The 2021 Tour de France leaves the quayside in Brest at lunchtime on Saturday, a race in transition, changed by the Covid-19 pandemic and changed by the expectations of a world increasingly seeking to foster greater diversity and renewable lifestyles.
In essence the Tour, first run in 1903, is an anachronism – yet the French tradition of picnicking at the roadside, applauding the weary peloton, remains intact, as does the appeal of such a gladiatorial race set against dramatic landscapes. For all the marginal gains, the sports science and the increased influence of technology, the brutal culture of sacrifice and suffering remains intact. In other areas, however, change is afoot.
First,
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