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This is Defector, a new sports blog and media company. We made this place together, we own it together, we run it together. Without access, without favor, without discretion, and without interference.

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Defector

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Patrick Redford

Cyclists in a race are in the background. There is a house or wall on the left side of the road. There is a man in front, looking at the peloton, squatting halfway with his arms spread just past his knees. Next to him in the center of the road is a bicycle laid across the ground.

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Defector Reads A Book

Defector Reads A Book: Defector Rides A Bike

Team Visma-Lease a Bike's French rider Pauline Ferrand Prevot cycles in a breakaway during the fifth edition of the Paris-Roubaix women's race, 148,5 km between Denain and Roubaix, northern France on April 12, 2025. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP)

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Cycling

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot’s Quick Return Makes A Great Cycling Season Better

Team Visma-Lease a Bike's Belgian rider Wout van Aert (C) reacts at the end of the men's elite race 'Dwars Door Vlaanderen', 184,2 km from Roeselare to Waregem, on April 2, 2025. (Photo by DIRK WAEM / Belga / AFP) / Belgium OUT

CYCLING-BEL

Wout van Aert Tried So Hard To Win, He Forgot Not To Lose

SANREMO, ITALY - MARCH 22: (L-R) Mathieu Van Der Poel of Netherlands and Team Alpecin – Deceuninck and Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia and Team UAE Team Emirates compete in the breakaway during the 116th Milano-Sanremo 2025 a 289km one day race from Pavia to Sanremo / #UCIWT / on March 22, 2025 in Sanremo, Italy. (Photo byFabio Ferrari - Pool/Getty Images)

116th Milano-Sanremo 2025

Mathieu van der Poel And Tadej Pogacar Tear Up The Script

SIENA, ITALY - MARCH 08: Demi Vollering of Netherlands and Team FDJ - SUEZ celebrates at podium as race winner during the 11st Strade Bianche 2025, Women's Elite a 136km one day race from Siena to Siena 320m / #UCIWWT / on March 08, 2025 in Siena, Italy. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)

11st Strade Bianche 2025 – Women’s Elite

The Demi Vollering Revenge Tour Is Officially On

<p>Eva Holland is a freelance writer and editor based in Whitehorse, Yukon. She&#8217;s a correspondent for Outside magazine and the author of the books <i>Nerve </i>and <i><a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/no-sleep-til-fairbanks#/">No Sleep &#8216;Til Fairbanks</a>.</i></p>


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Eva Holland

Lael Wilcox pedaling past a field of poppes in Spain

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Trying To Catch Up With Lael Wilcox As She Biked Around The World In 108 Days

SAN SEBASTIAN, SPAIN - AUGUST 10: Marc Hirschi of Switzerland and UAE Team Emirates celebrates at finish line as race winner during the 44th Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa 2024 a 236km one day race from San Sebastian to San Sebastian / #UCIWT / on August 10, 2024 in San Sebastian, Spain. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)

44th Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa 2024

Marc Hirschi Is Finally Flying Free Again

LUGO, SPAIN - AUGUST 30: (EDITORS NOTE: Multiple exposures were combined in camera to produce this image.) Primoz Roglic of Slovenia and Team Red Bull Bora - hansgrohe prior to the La Vuelta - 79th Tour of Spain 2024 - Stage 13 a 176km stage from Lugo to Puerto de Ancares 1659m / #UCIWT / on August 30, 2024 in Lugo, Spain. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)

La Vuelta – 79th Tour of Spain 2024 – Stage 13

Primoz Roglic Shows He’s Up For The Fight

Canyon//SRAM Racing team's Polish rider Katarzyna Niewiadoma celebrates after crossing the finish line and winning the third edition of the Women's Tour de France cycling race, after the 8th and last stage of the Tour de France, a 149.9 km between Le Grand Bornand and the Alpe d'Huez, in south-eastern France, on August 18, 2024. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP)

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The Tour de France Femmes Ending Was As Dramatic As It Gets

Stage winner Team SD Worx - Protime's Hungarian rider Blanka Vas (L) speaks with Team SD Worx - Protime's Dutch rider Demi Vollering after the 5th stage (out of 8) of the third edition of the Women's Tour de France cycling race, a 152.5 km between Bastogne in southeastern Belgium and Amneville in northeastern France, on August 15, 2024. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP)

CYCLING-TDF-2024-WOMEN-STAGE5

Untimely Crash Throws Tour de France Femmes Into Chaos

Cédrine Kerbaol of France and Team CERATIZIT-WNT Pro Cycling - White best young jersey, Katarzyna Niewiadoma of Poland and Team Canyon//SRAM Racing - Polka dot Mountain Jersey, Demi Vollering of The Netherlands - Yellow leader jersey and Lotte Kopecky of Belgium and Team SD Worx - Protime - Green points jersey celebrate at podium during the 2nd Tour de France Femmes 2023, Stage 8 a 22.6km individual time trial stage from Pau to Pau / #UCIWWT / on July 30, 2023 in Pau, France. (Photo by Alex Broadway/Getty Images)

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The Tour de France Femmes Is The Perfect Post-Olympics Spectacle

PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 04: Kristen Faulkner of Team United States celebrates at finish line as Gold medal winner during the Women's Road Race on day nine of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Trocadero on August 04, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)

Cycling – Road – Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 9

Olympics

Kristen Faulkner’s Gold Medal Ride Was A Masterpiece Of Bravery

ELANCOURT, FRANCE - JULY 29: Thomas Pidcock of Team Great Britain competes during the Men's Cross-Country on day three of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Elancourt Hill on July 29, 2024 in Elancourt, France. (Photo by Alex Broadway/Getty Images)

Cycling – Mountain Bike – Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 3

Tom Pidcock Scandalizes Delicate French Fans By Being Too Good At Bike Racing

<p>Owen Lewis is a former Defector intern and co-founded the website <a href="http://popcorntennis.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://popcorntennis.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726234676777000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0PFWw6PL-FUqaCMME5TLqP">popcorntennis.com</a>. He wrote 63,000 words about the Novak Djokovic-Rafael Nadal rivalry that can be accessed for free at <a href="https://thegoldenrivalry.substack.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://thegoldenrivalry.substack.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726234676777000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2OjAHpo4PVIhkx8Xd21lRJ">thegoldenrivalry.substack.com</a>.</p>


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Owen Lewis

Remco Evenepoel with his third-place honors at the 2024 Tour de France.

