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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

Tour de France riders against a lovely mountain backdrop dappled with the shadows of fluffy clouds.

112th Tour de France 2025 – Stage 18

Cycling

Some More Stuff I Saw At The Tour de France

Tour de France riders pass as a blur of color through a narrow cobbled pass between throngs of fans on the Rue Lepic during the final stage of the 2025 Tour de France

112th Tour de France – Stage 21

The Tour de France’s New, Hardcore Paris Finale Was One For The Ages

Tadej Pogacar celebrates on the podium with the overall leader's yellow jersey after the 20th stage of the 112th edition of the Tour de France cycling race

CYCLING-TDF-2025-STAGE 20

Tadej Pogacar And The Boredom Of Perfection

A float for the Cochonou brand in the Tour de France caravan, with spectators reaching out to it as it passes.

tdf cochonou float

There Is No Tour de France Without The Tour de Brands

IMG_3452

My Tour de France Lunches, Reviewed

Valentin Paret-Peintre of France and Team Soudal Quick-Step and Ben Healy of Ireland and Team EF Education - EasyPost sprint at finish line to win during Stage 16 of the 112th Tour de France 2025.

112th Tour de France 2025 – Stage 16

France Finally Has Something To Smile About At The Tour

Spectators crowd the ascent of Hautacam during the 12th stage of the 112th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 180.6 km between Auch and Hautacam, in the Pyrenees mountains of southwestern France, on July 17, 2025.

tdf crowd flags

The Tour de France Is For The Polyglots, For Now

Julian Alaphilippe of France and Team Tudor Pro Cycling (celebrating wrongly) and Wout Van Aert of Belgium and Team Visma.

112th Tour de France 2025 – Stage 15

Julian Alaphilippe Loses, Celebrates, And Learns To Smile About It

Markus Hoelgaard of Norway and Team Uno-X Mobility competes during the 112th Tour de France 2025, Stage 14 a 182.6km stage from Pau to Luchon-Superbagneres.

112th Tour de France 2025 – Stage 14

A Day Inside The Tour de France From The Neutral Service Car

Fans throng a rider on the way up the Hautacam during Stage 12 of the 2025 Tour de France.

Tour de France 2025 Stage 12

Feral Belgians, Superfan Gendarmes, And Tattered Cyclists At The Tour de France’s First Summit Finish

Stage winner Jonas Abrahamsen of Norway and Team Uno-X Mobility and Mauro Schmid of Switzerland and Team Jayco AlUla sprint at finish line during the 112th Tour de France 2025, Stage 11 a 156.8km stage from Toulouse to Toulouse

112th Tour de France 2025 – Stage 11

What It’s Like To Lose From The Winning Move

Ben Healy of Ireland and Team EF Education - EasyPost celebrates at finish line as stage winner during the 112th Tour de France, Stage 6 a 201.5km stage from Bayeux to Vire Normandie

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Ben Healy Wins One For The Romantics

Slovenian Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the fourth stage of the 2025 Tour de France cycling, Amien Metropole - Rouen (173 km), on Tuesday 08 July 2025 in France. The 112th edition of the Tour de France starts on Saturday 5 July in Lille, France, and will finish in Paris, France on the 27th of July. BELGA PHOTO JASPER JACOBS (Photo by JASPER JACOBS / BELGA MAG / Belga via AFP)

CYCLING TOUR DE FRANCE 2025 STAGE 4

Tadej Pogacar Strikes The First Blow With Some “Pure Racing”

SAINT-PAUL-TROIS-CHATEAUX, FRANCE - JULY 17: (L-R) Jonas Vingegaard Hansen of Denmark and Team Visma | Lease a Bike - Polka dot Mountain Jersey, Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia and UAE Team Emirates - Yellow Leader Jersey, Biniam Girmay of Eritrea and Team Intermarche - Wanty - Green Sprint Jersey, Jasper Philipsen of Belgium and Team Alpecin - Deceuninck and Thomas Gachignard of France and Team TotalEnergies prior to the 111th Tour de France 2024, Stage 17 a 177.8km stage from Saint-Paul-Trois-Chateaux to Superdevoluy 1500m / #UCIWT / on July 17, 2024 in Saint-Paul-Trois-Chateaux, France. (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)

111th Tour de France 2024 – Stage 17

Your Guide To The 2025 Tour de France

LE GRAND BORNAND, FRANCE - AUGUST 17: (L-R) Audrey Cordon-Ragot of France and Team Human Powered Health and a general view of the peloton competing during the 3rd Tour de France Femmes 2024, Stage 7 a 166.4km stage from Champagnole to Le Grand Bornand 1265m / #UCIWWT / on August 17, 2024 in Le Grand Bornand, France. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)

3rd Tour de France Femmes 2024 – Stage 7

How Team Tactics Shape The Tour de France, And Vice Versa

The pack of the Tour de France cross a railway line during a stage of the Great Loop, in July 1933. (Photo by STF / AFP) (Photo credit should read STF/AFP via Getty Images)

RETRO-TDF-1933

How To Watch Cycling

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)

tour-de-france-femmes-2023

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

<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.

mark-cavendish-tdf-2024

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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