Road Bike Magazine

13/06/2026

The Official 2026 Tour de France Guide is on shelves nationwide 🇿🇦

You don't have to own a bike to fall for Le Tour. Three weeks of drama, scenery and pure guts. The world's most watched annual sporting event kicks off on July 4th in Spain - and this is your ultimate guide to soaking it up.

164 large-format, photo-rich pages, officially licensed by A*O in Paris — built for slow, offline me-time on the couch with the TV remote, away from the social media noise.

With a Grand Départ in Barcelona, the 113th Tour runs 3 333km to finish on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, taking in five mountain ranges and 54 450m of elevation gain along the way. The big question is whether Tadej Pogačar can land a record-equalling fifth title? We line up nine other GC favourites who could join him on the podium, or even unsettle his hunt for yellow. Plus we look at four young pretenders hungry for Tour glory.

Route boss Thierry Gouvenou walks us through all 21 stages – a team time trial with a twist, a brutal new Pyrenean finish at the Cirque de Gavarnie and two back-to-back finishes on Alpe d'Huez.

Tour director Christian Prudhomme makes the case for his boldest calls and the racing they'll unleash, while former French pro Romain Bardet gives his honest take on the 23 teams.

There's real depth on the 5th Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift too: 9 stages, 1 175km from Switzerland to the Riviera, as Mont Ventoux finally welcomes the women. Defending champ Pauline Ferrand-Prévot carries a nation's hopes, Demi Vollering returns, and race director Marion Rousse explains why this is the celebration women's cycling deserved.

Plus hot new tech and our full SA racing calendar to diarise.

We also ask the big question: how do we get more South African talent onto the sport's grandest stages? See what Ciska Austen thinks on page 162 and let's hear your thoughts.

Your day-by-day, team-by-team companion — and a great gift for any sports fan.

Collector's edition, R139 — grab one before they're gone 👌🏽
Find a store on our stockist list: https://tdf.bikeruntri.co.za or if you prefer to read it digitally you can download it right now: https://joom.ag/doKd

Joomag digital interactive publication

03/06/2026

You may never ride the tour but your feet deserve professional treatment.

Tour de France season is a reminder that the small details matter. FALKE Pedal Pressure Free range is built around one of them — the foot-pedal interface.

A strategically positioned cushioning zone sits under the ball of the foot to help redistribute load and maintain blood flow through long efforts — the idea being that the pressure point gets some support before it becomes a problem.

Read more about it below.

Tour de France season is a reminder that the small details matter. Falke's Pedal Pressure Free range is built around one of them — the foot-pedal interface

11/05/2026

Team Lotto–Intermarché while working with Precision Fuel & Hydration has helped the team be as strategic as possible with nutrition.

The PF 60 Chew Bars are super useful for hitting big carb numbers on the bike." Arnaud De Lie, Belgian professional cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam Lotto–Intermarché . Delivers 60g of carbohydrate per serving, for just 68g of weight. The Chew Bars can feel more satisfying to eat than gels during longer races and when working at slightly lower intensities. It’s a great way to mix up your fueling plan.

All products are available in SA from and select Retailers. Visit their online fuel & hydration planning tool to individualise your training and race nutrition.

22/04/2026

Pogačar vs Evenepoel vs Seixas 🏁

Sunday 26 April.

260km through the Ardennes and the race that closes out the spring classics with a question everyone in the peloton wants answered before July.

Pogačar goes in chasing a fourth title and has looked untouchable all spring. Evenepoel arrives with Amstel Gold in his legs. And then there's Paul Seixas — the young Frenchman who's turned this into a genuine three-way fight and the name on everyone's lips heading into the summer.

Past, present and future all on the same road. La Redoute at 34km to go will start sorting it out. Roche-aux-Faucons with 13km to go is where it gets decided.
The ultimate litmus test before the Tour.

Our Official 2026 TDF Guide lands on shelf from 5th June. 🚴‍♂️
Mark your calendar!

16/04/2026

Dean Woolley went toe-to-toe with the world’s best at the Junior Paris–Roubaix — and didn’t look out of place.