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Cycling’s Belgian Brat Just Needs To Get A Little More Deranged

COL DE LA COUILLOLE, FRANCE - JULY 20: Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia and UAE Team Emirates - Yellow Leader Jersey celebrates at finish line as stage winner during the 111th Tour de France 2024, Stage 20 a 132.8km stage from Nice to Col de la Couillole 1676m / #UCIWT / on July 20, 2024 in Col de la Couillole, France. (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)

111th Tour de France 2024 – Stage 20

Tadej Pogačar Is Insatiable

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Wings Week

Time Is Running Out To Clip Tadej Pogačar’s Wings

VILLENEUVE-SUR-LOT, FRANCE - JULY 11: (EDITOR'S NOTE: Alternate crop) Biniam Girmay of Eritrea and Team Intermarche - Wanty - Green Sprint Jersey celebrates at finish line as stage winner ahead of (L-R) Wout Van Aert of Belgium and Team Visma | Lease a Bike, Pascal Ackermann of Germany and Team Israel - Premier Tech and Jasper Philipsen of Belgium and Team Alpecin - Deceuninck during the 111th Tour de France 2024, Stage 12 a 203.6km stage from Aurillac to Villeneuve-sur-Lot / #UCIWT / on July 11, 2024 in Villeneuve-sur-Lot, France. (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)

111th Tour de France 2024 – Stage 12

Biniam Girmay Is The New Sprint King

Mark Cavendish of Astana Qazaqstan celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the stage 5 of the 2024 Tour de France.

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Mark Cavendish Endured So Much To Break The Tour de France’s Most Hallowed Record

UAE Team Emirates team's Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar cycles to the finish line to win the 4th stage of the 111th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 140 km between Pinerolo in Italy, and Valloire in France, on July 2, 2024. (Photo by Thomas SAMSON / AFP)

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Tadej Pogačar Opens The Tour de France As Pugnacious As Ever

MOIRANS-EN-MONTAGNE, FRANCE - JULY 21: Yellow jersey of race leader Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark and Jumbo - Visma salutes White jersey of best young rider Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia and UAE Team Emirates at the start of stage nineteen of the 110th Tour de France 2023, a 172.8km stage from Moirans-en-Montagne to Poligny / #UCIWT / on July 21, 2023 in Moirans-en-Montagne, France. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)

110th Tour de France 2023 – Stage 19

This Year’s Tour de France Will Have No Paris Parade And No Precedent

<div dir="auto">
<div dir="auto">Corbin Smith is a writer and photographer from Vancouver, Washington. His work has appeared in Deadspin, The Daily Beast, and <em>Rolling Stone</em>. He is also the host of <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pacific-northwest-insurance-corporation-moviefilm/id1712416222"><em>The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm Podcast</em></a> a podcast about movies.</div>
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Corbin Smith

People riding bikes around in a very small loop at the Ladd's 500 relay in Portland, Oregon.

LaddsLads

Life's Rich Pageant

The Beauty And Boredom Of 500 Laps Around The Same .148-Mile Loop

PADOVA, ITALY - MAY 23: Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia and UAE Team Emirates celebrates at podium as Blue Mountain Jersey winner during the 107th Giro d'Italia 2024, Stage 18 a 178km stage from Fiera di primiero to Padova / #UCIWT / on May 23, 2024 in Padova, Italy. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)

107th Giro d’Italia 2024 – Stage 18

Tadej Pogačar’s Domination Is A Terrifying Marvel To Behold

WAREGEM, BELGIUM - MARCH 27: Matteo Jorgenson of The United States and Team Visma | Lease a Bike celebrates at finish line as race winner during the 78th Dwars Door Vlaanderen 2024 - Men's Elite a 188.6km one day race from Roeselare to Waregem / #UCIWT / on March 27, 2024 in Waregem, Belgium. (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)

78th Dwars Door Vlaanderen 2024 – Men’s Elite

Wout van Aert’s Pain Is Matteo Jorgenson’s Opportunity

GUADARRAMA, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 16: (EDITOR'S NOTE: Alternate crop) (L-R) Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark, Sepp Kuss of The United States - Red Leader Jersey final overall winner and Primoz Roglic of Slovenia and Team Jumbo-Visma cross the finish line during the 78th Tour of Spain 2023, Stage 20 a 207.8km stage from Manzanares El Real to Guadarrama / #UCIWT / on September 16, 2023 in Guadarrama, Spain. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

78th Tour of Spain 2023 – Stage 20

It Doesn’t Get More Satisfying Than Sepp Kuss’s Shocking, Absurd Vuelta Win

UNSPECIFIED, SPAIN - AUGUST 31: &lt;&gt; ahead of the 78th Tour of Spain 2023 on August 31, 2023 in UNSPECIFIED, Spain. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)