S13 Ep71: The XL Tour de France Preview, Part Two

This is part two of our bumper XL Tour de France Preview, with Lionel Birnie, Graham Willgoss, Rob Hatch and François Thomazeau.

We pick up where we left off with François' run-through of what to expect on the road in weeks two and three of the 2025 Tour de France, interspersed with some of the more intriguing sub-plots to look forward to.

There's also Whitey's Whiteboard – in which experienced sports director Matt White shares some of his tactical expertise and breaks down how a typical team goes about selecting its line-up for the Tour de France and how the daily strategy is decided and conveyed to the riders.

INTRODUCING VAN RYSEL, OUR TOUR DE FRANCE SPONSORS
We are very pleased to welcome Van Rysel as our sponsors for the first half of our Tour de France coverage. The Tour gets underway in Lille, the city where the company was founded and has its headquarters. The city is steeped in French cycling history and heritage, not least because the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix are on the doorstep.

Van Rysel supplies bikes and kit for the Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale World Tour team, who feature Felix Gall, Bruno Armirail and Aurélien Paret-Peintre in their line-up for the Tour.

If you are going to Lille for the opening weekend make sure to drop in at Van Rysel House, a pop-up venue and hub for cycling fans. It’s located at Hein Estaminet in Place Saint-Hubert a short walk from the Euralille train station. It’s a place to have a drink or something to eat and watch the race on TV and there’ll be lots going on over the weekend with a quiz night to test your cycling knowledge each night at 8pm. There’s also some group rides setting out from there. A chance to see the Van Rysel bikes and the innovation that goes into their design.

Visit www.vanryselcycling.com to find out more.

Follow us on social media:
Twitter @cycling_podcast
Instagram @thecyclingpodcast

Friends of the Podcast
Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes.
The Cannibal & Badger
Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in.
The 11.01 Cappuccino
Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it’s after 11am).

The Cycling Podcast is on Strava

The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.