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Even more than the rainy, treacherous conditions, the online chatter around today’s opening time trial of the Tour de France has been dominated by Specialized’s latest aero development – the, errr… snood.

According to Specialized, the balaclava is designed to smooth airflow around and through the brand’s helmets (including their new 1950s astronaut-style TT5 lid modelled by a few riders in Copenhagen), by flattening the ears, hair and shape of the rider’s head.

Either that, or Peter Sagan and Kasper Asgreen will be breaking into the Danmarks Nationalbank later this evening…

Alexander Vlasov taking snood style tips from Samir Nasri pic.twitter.com/xwCnDiSEj5

What do you reckon? Would you rock up to a club ten dressed like Samir Nasri in his Arsenal days? Or would you be happy to take the aero hit for the sake of your dignity?

Cyclists three abreast on a leisure ride. I used to live near Richmond Park and the roads through the Park are essential f or all motor is. T s. Going a bout their business. Roads are not for leisure purposes https://t.co/kY5yOqwSZn

An anti-cycling bingo gem here, as one especially articulate driver – responding to a video of a close pass in Richmond Park – claims that cyclists should avoiding riding through parks as they’re “not for leisure purposes”.

Let’s just say that that rather unique viewpoint didn’t go down too well…

Surely this is a parody account?

I see where you're confused david. It's a recreational park, not a car park.

It's going to damage the sales of motor homes and caravans.

Roads were not and do not exist for sole use by arrogant motorists David.

And DEFINITELY not for golf.

— Antonia Comrie (@antonia_comrie) July 1, 2022

Geraint Thomas forgot to take his Gilet off lmao #TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/FuLGGK0mre

— Nairo en maillot vert (@NairoInGreen) July 1, 2022

For all the talk about aero gains, snoods and fancy skinsuits in the run up to the Tour, 2018 winner Geraint Thomas rode today's time trial... with his gilet on.

The Welshman - and all of his Ineos team - failed to notice that Thomas (sporting one of his squad's eye-catching new TT visors) was still dressed for his warm up when he took to the start ramp, with the 36-year-old only realising that he was overdressed once he was under way.

G forgetting to take off his gilet and still turning a 50kph+ TT with what is basically a parachute on is the most Geraint Thomas thing ever #TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/DUTWNmWwR0

"The legs were good, it's just a shame about the start of it," he said at the finish. "And that bl-, that blinking gilet.

"Because I zipped it up, it was all nice and snug, I totally forgot I had it on. And nobody spotted it either at the start.

"Ugh, that was cracking me a bit as well. I did think about taking it off, but that would have been a bit dodgy. It's one of them... but the main thing is that the legs were good."

Remarkably, Thomas currently sits in the top 20, only 30 seconds down on surprise leader Yves Lampaert, who - ahem - pulled his socks up to usurp Wout van Aert...

Eurojust has stated in relation to the Bahrain raids that: "In Slovenia, 412 capsules with undetermined brown content and 67 capsules with undetermined white content were found, and one mobile phone was seized in a house search." #TDF2022

“But that’s just how I store my tea and milk. Nothing to see here guv’nor.”

Nightmare for EF Education-EasyPost's Stefan Bissegger, one of the pre-race favourites for today's opening time trial, falling not once but twice in treacherous conditions around Copenhagen...

💥Caída de Stefan Bissegger! 👉El suizo fue al suelo cuando tomaba una curva! 🇫🇷 #TDF #TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/HQlsIAFaSD

Bissegger down AGAIN! This course is going to throw up some surprises.#TDF2022 #ITVCycling pic.twitter.com/vLV05FGBd5

After all the talk about Ineos and Filippo Ganna’s ‘marginal flaps’ skinsuit last month, the British team’s kit supplier Bioracer has revealed that the world time trial champion will be wearing a “supersonic” TT suit at the Tour, featuring strategically placed seams and stemming from 300 hours of wind tunnel testing.

“Each suit is custom made, sized to the individual athlete's body,” says Bioracer. “This also applies to Ganna's time trial suit. His suit was fully customized to his physique, personal preferences and race position. In his case, that means a custom-made suit with a front zipper and no leg grippers, both for his personal comfort.

