Benoit Cosnefroy (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) continued his stunning run of results for 2024
powering to the victory in the prologue of the Boucles de la Mayenne
Already a winner of the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes
the GP de Plumelec-Morbihan and Tour du Finistère
Cosnefroy bested Ivo Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates) by a single second in the 5.4km individual time trial
Sam Watson (Groupama-FDJ) was third at three seconds
The four stage race continues on Friday with a 167.5km stage from Renault Saint-Berthevin to Ernée on a lumpy parcours that should suit Cosnefroy as well
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And who is the tallest cyclist at the 2024 Tour de France
From featherweight mountain goats to power-packed sprinters
there is no catch-all shape and size for professional cyclists
But particularly tall pro Grand Tour cyclists are the rarity – hauling your body over the mountains generally favours lighter riders
ProCyclingStats crunched the data in 2017 and found the average weight of riders on the men’s WorldTour was 68.8kg and their average height was 1.81m
Mathias Norsgaard is the tallest rider in the men's WorldTour peloton
measuring 1.98m according to the UCI and 2.02m on his team Movistar's tape measure
The Danish classics specialist was 9th at Dwars door Vlaanderen in 2024 but did not make the Tour de France squad
This leaves Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) towering at the top of the Tour de France tallest riders classification at 1.95m for the second year running
Wæerenskjold is the Norwegian national time-trial champion and won the Tour of Belgium general classification
the Hippo from Mandal is also one of the peloton's heaviest cyclists
Ineos-Grenadiers' Ben Turner (1.94m) remains in second place
Stefan Küng (1.93m) and Brent Van Moer (1.91m) are not far behind Turner
Max Walscheid (1.98m) was the loftiest Tour de France rider for three years running until 2023
but he didn't make the Jayco-AlUla squad this year
Samuel Dumoulin – a veteran of 12 Tours de France before his 2019 retirement
and a stage winner in 2008 – stood at just 1.59m
But the Ecuadorian is not racing the 2024 Tour de France
Esteban Chaves (1.64m) or Caleb Ewan (1.65m)
Ineos-Grenadiers' Tom Pidcock (1.7m) will be looking up to everyone on the start line
The smallest male pro cyclist ever recorded appears to be Vicente Belda at 1.54m
Why does the UCI need to know how tall riders are
The answer relates to equipment regulations and the reach allowed on aero extension bars
Following UCI rules changes in 2023, cycling's governing body divides riders into three height categories
On time trial bikes
the horizontal distance between the bottom bracket's centre and the extension bars' tips must be no more than 80cm for category one riders shorter than 180cm
Category three riders (taller than 190cm) are permitted a reach of up to 85cm
The new rules also determine the maximum vertical difference permitted between the armrest pad and shifters
Category one riders are allowed a 100mm gap
while category two and three riders can have a maximum of 120mm and 140mm
Conor Dunne, the 2018 Irish champion, never rode in the Tour de France
but he was at the 2017 Vuelta a España and the 2019 Giro d'Italia
He was the lanterne rouge at the Vuelta with Aqua Blue Sport and finished the Giro in 135th place overall for the Israel Cycling Academy – which is no mean feat considering the Irishman is 6ft 8in (2.04m) tall and towered over the peloton
bike sponsors Vitus had to create a new XXL 62cm (yes
sixty-two!) frame size to accommodate Dunne
with a longer top tube enabling extra reach
Dunne isn't the only 6ft 8in rider to have enjoyed a career on two wheels
While it seems no pro rider has ever been taller
Guillermo Brunetta is the same height as the Irishman
he also weighed in at 97kg – a product of his track-cycling upbringing
Brunetta’s career was spent in South America in the 2000s
where his powerful frame was put to good effect in winning four Argentinian national time-trial titles
height does matter for professional cycling – sort of
ProCyclingStats’ 2017 study found the top time triallists were
climbers were much shorter; the top climbers were
1.6cm shorter than the top sprinters and 2.7cm shorter than the average WorldTour pro
General classification contenders are usually on the shorter side
Last year's Tour de France winner and this year's favourite Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a bike) measures 174cm tall
Double Grand Boucle winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) is three centimetres taller
The fourth-placed rider in the 2021 Tour de France
is 1.88m and 2012 Yellow Jersey winner Sir Bradley Wiggins (1.9m) is taller still
But the key to cycling performance is power, not height – and, for climbing, the power-to-weight ratio
“It allows me to maintain my shape,” he explained. “Every time I leave Laval, I feel really good, my body is rested. I’m going back to Dortmund full of energy.”
