Rouleur 128: Tour de France Hommes is a deep dive into the Tour on the eve of this unique event, with a cover that celebrates the Florentine landmarks that will wave the race off, and a feature which examines the history, culture and atmosphere of Nice and the Côte d’Azur.
We also have exclusive interviews with former winners Egan Bernal and Vincenzo Nibali. Tour winners are cycling royalty, and they always have something to say, especially in the case of the two in this magazine. Bernal is on a protracted comeback from a horrific training crash two years ago, and is getting better and better. Nibali, who won the Tour 10 years ago this summer, is long retired, but has the wise perspective of an older man.
We’ve also interviewed Grand Tour contender João Almeida, third in the 2023 Giro, and Michael Mørkøv, the best leadout rider in the world, who has got back together for one last Tour with Tour stage record holder Mark Cavendish. We’ve also been embedded with Visma-Lease a Bike at Amstel Gold Race, looked into Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe’s ambitious plans to win the Tour, explored the small towns of the Tour and learned about the street photography of Robert Doisneau, whose images of bikes and Paris are iconic.
The Tour de France is the greatest bike race in the world, and Rouleur is the finest cycling magazine in the world. Why not celebrate this conjunction with a subscription?
Ed Pickering, Editor
What’s in the magazine?
SMALL TOWNS & A BIG RACE
People come hours, sometimes even days, before a Tour de France stage to scope out the best switchback and watch racers speed by for all of 15 seconds. The Tour can bring hordes of visitors – and their tourism euros – to an otherwise quiet town. But locals seem more invested in their passion for cycling than the financial gains. Sophie Stuber rode through a few of the smaller towns on this year’s Tour de France: Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, Semur-en-Auxois and Gruissan, talking to local officials and hotel owners about what it means to bring the Tour to their region and whether they do it for the potential economic benefits, or the pure love of the sport. She focused on small towns and ski resorts, where the fee for hosting a stage is a bigger financial commitment comparatively than a city like Nice, but which brings huge benefits.
JOÃO ALMEDIA
Isaac had never had direct contact with João Almeida before and, for that reason, his expectations when it came to interviewing him were almost nil. But Isaac liked what he found when he went to meet the Portuguese rider early in the season. Almeida is a guy who speaks little and in a quiet voice, but his ideas are clear and he has a very particular sense of humour. He’s also got a reputation as a thoughtful individual, and of course, he’s a thoughtful bike racer – his trademark is the mountain stage comeback, which shows a degree of self knowledge and confidence. At all times he makes people around him feel like one of his group of friends. Although, Isaac also feels, that’s the general feeling that UAE Team Emirates transmits despite living in a universe capitalised at all times by a cyclist as unique as Tadej Pogačar.
Storied Classics
MICHAEL MØRKØV
Geraint Thomas is one of the peloton’s most experienced riders, having signed what he thinks is probably his last two-year contract with Ineos Grenadiers, the team he has represented since their inception in 2010. Thomas came a narrow second in the Giro last year, and is returning to the race he describes as one for the purists, before going on to tackle the Tour de France. He tells Rouleur that in spite of the fact he’s in his 18th year as a professional, his ambition is still burning as brightly as ever, and he insists that the fact of his career drawing to a close is only sharpening his focus.
AND MUCH MORE...
This magazine also features an exclusive interview with 2019 Tour de France winner Egan Bernal, who speaks to Rouleur about his ongoing comeback after a crash in 2022 that almost cost him his career; James Startt and Edward Pickering headed to Nice to learn more about the city where the race will hold its grand finale; Juan Antonio Flecha interviews Vincenzo Nibali; James Startt documents the days he spent with Visma-Lease a Bike during Amstel Gold Race; Simon Smythe goes for tea and cake with Parcours founder Dov Tate; Josh Tarling faces Rouleur’s Question Time; plus Panaracer; Art Cycle; Ribble; Assos, Sram, BMC, Scott, Tissot, Ned and Rachel Neylan – our guest columnist for this edition of the magazine, taking over while Orla Chennaoui takes a short and deserved break from writing duties.
