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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

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

Cycling

Mathieu van der Poel And Tadej Pogacar Tear Up The Script

<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.

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

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Wings Week

Time Is Running Out To Clip Tadej Pogačar’s Wings

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)

CYCLING-TDF-2024-STAGE04

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

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

PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 23: (L-R) Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia and UAE Team Emirates on second place and race winner Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark and Team Jumbo-Visma - Yellow Leader Jersey pose on the podium ceremony after the stage twenty-one of the 110th Tour de France 2023 a 11 5.1km stage from Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines to Paris / #UCIWT / on July 23, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

110th Tour de France 2023 – Stage 21

The Tour de France’s Best Rivalry Will Only Get Better

Jumbo-Visma's Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard celebrates on the podium with the overall leader's yellow jersey after winning the 16th stage of the 110th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 22 km individual time trial between Passy and Combloux, in the French Alps, on July 18, 2023. (Photo by Marco BERTORELLO / AFP)

CYCLING-FRA-TDF2023-STAGE16-PODIUM

Jonas Vingegaard Smoked Everyone Else In A Masterful Time Trial

SAINT-GERVAIS MONT-BLANC, FRANCE - JULY 16: Yellow jersey, race leader Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark and Jumbo - Visma and White jersey of best young rider Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia and UAE Team Emirates cross the finish line of stage fifteen of the 110th Tour de France 2023, a 179km stage from Les Gets les Portes du Soleil to Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc 1379m / #UCIWT / on July 16, 2023 in Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc, France. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)

110th Tour de France 2023 – Stage 15

This Is As Close As The Tour de France Has Ever Been

CAUTERETS-CAMBASQUE, FRANCE - JULY 06: Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia and UAE Team Emirates - White Best Young Rider Jersey celebrates at finish line as stage winner during the stage six of the 110th Tour de France 2023 a 144.9km stage from Tarbes to Cauterets-Cambasque 1355m / #UCIWT / on July 06, 2023 in Cauterets-Cambasque, France. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

110th Tour de France 2023 – Stage 6

Tadej Pogacar Strikes Back

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

Jumbo-Visma team's Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey (R) and UAE Team Emirates team's Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar wearing the best young rider's white jersey (L) await the start of the 13th stage of the 109th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 192,6 km between Le Bourg d'Oisans in the French Alps, and Saint-Etienne in central France, on July 15, 2022. (Photo by Thomas SAMSON / AFP) (Photo by THOMAS SAMSON/AFP via Getty Images)

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Jonas Vingegaard Finally Cracked Tadej Pogacar, And Now The Race Is On

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We Might Have A Real Fight On Our Hands

Australian Simon Clarke of Israel-Premier Tech, Dutch Taco van der Hoorn of Intermarche Wanty-Gobert Materiaux and USï¿¿ Neilson Powless of EF Education-EasyPost pictured in action during stage five of the Tour de France cycling race, a 155 km race from Lille Metropole to Arenberg porte du Hainaut, France on Wednesday 06 July 2022. This year's Tour de France takes place from 01 to 24 July 2022. BELGA PHOTO DAVID STOCKMAN - UK OUT (Photo by DAVID STOCKMAN / BELGA MAG / Belga via AFP) (Photo by DAVID STOCKMAN/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)

CYCLING TOUR DE FRANCE 2022 STAGE 5

Neilson Powless Came So Close To His Yellow Jersey Moment

Team Jumbo rider Slovenia's Primoz Roglic (L) and Team UAE Emirates rider Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey attend the start of the 21st and last stage of the 107th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 122 km between Mantes-la-Jolie and Champs Elysees Paris, on September 20, 2020. (Photo by KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP) (Photo by KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP via Getty Images)

CYCLING-FRA-TDF2020-STAGE21

Which Slovenian Will Win The Tour de France?

Belgian Wout Van Aert of Team Jumbo-Visma celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the 21 and last stage of the 108th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 108,4 km from Chatou to Paris in France, Sunday 18 July 2021. This year's Tour de France takes place from 26 June to 18 July 2021.

CYCLING TOUR DE FRANCE 2021 LAST STAGE 21

Wout van Aert Brought The Tour de France To Life

(From L) Team Jumbo Visma's Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark wearing the best young's white jersey, Team Ineos Grenadiers' Richard Carapaz of Ecuador and Team UAE Emirates' Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey cross the finish line at the end of the 11th stage of the 108th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 198 km between Sorgues and Malaucene, on July 07, 2021. (Photo by Philippe LOPEZ / AFP) (Photo by PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

CYCLING-FRA-TDF2021-STAGE11

The Real Race At The Tour de France Is No Longer For The Yellow Jersey

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Tadej Pogacar Seized The Tour de France With The Race’s Most Stunning Ride In Decades

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