Less than six months and two club suspensions later, Aubameyang’s future at the Westfalenstadion is in serious doubt, with Dortmund apparently ready to allow the player who has scored 98 goals in fewer than 150 appearances since arriving from Saint-Étienne in 2013 to leave. How has it come to this?
Read moreSunday’s events appear to hold the key
Speaking on the German magazine Kicker’s TV channel
chief writer Karlheinz Wild used the term “Affenzirkus” to describe what has been going on with the Gabon striker at Dortmund and questioned whether he would be able to act in the same way at Bayern Munich
Aubameyang posted on Instagram a screengrab of a Google search for the word
which translates loosely as “monkey circus”
and generated among its results an image of an ape wearing a swastika armband and giving a Nazi salute
“These days German journalists are attacking me
while remaining correct until today,” he wrote
“I think this reporter could have used another word … on the right side of the picture
that is when I tap on Google [for] affenzirkus
Aubameyang once enjoyed a close relationship with some members of the German press but, having been warned by Dortmund about speaking out on his future, that has steadily deteriorated over the past 18 months.
The response of his father, Pierre, to Wild’s comments, in an Instagram post that has now been deleted, was an indication of the level of antipathy that has been brewing for some time. “A shitty journalist who treats my son like a monkey,” he wrote. “I feel he wants to take us back to Hitler’s time. I just think the little monkey and his family have to leave here because at least this small class newspaper will be quiet to know we are no longer at home.”
With Chinese clubs now subject to 100% tax rates on purchasing foreign players – a rule that means Beijing Guoan must pay nearly £66m for Cédric Bakambu of Villarreal – Arsenal’s interest in Aubameyang could not be more timely. Unlike with Sánchez, however, a long-term contract that expires in 2021 means Arsène Wenger will have to offer a significant sum.
Read moreIt remains unclear if Dortmund are willing to sell this month given the lack of time to secure a replacement
The 18-year-old striker Alexander Isak replaced Aubameyang for Sunday’s stalemate with Wolfsburg and the 17-year-old English prospect Jadon Sancho was also handed his full Bundesliga debut by the manager
There are also doubts about the long-term fitness of Marco Reus
who has yet to play this season because of a knee injury
Arsenal are understood to be unconcerned about Aubameyang’s disciplinary record despite reports to the contrary
Wenger is likely to have been influenced to press ahead with the transfer by the club’s new head of recruitment
The German was responsible for helping to sign Aubameyang from Saint-Étienne
Tottenham offered Aubameyang the opportunity to move to the Premier League in 2012 but he rejected their approach and later described it as “weird
I didn’t really like the way things were done
and if he can come close to matching his phenomenal Dortmund goalscoring record
should ensure immediate hero status in the red half of north London at least
Arnaud Démare took his first victory in 2023
After a day and a final perfectly controlled by his teammates
the Frenchman won the bunch sprint and conquered his 92nd career success
He also moved up to second place in the general classification while bringing the sixth victory of the year to Groupama-FDJ
A new opportunity of winning should come already on Sunday
Following the breakaway’s victory on Friday
a real gap was made on the general classification
a single objective remained for Groupama-FDJ starting this weekend of racing in the Boucles de la Mayenne: to win
was just for Benoit Vaugrenard’s men to do everything they could to help their leader Arnaud Démare raise his arms
“The hardest thing was to handle the start well so that not too many runners broke away”
“We know this is never easy to control with teams of six riders
especially since we also knew that the others were going to let us do today”
and it was only after an hour of racing that the day’s first breakaway was able to go clear
Samuel Leroux (Van Rysel-Roubaix Lille Métropole)
Cyril Barthe (Burgos-BH) and Léo Danès (CIC U Nantes Atlantique) took the lead
but never enjoyed more than a three-minute gap
in particular thanks to the pace set by the regional man
everything became way more stressful with seventy kilometres to go following a big acceleration in the pack