“Welding and taping the seams instead of classically stitching them, as well as strategically placing them, avoids even the smallest turbulence that could have a negative impact on its aerodynamics. In addition, a smooth fabric surface is applied on the back and sleeves, unlike what we often see in the peloton. The underlying reason, of course, cannot be disclosed.”

Meanwhile, the teams sponsored by Specialized – TotalEnergies, Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl and Bora-Hansgrohe – have opted for this fetching aero balaclava look, effectively taking a rider’s ears out of the aerodynamic equation (at the expense of all style and integrity):

When I heard it came with a balaclava, I thought Specialized were finally going after the under-served paramilitary time trial market. But it's the wrong sort of balaclava.

— Michael Hutchinson (@Doctor_Hutch) July 1, 2022

According to Robbie McEwen, EF’s Stefan Bissegger is also aiming to one-up his rivals by riding a frankly ridiculous 64-tooth big ring. Now that’s what you call a dinner plate… Maybe the kind of one you’d only find at an all-you-can-eat restaurant…

In any case, all the measurements, aero testing and calculations (alright, Sean Kelly) are now over. Here we go!

World champion Elisa Balsamo pipped Marianne Vos to the line in a thrilling sprint finish to stage two of the Giro d’Italia Donne in Tortolì.

The stage win, Balsamo’s first at her home grand tour, is also enough to lift the 24-year-old into the maglia rosa after she finished third in the prologue, six seconds behind winner Kristen Faulkner.

Jumbo-Visma’s Vos, a three-time Giro winner with 30 stages already under her belt at the Italian stage race, looked set to add to her collection, bursting out of the peloton with 250 metres to go.

But after a sensational lead out from Balsamo’s Trek-Segafredo teammate and Paris-Roubaix winner Elisa Longo Borghini, the world champion just managed to overhaul the Dutchwoman right at the line – winning by less than half a wheel – to add a pink jersey to go along with her rainbow one.

It is wet roads in Copenhagen. pic.twitter.com/aXsByfMPL6

— Christopher Løkke Bjerregaard (@ChristopherLBje) July 1, 2022

Some Düsseldorf 2017 vibes here, which isn’t great. Let’s hope it dries up a bit in the 40 minutes before the riders take to the course…

A seven-year-old boy is set to emulate the Tour de France peloton by riding to Paris this July, as he takes on the 200 miles between London and the French capital to help a charity that supported him after his father died.

Rupert Brooke, from Leicestershire, has already raised almost £20,000 for the Children’s Bereavement Centre, which helped following the death of his father Tom in a work accident in 2019.

“I was only four and it was difficult for me to understand that I would never see him again, that he was never coming back. Nothing was ever the same again and my life was changed forever,” he says.

Rupert plans to start his ride on 6 July, and the charity reckons he will be among the youngest ever cyclists to take on London to Paris.

The seven-year-old says the 200-mile ride will be a “massive challenge” but “I want to raise money for the Children’s Bereavement Centre so that they can help more people like Mummy and me. 

“Riding my bike reminds me of my short time with my Daddy… Together we can raise the money whilst also making more memories in memory of my Daddy.”

Kate Baxter, CEO of the Children’s Bereavement Centre, told the BBC: “We are absolutely thrilled Rupert has decided to support the Children's Bereavement Centre by taking on this amazing challenge.

“It's an achievement for anyone to cycle 200 miles from London to Paris but for a seven-year-old boy, as far we are aware the youngest known person to cycle this route, to take on this epic journey is incredible.

“Rupert is a real inspiration.”

You can donate to Rupert’s JustGiving page this link.

Europol has released photographs taken at the raids on the Bahrain Victorious team hotel and at properties belonging to team riders and staff this week. 

 The law enforcement agency also confirmed that searches had been carried out across a total of 14 locations in France, Belgium, Spain, Croatia, Italy, Poland and Slovenia, as well as in Copenhagen, as part of an investigation into “possible doping allegations of a cycling team participating in the Tour de France”.

 Three people have been interrogated, while the investigation continues as the seized evidence is forensically examined.

