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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

NYC: Come To Our WNBA Comedy Show On July 15

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Live Event

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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

Why ‘The Rider’ Is The Best Sports Book I’ve Ever Read

Defector Reads A Book: Defector Rides A Bike

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>.

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Eva Holland

Lael Wilcox pedaling past a field of poppes in Spain

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Cycling

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

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

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

BORA - hansgrohe's Australian rider Jai Hindley celebrates on the podium after winning the 5th stage of the 110th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 163 km between Pau and Laruns, in the Pyrenees mountains in southwestern France, on July 5, 2023. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP) (Photo by ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP via Getty Images)

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Jai Hindley Rips Open The Tour de France

French Christophe Laporte of Jumbo-Visma, Belgian Wout Van Aert of Jumbo-Visma, Danish Jonas Vingegaard of Jumbo-Visma, Belgian Tiesj Benoot of Jumbo-Visma and US' Sepp Kuss of Jumbo-Visma pictured in action during stage 21, the final stage of the Tour de France cycling race, from Paris la Defense Arena to Paris Champs-Elysees, France, on Sunday 24 July 2022. This year's Tour de France takes place from 01 to 24 July 2022. BELGA PHOTO POOL LEQUIPPE - UK OUT (Photo by POOL LEQUIPPE / BELGA MAG / Belga via AFP) (Photo by POOL LEQUIPPE/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)

The Defector Guide To The 2023 Tour de France

VILLARS-SUR-OLLON, SWITZERLAND - MAY 01: Gino Mader of Switzerland and Team Bahrain Victorious celebrates the second place on the podium after the 75th Tour De Romandie 2022 - Stage 5 on May 1, 2022 in Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland. (Photo by RvS.Media/Basile Barbey/Getty Images,)

75th Tour De Romandie 2022 – Stage 5

Gino Mäder Had Too Much More To Give

Riders shake their heads in confusion as they pass a car on the race course.

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Cycling Race Canceled After Riders Call Out Organizers For Letting Them Compete In Open Traffic

Primoz Roglic getting the push he needed.

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Primoz Roglic Got A Little Push From A Pal In His Quest For Redemption

Moments after disaster, when Bettio crashes.

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The Giro d’Italia Has Turned Into A Hazardous Slog

Slovenian Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates celebrates after winning the 86th edition of the men's race 'La Fleche Wallonne', a one day cycling race (Waalse Pijl - Walloon Arrow), 194,2 km from Herve to Huy, Wednesday 19 April 2023. BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM (Photo by DIRK WAEM / BELGA MAG / Belga via AFP) (Photo by DIRK WAEM/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)

CYCLING FLECHE WALLONNE MEN 86TH EDITION

Any Race With Tadej Pogacar In It Is A Race For Second

ROUBAIX, FRANCE - APRIL 09: (L-R) Race winner Mathieu van der Poel of The Netherlands, Jasper Philipsen of Belgium and Team Alpecin-Deceuninck and John Degenkolb of Germany and Team DSM (injured after being involved in a crash) during the 120th Paris-Roubaix 2023, Men's Elite a 256.6km one day race from Compiègne to Roubaix on / #UCIWT / April 09, 2023 in Roubaix, France. (Photo by Frank Faugère - Pool/Getty Images)

120th Paris-Roubaix 2023 – Men’s Elite

John Degenkolb’s Day In Hell Was Worth It

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Giri Nathan

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Big Crash Leaves Cyclist Dangling Over Small Bridge

Dutch Mathieu Van Der Poel pictured during the team presentation of the 'Alpecin-Deceuninck' cyclocross team, at the Deceuninck headquarters in Hooglede, Thursday 15 September 2022. BELGA PHOTO DAVID STOCKMAN (Photo by DAVID STOCKMAN / BELGA MAG / Belga via AFP) (Photo by DAVID STOCKMAN/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)

CYCLOCROSS ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK CYCLING TEAM

Cycling World Championships Marred By Alleged Ding-Dong-Ditch Assault

WOLLOGONG, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 19: Detailed view of birds perched on a railing during the 95th UCI Road World Championships 2022 - Men U23 Individual Time Trial a 28,8km / #Wollongong2022 / on September 19, 2022 in Wollongong, Australia. (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)

95th UCI Road World Championships 2022 – Men U23 Individual Time Trial

The Winner Of The Cycling World Championships Is: Birds

Team Wanty's Eritrean rider Biniam Girmay Hailu celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the 10th stage of the Giro d'Italia 2022 cycling race, 196 kilometers between Pescara and Jesi, central Italy, on May 17, 2022.

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Biniam Girmay Looks Like A Superstar In The Making

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Defector Up All Night

Cycling Fans Engage In Horseplay

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Cyclist Learns Painful Lesson About Hubris, Twice

Eritrean Biniam Girmay Hailu of Intermarche Wanty-Gobert Materiaux celebrates after winning the men's Gent-Wevelgem - In Flanders Fields cycling race, 248,9km from Ieper to Wevelgem, Sunday 27 March 2022. BELGA PHOTO KURT DESPLENTER (Photo by KURT DESPLENTER / BELGA MAG / Belga via AFP) (Photo by KURT DESPLENTER/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)

CYCLING GENT-WEVELGEM IN FLANDERS FIELDS MEN

Biniam Girmay’s Historic Win Is Just The Start

Team Bahrain's Matej Mohoric of Slovenia celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the 113th Milan-San Remo one-day classic cycling race, on March 19, 2022 between Milan and San Remo, northern Italy. (Photo by Marco BERTORELLO / AFP) (Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images)

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Cycling Daredevil Matej Mohorič Won An All-Time Duel With Gravity

UAE Team Emirates US rider Brandon McNulty celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the 5th stage of the 80th Paris - Nice cycling race, 189 km between Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert and Saint-Sauveur-de-Montagut, on March 10, 2022. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP) (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)

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Here Come The Americans

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Big Bull Wreaks Havoc On Bike Race

Colombia's Egan Bernal, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey rides during the 21st and last stage of the 106th edition of the Tour de France cycling race between Rambouillet and Paris Champs-Elysees, in Paris on July 28, 2019. (Photo by Marco Bertorello / AFP) (Photo credit should read MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images)

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Tour de France Champion Egan Bernal Survives Horrific Crash During Training

Team Jumbo's Slovenian rider Primoz Roglic celebrates as he wins the 17th stage of the 2021 La Vuelta cycling tour of Spain, a 185.8 km race from Unquera to Lagos de Covadonga on September 1, 2021. (Photo by MIGUEL RIOPA / AFP) (Photo by MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP via Getty Images)

CYCLING-ESP-VUELTA

Primoz Roglic Refuses To Ride Scared

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