Patrick has spent the last three weeks following the Tour de France with our friends from Escape Collective. This post was originally published on Escape Collective on July 27. Defector readers can now get a six-month free trial of Escape Collective, with ad-free and independent coverage that goes beyond the Tour de France. Claim the … Read more
Dane Scarlett and Richarlison were on target as an under-strength Tottenham opened their pre-season tour with an entertaining 2-0 win over the A-League champions, Auckland FC, on Sunday. Roberto De Zerbi rested most of his top players but the Premier League side dominated a match played in damp conditions. The 40,112 who packed into the … Read more
VOIRON, France — Last week, my colleague Jonny Long from Escape Collective (EC) remarked that he speaks to more old people at the Tour de France than he does the whole rest of the year. It’s true, and not altogether surprising: France has an aging population, so they have old guys, and cycling’s culture is … Read more
Saturday Football 8am (all times BST)World Cup liveblog It’s somewhat apt that Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey opened to acclaim in UK cinemas this week given the World Cup’s own saga reaches an epic climax this weekend. Having slogged through 102 matches involving 48 teams travelling thousands of miles to 16 cities, it’s showtime after the … Read more
He sees red. A professional cyclist and former WorldTour pro has been disqualified for using contraband technology during the opening stage of the Magnificent Qingha Tour. South African cyclist Willie Smit was racing for Team China Anta-Mentech in the eight-stage race sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). After being kicked out for wearing artificial … Read more
SAINT-GAUDENS, France — On Monday morning, the Tour de France’s media-wranglers sent us all a text announcing something genuinely shocking for such a French organization: They had banned smoking. The ASO said nobody could smoke in the TV areas “in order to combat fire risks,” as that day’s racing finished 60 kilometers west of the … Read more
Kim Kardashian is encouraging her followers to grab tickets for North West’s first headlining tour. On Thursday, July 2, Kardashian reposted the tour announcement on her Instagram Stories alongside the message: “Are you ready?” She also posted photos of North and rapper Molly Santana on her main grid, writing, “Kimokawii tour. Ticket link on my … Read more
Now that we’ve covered two of the most interesting fellas who will be riding the 2026 Tour de France, and the theory of why they’ll be riding this particular route, it’s time to talk about the route itself. This year’s Tour will span 3,321 kilometers of Spain and France while flirting with the Swiss and … Read more
As I spend the early part of the summer talking about the Tour de France with normal people (read: non-cycling fans), there’s one thing that catches almost everyone off guard. I will outline the route and they’ll say something like “What do you mean it starts in Barcelona?” as they adopt an expression that I … Read more
It’s a big season coming up for Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield. He’s in a contract year, but also plays all of his former teams this season along with a former head coach of his that he had choice words for. Will Mayfield have his best season yet? We discuss. The Pewter Report Podcast is presented … Read more