recent seasons, Romain Bardet has podium’d twice in the last three years. With the climbing-heavy course for this year’s edition, the 28-year-old is a serious contender. Bardet will be backed by a squad including Tour stage winner Alexis Vuillermoz and Belgian Classics hard-man Oliver Naesen (Infinito R1) – a line-up that was modified after Tony Gallopin and Benoît Cosnefroy crashed in the French National Road race at the weekend, and Pierre Latour hasn’t regained his best form.

The French Pro-Continental Team Cofidis once again look to entertain and make an impact at their home Grand Tour. Some are tipping Christophe Laporte in his fifth consecutive Tour de France, for a first stage win. Look out for the climber – and double Spanish road champion – 28-year-old Jesús Herrada (who bettered Romain Bardet to win the Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge) and watch out for “El Puma” – the experienced Colombian, Darwin Atapuma. But this year there’s no Nacer Bouhanni, having abandoned in the Criterium du Dauphiné and unable to find a place in the team.

Roll on Saturday 6^th!

The build-up to the 2019 Tour de France continues apace with the 83^rd edition of the Tour de Suisse starting on Saturday 15^th June. Alongside the Critérium du Dauphiné, the Tour de Suisse provides the perfect platform for WorldTour riders to test their form ahead of July’s Tour de France.

The nine-stage race begins with a 9.5km individual time-trial around the Emme Valley, starting and finishing in Langnau. Stages two to four favour the climbers, albeit stage four could come down to a breakaway. After a flat stage five, stage six could see the first real battle for GC with a brutal 10.8km ascent of 9% to the line in Flumserberg. From there, the race hots up with a summit finish, another individual time-trial and the final queen stage that features three hors-categorie climbs.

Team Ineos bring a powerful squad to Switzerland including 2018 Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas and 22-year-old sensation Egan Bernal. Thomas’ form has grown through the season, culminating in third overall at last month’s Tour de Romandie, while Bernal’s recovered from the fractured collarbone that prevented him leading the team at the Giro d’Italia. He’s now fully fit and looking to repeat the form that saw him win March’s Paris-Nice and take third at Volta a Catalunya.

World champion Alejandro Valverde leads Movistar Team and, according to reports, looks set to line up at the Tour de France alongside Nairo Quintana and Mikel Landa. Carlos Betancur and Winner Anacona are at the heart of a strong support team.

Pierre Latour heads France’s AG2R La Mondiale. Latour’s intent on showing the confidence and guile that helped him slip into the 2018 Tour de France white jersey after a bad fall at the UAE Tour earlier in the season. Latour’s sought peak fitness on the team’s recent Sierra Nevada training camp alongside one of the Tour de France favourites, Romain Bardet.

With Primož Roglič not racing the Tour de France and Steven Kruijswijk competing at the Critérium du Dauphiné, Team Jumbo-Visma’s Tour de Suisse ambitions centre on individual stage victories. Sprinter Danny van Poppel holds the team’s best chance of success on the flat fifth stage.