Bernard Hinault voted the best French rider in the post-war period by a prestigious jury in @lequipe that he was also part of. "I voted for myself, I'm not ashamed to say it," says the Badger. I'd have voted for him too

So, with just over three hours before B&B Hotels-KTM’s Jérémy Lecroq rolls down the start ramp and gets the 2022 edition of the Tour de France underway, it’s time to put your money where your keyboards are.

Who do you think will win today’s 13.2-kilometre time trial around Copenhagen?

As you may have noticed in our Tour preview piece, all of us (even road rookie Suvi!) plumped for Top Ganna to take the honours on his first ever stage of the Grande Boucle.

But you can never rule out Wout van Aert on a time trial of any distance, while Stefan Küng (who put in a brilliant ride throughout the Tour de Suisse but left some of his legs behind for the final TT), Mathieu van der Poel, home hero Mads Pedersen and, of course, the two overall favourites, Pog and Rog, all stand a chance of unseating the machine-like Italian if things go their way.

For those of you planning to sneak in some Tour viewing while at work, remember to be on the ball, as all of those riders mentioned above take to the road in the first 65 minutes of today’s proceedings, with Pogačar, Ganna and Van Aert heading off back to back during a particularly tasty three minute segment just after 4pm.

Of course, the men’s Tour de France isn’t the only bike racing going on this week.

Kristen Faulkner won the opening time trial of #GiroDonne22 to take the Maglia Rosa.

The race leader has a 100% record in time trials this season after previously winning at the Tour de Suisse. pic.twitter.com/JkUjhKloqE

The opening stage of the Giro d’Italia Donne – which, until this year was the only true grand tour on the women’s side of the sport – took place yesterday, as the riders tackled a blink-and-you’d-miss-it 4.7km prologue around the streets of Cagliari.

Team BikeExchange-Jayco’s Kristen Faulkner – so strong on the way to second place at the recent Tour de Suisse – donned the race’s first maglia rosa after beating teammate Georgia Baker by four seconds, while world road race champion Elisa Balsamo took advantage of her sprinting speed on the way to third.

Elisa Longo Borghini and Annemiek van Vleuten, two of the big favourites for this year’s Giro Donne (the ten-day race having returned to the WorldTour for 2022 after being demoted last year for failing to meet the UCI’s organisational standards), ended up on the same time, nine seconds down on Faulkner.

However, some drama was spared for the podium celebrations where, after Biniam Girmay’s prosecco cork to the eye mishap at the men’s Giro in May, onlookers are a tad more wary than usual.

After a bit of a struggle with the bottles (causing some to hold their breath), it turns out that Faulkner and co. needn’t have worried:

"That's like opening an empty box on Christmas morning!" 🎁

...wait for the podium surprise 🍾🤣#GiroDonne | #GiroDonne22 pic.twitter.com/JijUcTmYMw

Well, that’s certainly one way of avoiding any podium-related injuries…

Back when I was a small kid with big dreams 😁

Tomorrow begins another dream @LeTour 🇫🇷#ThrowbackThursday pic.twitter.com/lPo3BV01Qm

— Tadej Pogačar (@TamauPogi) June 30, 2022

You’d think a two-time Tour de France winner would have better things to do the evening before he begins the defence of his title than troll a retired pro on Twitter…

After posting some photos of baby Pog racing in Slovenia back in the day (which, let’s face it, was sometime in the late 2000s or early 2010s), Tadej Pogačar then proceeded to playfully roast Ireland’s Liège and Lombardia winner Dan Martin for being the ripe old age of… 35. Dan did start it though, to be fair.

3 years ago you already couldn’t follow me, so jokes on you. Beaten by a kid huh

— Tadej Pogačar (@TamauPogi) June 30, 2022

I am going to sleep when I’m old as you

— Tadej Pogačar (@TamauPogi) June 30, 2022

Ah, 23-year-olds on the internet, what are they like? 

The Poginator also marked the Tour’s Grand Depart today by unveiling a brand-new website, where “true fans” can publicly declare their undying love for the Slovenian superstar by buying some Pog-themed t-shirts that come in a range of colours from white and grey to… a slightly darker grey.

Some exciting news : I'm happy to invite you all to my new website and to check out my new logo and clothing range😍

Let me know what you guys think, I hope you like it !?

