With the 3rd of June marking World Bicycle Day for 2024, anyone and everyone are likely to be out on their bikes for a training ride or just a casual spin of the pedals. Included among those out on the bike though, was the recent Giro d'Italia winner, Tadej Pogacar.
Being joined by Belgian Classics legend, Philippe Gilbert, the UAE Team Emirates leader and the now-retired Gilbert took on some Tour de France reconnaissance ahead of the second Grand Tour of the year getting underway later in the month.
"Today is World Bicycle Day and for this occasion, I am with the best cyclist of the century, Tadej Pogacar," begins Gilbert, who is still very much in the mix at the biggest races through his work for Eurosport, in a post to his official Instagram account. "On top of the Col D'eze as you can see, recon for the Tour and we wish him to make history this year and win a third Tour de France, making it a Giro/Tour double. All the best!"
"Thank you!" Pogacar replies with a warm smile. "You guys, go and ride a bike today because it is World Bicycle Day so go and have fun!"
Whether or not Pogacar will be able to become the first man since Marco Pantani in 1998 to win both the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France, remains to be seen but the Slovenian emphatically completed the first leg of his challenge at the Giro. Pogacar was dominant in Italy, taking six stage wins and ending the race just short of ten minutes clear from his nearest challenger by the time the race reached Rome. With three of his main Tour de France rivals also on the road back to full fitness after a massive crash earlier in the year at the Itzulia Basque Country, Pogacar will be at the start line of the Tour de France in Florence as the pre-race favourite to take the win.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
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