defector-orange-no-empty-space

lede_post_card_default

lede_post_card_stacked

lede_post_card_featured_post

lede_post_card_featured_posts_hero

lede_post_card_featured_posts_sidebar

lede_post_card_highlighted_post

lede_post_card_horizontal_a

lede_post_card_horizontal_c

lede_post_card_related_post

lede_article_featured_16x9

lede_article_featured_3x2

lede_article_featured_flexible

lede_article_content

lede_article_content_wide_width

lede_article_content_full_width

lede_byline_avatar_post_card

lede_byline_avatar_highlight

lede_profile_coral_avatar

lede_logo

lede_logo_banner

lede_logo_footer_banner

lede_logo_simple_header

lede_sponsorship_logo

lede_sponsorship_logo_river_card

lede_sponsorship_homepage_card_logo

lede_sponsorship_homepage_card

Footer Legal

Header - Categories

Header Menu

The last good website.

Topics

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.

defector-no-empty-space

Defector

NYC: Come To Our WNBA Comedy Show On May 16

10-minute-quarters-3-2-fix (1)

Live Event

headshot1

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.

tim-krabbe-the-rider

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)

TOPSHOT-CYCLING-FRA-ROUBAIX-WOMEN

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

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 Nerve and <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/no-sleep-til-fairbanks#/">No Sleep &#8216;Til Fairbanks</a>.

20190624_Eva_Holland_005_Web

Eva Holland

Lael Wilcox pedaling past a field of poppes in Spain

447815749_454062400568427_6413147130362967175_n

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)

TOPSHOT-CYCLING-TDF-2024-WOMEN-STAGE8

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)

tour-de-france-femmes-2023

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

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>.

baby owen

Owen Lewis

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

GettyImages-2162919057

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

tadej-pogacar-tdf-2024

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.

mark-cavendish-tdf-2024

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