“Cofidis wanted to go for the bonus seconds
The best ranked overall was fifty seconds down
another trio therefore took the lead: Jérémy Leveau (Van Rysel-Roubaix Lille Métropole)
Dimitri Peyskens (Bingoal-WB) and Jean-Louis Le Ny (Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur)
The peloton remained less than two minutes behind at all times
and logically reduced the gap in the last twenty kilometres
it all came back together with twelve kilometres to go
starting the last lap around Meslay-du-Maine
“Clément did a great work behind the breakaway
there was first Clément and Lorenzo at work
Bram and Miles did a very good job as well
Everyone wants to make a space for himself
It was absolutely necessary to stay in front
especially in the last false flat between four and two kilometres to go
in order to avoid any crashes that could occur
the Groupama-FDJ lead-out train made its way to the head of the peloton and did not get overcome
Arnaud Démare’s teammates set the tempo
before the French sprint himself made the final effort in the last 300 meters
“Miles took the lead with 500 metres to go
and I had to make sure to do a very long sprint,” said Arnaud
“It suited me well precisely because it started from far”
where he is in good position and can start when he wants”
“He shows better his worth in these conditions”
the former French champion showed it once again
the rider from Beauvais managed to resist to all his rivals to clinch his first victory of the year
“When you’re struggling and you’re looking for that victory
but it’s hard to do something when you don’t have the energy
Lorenzo did a big part in the final circuit
and even if Arnaud has won a lot of races in his career
the first one of the season is always difficult to get”
it’s obviously a big relief and a good boost for confidence
Arnaud Démare also jumped to second place in the general classification of the Boucles de la Mayenne on Saturday
the goal will remain the same tomorrow in Laval
and that’s what we will do again tomorrow”
“There should be a new opportunity for victory tomorrow
even we will have to remain careful in the event of moves”
Oier Lazkano maintains overall lead into the finale on Sunday
Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ) won the stage 2 sprint at Boucles de la Mayenne in Meslay-du-Maine
The Frenchman was the fastest to the line beating Milan Menten (Lotto Dstny) and Arvid de Kleijn (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) third
Oier Lazkano (Movistar Team) maintained his lead in the overall classification with 38 seconds ahead of Démare and 40 seconds ahead of Ivo Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates)
The 181.3km stage started in Saint-Berthevin and ended in Meslay-du-Maine
and included three climbs at Côte de Nuille
Côte de Houssay and Côte de Saulges
A breakaway of three included Cyril Barthe (Burgos-BH)
Leo Danes (CIC U Nantes Atlantique) and Samuel Leroux (Van Rysel) as Movistar set the pace in the peloton
The trio were back in the field with 65km to go
another breakaway formed with Jeremy Leveau (Van Rysel)
Jean-Louis Le Ny (Nice Metropole Cote d'Azur) and Dimitri Peyskens (Bingoal WB)
Tudor and Lotto-Dstny pulled the field into the closing kilometres on the final lap of racing
Cofidis and Groupama-FDJ took over at 3km out with Démare taking the stage win
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Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science
She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races
She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006
Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy
race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023
PARIS (Reuters) – France accelerated plans on Thursday to make it compulsory to wear face masks in enclosed public spaces because of concerns about renewed flare-ups of COVID-19
President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that mask-wearing would be mandatory in places such as shops from Aug
citing signs that the coronavirus was “coming back a bit”
But on Thursday Prime Minister Jean Castex said the order would take effect next week
it has been mandatory to wear face coverings only on public transport and in public spaces where social distancing is not possible
“We were considering implementing (this measure) on August 1,” Castex told the Senate
“I have heard and understood that this deadline appeared late or raised some questions
so the decree will come into force next week.”
