One of my favourite races of the year starts shortly, the Volta a Portugal 🇵🇹 A premier Velogames contest full of unknowns and unpredictability & gives us all a breather from Pogi dominance (although Team UAE are here to spoil the party). After much deliberation, my team selection for the race.

Switched on C4 News. Within a couple of mins, reports on wildfires, floods, record breaking heatwaves and excess death increases from unprecedented regional warming. This is the new normal and the climate is undoubtedly the most important issue for governments to plan and mitigate against.

Forgot how much fun this bike is to ride, must be a year plus since I last used it. Need to get out on it more.

Team for Velogames Pologne. Tough race to call with a weak startlist and the favourite being a complete unknown. Final stage ITT will take deciding the winner down to the wire. Pologne always marks the tragic passing of Bjorg Lambrecht and his race number (143) retired in his honour.

What has the BBC ever done for me? It’s shamelessly unmasked itself, who it works on behalf of (not us) and now ultimately what it represents. No amount of simping messages or infomercials will change that. So to answer the question, it’s prompted me to make better use of my time elsewhere.

Friend just messaged me to whinge about a cyclist on his journey and basically confirmed that moved into the bus lane the cyclist was travelling in causing the cyclist to adjust course. Cyclist understandably was pretty hacked off. Applicable Highway Code rules (133 and 183) have been provided.

Epic win for Richie, what an amazing Tour he’s had. Feel really sorry for Kuss who was looking strong to see it home before his double crash. #TourdeFrance

That 2nd Kuss crash was scary AF. Literally the last strip of betting saved him from falling over the mountain. #TourdeFrance

Carapaz looking like an absolute menace, waiting for his moment to attack having already tried a couple of times without success. But the battle is really going to come down to Pog. #TourdeFrance

Awesome Richie racecraft 🇪🇨 Stealth moved over to the other side of the road and hits the go button. No chance of getting on his wheel, see ya 👋 #TourdeFrance

Microsoft's planning to build 3 massive AI data centres in Leeds. It’ll drain thousands of litres of water from the River Aire and become the city's biggest carbon emitter. We can still stop the council's final sign-off, but we need more voices. Add your name: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/pr...

Stop the Microsoft AI megasite in Leeds!

Microsoft wants to build three huge AI data centres at Skelton Grange. It would drain the River Aire and become the city's biggest carbon emitter. We can still stop it - add your name to the petition.

you.38degrees.org.uk

It’s not the roads that are dangerous, it’s those who occupy them. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

England's best and worst rated major roads are named

Independent watchdog Transport Focus finds Kent's M20 motorway is among the most highly rated.

bbc.co.uk

It was all going eerily well avoiding Velogames DNF/DNS’s. That was until today. Really gutted for Lipo. Wishing him a speedy recovery and it’s everything behind Remco for the remainder of the race.

Horrible crash for Lipowitz, questionable whether he can continue in the race. Best wishes it’s less severe than it looks. #TourdeFrance

Quite breathtaking performance so far by Remco. Absolute machine. Only Tadej anywhere near close, the rest of the field has been blitzed to smithereens. Pidcock with a great TT ride too, well beyond expectations. #TourdeFrance

Sounds like some idiot motorist got onto the course during the recon, got frustrated and then brake checked Brandon McNulty. Motorist involved needs to be identified and prosecuted. They aren’t fit to hold a driving licence and it should be revoked. www.cyclingnews.com/pro-cycling/...

US rider Brandon McNulty knocked off bike by car driver before Tour de France time trial on stage 16

UAE Team Emirates-XRG boss says superdomestique escaped relatively unscathed: 'Apparently it's nothing so big and all good'

cyclingnews.com

Ideal first couple of days of the week to get out on the bike, around 20°C and low wind. Low traffic too with the summer holidays starting this week. Much less being squeezed, though there’s always an idiot or 2 happy to conduct a pointless MGIF or MGIF left hook. Very much the vast minority though.

Gutted for Jonas Vingegaard, having to abandon the Tour after crashing. Wishing him a speedy recovery. #TourdeFrance

12km to the finish and Brian Smith has finally got Mauro Schmid‘s first name correct 😂 Come on Tom 💪 #TourdeFrance

Epic stage that and boy did this TdF need it. Brutal, racing from start to finish and the breakaway vs peloton battle hanging in the balance throughout. As crazy as Net Company INEOS tactics were, top Ganna won the bunch sprint behind, so they knew! #TourdeFrance

Kicking the sh!t out of your rear mech on a descent. Pidcock with the bike handling and mechanic hack skills. Hope the issue is sorted and he can contest the stage🤞 #TourdeFrance

Warped reality of Badenoch, on one hand claiming the Tories are a party for serious people, whilst simultaneously purging those backing Net Zero. All whilst wildfires wreak havoc across Southern Europe and record temperatures beaten on a daily basis. Utterly crazy. www.lbc.co.uk/article/kemi...

Kemi Badenoch says Tory hopefuls who back net zero will be rejected | LBC

The Conservative leader also said she would not give special treatment to former ministers because she is not building a 'retirement home for failed politicians'

lbc.co.uk

One of those very rare occasions I referred to yesterday. Zero instances of driver endangerment. Got out a bit earlier mainly for the cooler conditions. The second big positive, almost as many cyclists out as drivers today. Things you love to see. 👍

Absolutely horrific. Failing to stop/leaving the scene is an intentional act, denying the victim of life critical emergency assistance. This tragic incident went much further, also robbing the victim of their dignity. www.stickybottle.com/latest-news/...

Cyclist left dead on Kildare roadside for up to 14 hours after driver fled scene | Sticky Bottle

A cyclist killed in a hit and run, by a driver, in Co Kildare may have been struck at 10.30pm on Thursday even though his remains were not found until 12.30pm...

stickybottle.com

Here we go again. The pleas will fall on deaf ears unfortunately. The same people that criticise cycle lanes for limiting emergency service access (completely debunked myth) are those that prioritise their own selfish parking over potentially life critical access. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Burnsall parking field closure prompts Dales village safety fears

The residents of Burnsall are braced for an influx of visitors this weekend as temperatures soar.

bbc.co.uk

Hello friends! We are making a push to get more cycling fans onto Radial (and Bluesky) during the Tour, partially by setting up an Instagram account to reach them where they are. It would be very helpful if you could give us a follow! www.instagram.com/radialprocyc...

Radial (@radialprocycling) • Instagram

4 Followers - 2 Posts - "Norway Rising. Is it the Erling Haaland effect? Or the Halland effect? #tdf #tdf2026 #worldcup2026"

instagram.com

Driving is extremely anti-social in nature. It’s a significant net drain on society, for wholly individual benefit. Cycling on the other hand, is an incredibly social activity. You acknowledge cyclists travelling in the opposite direction and often chat with those travelling in the same direction.

Ride today like every other, endangered by people who aren’t fit to hold a driving licence. Worst was van driver who refused to wait behind parked cars on his side of road, just drove straight towards me. Then had the temerity to give me lip. He didn’t like getting branded a knobhead in response.

1 hour+ in that ☀️ 🔥 at any kind of intensity and you are fully wiped out. The vacant stare says it all 😂

The race isn’t over until it’s over, but this TdF (not even by end of the first week) is as close to being over as it can be without the race being over. Greatness is always a wonder to behold, but as a spectacle the TdF is a poor relation of La Vuelta. Mind due, dependent on Pog not riding it.