The South African rider forced his way into the main break of the day before launching a bold solo move in the closing kms. Although he was caught late, Woolley held on for a hard-earned 19th place in one of the toughest races on the calendar.

He also walked away with the King of the Cobbles honours for the day, a reward for a standout performance across the brutal pavé sectors.

A serious ride, and another sign that SA talent is making its presence felt on the European stage.

Photos: Dean Woolley

13/04/2026

Developed in conjunction with Pro cycling team, TeamLotto–Intermarché, the Precision Fuel & Hydration 120g Carb only mix allows riders to tailor their carb intake to the work required, delivering up to 120g of carb per litre. Then add the right strength Precision Hydration Tablets, or swallow Electrolyte Capsules, in the ratio that best suits riders sweat sodium concentration, making a more flexible way to get energy on board from your bottles and not overdo the electrolytes.

All Precision Fuel & Hydration products are available in SA from and select Retailers. Visit their online fuel & hydration planning tool to individualise your training and race nutrition. https://www.carbonendurance.co/hydration

09/04/2026

Developed in conjunction with Pro cycling team, TeamLotto–Intermarché, the Precision Fuel & Hydration 120g Carb only mix allows riders to tailor their carb intake to the work required, delivering up to 120g of carb per litre. Then add the right strength Precision Hydration Tablets, or swallow Electrolyte Capsules, in the ratio that best suits riders sweat sodium concentration, making a more flexible way to get energy on board from your bottles and not overdo the electrolytes.

All products are available in SA from and select retailers. Visit their online fuel & hydration planning tool to individualise your training and race nutrition.

02/04/2026

Developed in conjunction with Pro cycling team, TeamLotto–Intermarché, The Precision Fuel & Hydration 120g Carb only mix allows riders to tailor their carb intake to the work required, delivering up to 120g of carb per litre.

Then add the right strength Precision Hydration Tablets, or swallow Electrolyte Capsules, in the ratio that best suits riders sweat sodium concentration. Making a more flexible way to get energy on board from your bottles and not overdo the electrolytes.

All products are available in SA from and select Retailers.

Visit their online fuel & hydration planning tool to individualise your training and race nutrition. https://www.carbonendurance.co/hydration

10/03/2026

Dust and drama and a whole lot of watts in Tuscany 🇮🇹🚴‍♂️

Tadej Pogačar once again showed why he’s one of the most dominant riders in the world right now riding to victory at Strade Bianche 2026 after another brutal day on the iconic white gravel roads around Siena.

Behind him, Paul Seixas and Isaac Del Toro rounded out the men’s podium while pre-race favourite Tom Pidcock suffered mechanical issues and finished in 7th.

For the rest of the peloton, it’s also an ominous early-season sign. Pogačar looks just as dominant as ever across multiple race formats which could mean another long year of chasing the Slovenian superstar.

In the women’s race, Elise Chabbey took a superb win ahead of Kasia Niewiadoma and Franziska Koch after a tough battle across the sterrato sectors.

Strade Bianche delivers every year with the rolling hills and the white gravel roads and the roaring crowds in Siena and one of the most spectacular finishes in cycling.

Chapeau to the riders 👏

09/03/2026

The Cape Town Cycle Tour delivered another fast and furious lap around the Peninsula this weekend 🇿🇦🚴‍♂️

Ryan Gibbons took the men’s win in a tight sprint after 109 km of racing, crossing the line in 2:33:06 ahead of Jaedon Terlouw and Ryno Schutte. Just a second covered the top four in one of the closest finishes we’ve seen in years.

In the women’s race, Lisa Bone was a somewhat surprise winner over the 78 km distance in 2:06:26, a race that often explodes into attacks thanks to the shorter format. Daria Pravilova finished second with Olympic MTB star Kate Courtney rounding out the podium a week before she tackles Cape Epic.

One of the standout rides of the day came from Adian Claassen, the 18-year-old local talent cracking the top 10 in his first year out of school and mixing it with some seriously experienced riders. One to watch 👀

Sun, sea, Chapman’s Peak and thousands of riders rolling through one of the most iconic routes in cycling. Not a bad day on the bike.