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Tour de Francei

The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than 3,600 kilometres and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world.

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  • On the list: a 2,000m-high football pitch, a Himalayan golf course, a Unesco-recognised Italian town centre, and the world’s most prestigious Formula One race

Question of who will win sport’s most prestigious race centres around Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar, but discussions over new league continue to bubble away in the background.

The 17.6km Col de la Colombiere, in the Haute-Savoie region of the French Alps, is a regular Tour de France climb and was as stunning as it was challenging for Steve Wartenberg.

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Jonas Vingegaard insists he will not take any risks on Saturday’s key time-trial as he stands on the verge of being crowned Tour de France champion.

With stage wins proving elusive, it could be only the third year in the race’s history, after 1926 and 1999, the local favourites reach Paris empty-handed.

Tour de France title challengers Primoz Roglic and Jonas Vingegaard of Jumbo-Visma believe their team’s two-leader strategy can finally deliver cycling’s most treasured title after consecutive narrow defeats.

‘[Mental health is] not about being strong, or weak, in the head. It’s an illness,’ says Mark Cavendish, who has been nominated for Laureus World Sports’ comeback of the year award.

Singapore’s Chelsie Tan has joined Team BikeExchange-Jayco, which is based in the Girona region of northern Spain, while Malaysia’s Siti Nur Alia Monsor has been selected to join new development squad WorldTour Canyon-SRAM.

A red robe also owned by Drake and Kanye, Gucci trainers, Lamborghini and McLaren supercars – how has the newly engaged Irish MMA millionaire splashed the cash?

None of the 176 starters, or 146 finishers, test positive for Covid-19 in multiple batteries of tests, validating the hermetic bubble of measures that shielded them from infection and the decision to postpone the race from July to September, but not to cancel it.

The task of leading the peloton into the French capital in his yellow jersey falls on the shoulders of the 21-year-old Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, who celebrates his 22nd birthday on Monday.

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Slovenians Primoz Roglic and Tadej Pogacar lead race going into last two stages and either would be first winner from the nation of just two million known for basketball players such as Luka Doncic.

Overnight leader Adam Yates of Britain makes a valiant effort to keep hold of the yellow jersey but falls away on the final climb as the gradient hits 12 per cent.

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Race technical director Thierry Gouvenou attributes the slow fifth stage to ‘long hiatus’ after global coronavirus pandemic; forgives riders despite being ‘impatient’.

France’s Julian Alaphilippe retains the leader’s yellow jersey after the 198-kilometre stage from the Nice football stadium to the hilltop town of Sisteron in Provence.

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Cycling fans will be glued to their screens from August 29 as the Tour de France gets underway, but for others the race serves as a grand visual tour of the country. Here’s what you need to know, including how to watch and who could win.