British riders have had a lot of success at the Tour de France in the past decade. Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome have both taken memorable overall victories and many more Brits have made a name for themselves at the world’s most famous bike race. This year, however, we are without some of the more prominent British riders – Chris Froome suffered a nasty crash in the lead up to the Tour and Mark Cavendish failed to make the grade for his team. Even so, there are some exciting British riders racing the Tour, so let’s take a look at their race so far…
Geraint Thomas
Thomas is the team leader for British-registered Team Ineos and so far, they’ve had a solid race. Ineos narrowly missed out on taking the win in the team time trial and Thomas also just missed out in the individual event. With the race now in the mountains, Thomas will have high hopes. As always, Team Ineos have sent a strong squad to France with very capable domestiques, which should make other teams nervous.
Luke Rowe
Luke Rowe is one of Team Ineos’s most trusted riders and went to France as road captain. He’d hoped to help his compatriot Thomas to another overall victory, but after a steady start, Rowe’s Tour de France came to an abrupt halt. An altercation on stage 17 with Tony Martin resulted in both riders being expelled from the race. While they both accepted responsibility for their actions, many onlookers feel that the expulsion was harsh.
Team Ineos have some of the best nutrition, kit and equipment on the market available to them, including the Kask Protone helmet, Science in Sport nutrition and top-notch Shimano Dura-Ace components. One of the most important contact points between bike and rider is the pedal system, and Thomas has the best of the best. Shimano’s Dura-Ace pedals, with their light and strong carbon construction, are designed specifically for high performance racing so none of the defending champ’s effort will be wasted.
Adam and Simon Yates
The Yates twins have raced for Australian team Mitchelton–Scott since turning pro and are both emerging as some of the most exciting general classification talents in the peloton. Adam came into this year’s Tour with ambitions to chase the yellow jersey, but things haven’t gone to plan. After earlier signs of weakness, he fell almost completely out of the GC picture on stage 14’s final climb up the Col du Tourmalet. The other Yates, Simon (stubble and yellow framed sunglasses), has been having a much better time in France. After enjoying the luxury of taking it easy in the earlier stages, he was given a chance to attack on stages 12 and 15 and managed to take the win on both.
The Yates brothers both ride lightweight frames equipped with a Shimano Dura-Ace chainset. It is extremely light and stiff, making this one of the most efficient chainsets on the market today.
Steve Cummings
At 38 years old, Steve Cummings of Team Dimension Data is one of the more experienced riders at the Tour de France. With Mark Cavendish failing to make the squad, the team have been hunting down breakaway stage wins – something that Cummings has been famous for in the past.
They’re yet to take a victory this year but keep an eye out for riders in Giro helmets at the pointy end of the race. The Giro Aether is their helmet of choice, featuring aerodynamic venting, MIPS and a Roc Loc 5+ Air fit system.
British riders are still in contention to make a big impact at this year’s Tour de France. With some tough mountain stages to come, don’t be surprised to see the strength of Team Ineos to deliver another win for Geraint Thomas.