Come and take a look 👉🏻 : https://t.co/J4A4kfYOuf pic.twitter.com/y9sGi3IMMd

— Tadej Pogačar (@TamauPogi) July 1, 2022

Well at least there are no NFTs… yet.

The Rider Firm, the UK-based e-retailer and owner of Hunt Wheels, Cairn Cycles e-bikes and Privateer mountain bikes, has received a significant investment from Santander which aims to help the company increase sales in the UK and US.

According to bikebiz, the bank’s investment, the exact details of which have not been disclosed, will allow the company to expand their marketing (including professional sponsorship and social media activity) and hire 20 new staff this year at its West Sussex headquarters and US subsidiary in Colorado.

The Rider Firm will also use the funding to research the use of recycled material in its products, as well as attempting to gain B Corp Certification, an industry standard for sustainability and responsible business practice.

“The whole team at The Rider Firm have worked hard to serve riders by developing the best available performance cycling products,” says Peter Marchment, who founded the company alongside his brother Tom in 2013.

“With Santander UK as our funding partner, we are well positioned to grow our direct-to-consumer led business and serve more riders in our core UK and US markets and expand into Europe. We are very grateful for the tremendous support of both Santander UK and Gambit Corporate Finance in this process.”

I'm in Copenhagen. Surrounded by rides. You know yourself

Irish author Marian Keyes here, enjoying the sights, sounds, closed roads and fully booked restaurants of a Tour de France Grand Depart…

A hard-hitting report from Copenhagen! PS did you KNOW the Tour de France was such a big deal?! Its INSANE. All the roads are blocked off and lined with mobile TV stations and there are BEAUTIFUL yellow flowers EVERYWHERE and the place is AWASH with French people pic.twitter.com/ORNK6VTxaG

I know, I know – another day, another story about the ongoing anti-doping investigation swirling around the tight-lipped Bahrain Victorious team (I’ll move on to something else soon, I promise).

After the squad, led by Damiano Caruso, Jack Haig and Matej Mohorič (and also featuring British rider Fred Wright), announced yesterday that nothing had been seized by police in an early morning raid on the team’s hotel in Copenhagen, a pre-Tour press conference in the afternoon was swiftly and abruptly curtailed after Haig, Mohorič and performance manager Vladimir Miholjević refused to answer any questions about the investigation.

Reports then circulated in the French media last night alleging that medical products and electronic devices had been seized during a series of raids on Bahrain Victorious members’ homes on Monday, including those of three riders (one of which was Caruso, the Italian himself has since confirmed), a manager, the osteopath and a team doctor.

According to leparisien.fr, the Marseille public prosecutor’s office – who led the initial investigation after raiding the team’s Pau hotel at last year’s Tour – specified that material had been taken in Italy, Spain, Belgium, Poland, Slovenia, Croatia and Denmark.

The prosecutor’s office stated that the items include “electronic equipment (telephones, computers, hard drives) and medicines whose nature and origin are still unknown. All items seized will be further investigated and analysed.”

Drug raids, medical products seized, press conferences abruptly ended, a lack of transparency, and a Tour build up dominated by the doping question – it’s like it’s 2007 all over again…

Ryan joined road.cc as a news writer in December 2021. He has written about cycling and some ball-centric sports for various websites, newspapers, magazines and radio. Before returning to writing about cycling full-time, he completed a PhD in History and published a book and numerous academic articles on religion and politics in Victorian Britain and Ireland (though he remained committed to boring his university colleagues and students with endless cycling trivia). He can be found riding his bike very slowly through the Dromara Hills of Co. Down.

You can just enter a random 6 digits and get an answer !

Well another TDF day stuffed full of drama. It may be a while before i pick Bissegger in the rain again.

At least from the still, I suspect the bus passes close and then pulls in even closer once the first wheel passes the cyclist. Might be the fisheye...

I don't think the gilet had much to say GT's story today. Such a pity to ride a short TT

Need a new lock for my daily 🚴‍♀️ to work...a great prize to win...🤞🤞🤞

(ahem) Born and raised Yank here to offer some clarity:...

I have to stand up for Shimano here- 9-speed mechanical Sora is really good and pretty cheap. You can hardly blame Big S for taking money from...

Clearly this should be in a separate topic instead of hijacking the already overloaded 'vehicle collides with building' but I challenge others in...

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