When it comes to the men’s Tour de France, Tadej Pogačar has just claimed yet another dominant victory in Paris on Sunday for his fifth Tour win in seven years. In truth it’s all become a bit predictable, at least in terms of the overall winner.
In the women’s peloton, however, it couldn’t be more different. The Tour de France Femmes, which starts next weekend, has seen four different winners in its four editions to date, and last year saw Pauline Ferrand-Prévot claim a heroic win for the host nation – something France has been waiting for from the men’s Tour since 1985.
This year’s race looks like being another cracker, especially with the race heading up the legendary Mont Ventoux for the first time on Stage 7, two days before the race finishes in Nice. The Giant of Provence is one of the most famous and distinctive climbs in all of cycling, from its scree-covered upper slopes to the candy-striped tower at its summit, and it forms the centrepiece of our Big Ride in the August 2026 issue of Cyclist magazine, available now on newsstands or from the Cyclist Store.
If that’s not enough to get you in the mood for the Tour de France Femmes, our profile of former winner and race favourite Demi Vollering certainly will. The Dutch superstar is known as much for her openness and willingness to speak her mind as she is for her exploits on the bike, and in our chat she speaks honestly about everything from what it takes to win yellow to her status as one of the world’s top sportswomen and her prospects for a second Tour success next month.
Our focus on women’s racing continues with a closer look at Team Amani, the first African women’s team to race in Europe. We find out first hand about the unique challenges the riders face in moving to a new continent and adapting to racing at the highest level, and their ambitions to compete in the world’s biggest races – including the Tour de France Femmes – in the coming years.
Switching gears from the world’s best riders to the state-of-the-art machines they ride, we get a look behind the scenes at Carbon Bike Repair, the company that has made its business proving that broken carbon fibre bikes might not be the lost cause they first appear. Tracking the progress step by step of a single cracked frame as it is fully restored from a scrap-heap write-off, we find out how CBR works its magic and some of the more surprising jobs it has taken on over the years.
Then it’s off to Scotland for a taste of the Gralloch Ultra Race, a new addition to the ultra-race family that has quickly become a must-ride event on the gravel calendar for those who like their riding challenges to be long, rough and – of course – wet. We speak to four riders to hear about their experiences taking on this gruelling challenge.
Also in the August 2026 issue of Cyclist, we climb Tenerife’s Masca climb, the island’s answer to Mallorca’s Sa Calobra, lift the veil on BMC’s new Kaius aero gravel bike, discuss whether it’s time for the UCI to relax its 6.8kg minimum weight rule and test out a diverse range of new bikes from Specialized, Orbea and Bridge.