encouraged people to start wearing masks now
calling wearing masks a matter of social responsibility
Official figures show the number of COVID-19 infections and fatalities has slowed in France since late May
The disease has killed more than 30,000 people in France and is spreading again in some areas
The Mayenne prefecture in the northwest said the wearing of face masks was now compulsory in its main city
and five other municipalities – Bonchamp-lès-Laval
There has been a localised flare-up of COVID-19 cases in the region
and it has now been re-classified by the health ministry as a zone of heightened risk
Macron also said on Tuesday that he wanted coronavirus testing available for everyone
He said the expected job losses because of the pandemic posed a major challenge
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Frenchman takes first pro win in crash-marred final ahead of Penhoët
Emilien Jeannière (TotalEnergies) has sprinted to victory in a crash-marred stage 1 of the Boucles de la Mayenne
with several riders going down in the final metres
Second was Paul Penhoët (Groupama-FDJ), with Axel Zingle (Cofidis) in third on the slightly uphill sprint into Ernée
the three-man breakaway group was caught within sight of the finish line
with Jeannière far enough ahead to avoid getting caught up in the big crash to claim his first professional victory
Prologue winner Benoît Cosnefroy (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) retains the overall race lead by one second from Ivo Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates)
“I’ve been waiting for this win for a long time,” Jeanniere
“and I hoped it was going to come this year.”
technical and with a bit of downhill just before and a couple of corners
I was a bit far back with 600 metres to go
and we came past the break at the last moment and I got up to Penhoet and then overtook him.”
A four-man breakaway featuring Petr Kelemen (Tudor Pro Cycling)
Jeremy Leveau (Van Rysel-Roubaix) and Antoine Hue (CIC U Nantes Atlantique) made it off the front in the opening kilometres
Martin was fastest in the opening sprint at La Bourgneuf-la-Foret
30 seconds down on Cosnefroy in the prologue
But the quartet's main aim was to build as big a lead as possible
which finally peaked out at 3:35 before the sprinters' teams began to react
TotalEnergies and then Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale
kept a solid but not excessively harsh control on the front
having a break ahead with a small gap was ideal as it soaked up all the sprint bonuses and helped maintain his lead on a very tight GC ranking
and so it was only when EF-Education EasyPost added their weight that the gap began to descend a little more sharply
Martin continued to pick up more sprint points and bonus seconds at Fougerolles du Plessis (km.113)
along with the maximum mountain points on offer on the three classified climbs of the day
But beyond those brief skirmishes for the secondary classifications
the four collaborated well and with 50 kilometres remaining
More and more sprinters' teams lent themselves to a very sustained pursuit
notably a very committed Lotto-Dstny and a little later
A stage running largely along constantly rolling
though and when the break approached the finish town of Ernee for the first time
they still had the bones of two minutes in their favour
Hard work from Thomas de Gendt for Lotto-Dstny kept the pace high
while Martin snatched up the final sprint points on offer when the four ahead passed through the finish line and onto the first of two laps of a 10-kilometre local circuit
Martin finally cracked on a false flat
but the trio who remained proved a much more difficult task for the pack to reel in
with Kelemen in particular a real powerhouse
Groupama-FDJ even sacrificed their third rider on GC
The three breakaways continued to grit their teeth
making the most of the constant twists and turns in the road to stay out of sight of the bunch
and it was clearly going to be touch and go if the move stayed away
“Five more seconds,” Cosnefroy later observed
“and they’d have made it.”
Alasdair FotheringhamSocial Links NavigationAlasdair Fotheringham has been reporting on cycling since 1991
He has covered every Tour de France since 1992 bar one
as well as numerous other bike races of all shapes and sizes
ranging from the Olympic Games in 2008 to the now sadly defunct Subida a Urkiola hill climb in Spain
he has also written for The Independent, The Guardian, ProCycling