It was an honor and a privilege to cover the Tour de France from Barcelona to Paris. The final story is about how Tadej Pogacar got over his ennui and got his joy back:
DefectorHow Tadej Pogacar got the joy back: defector.com/how-tadej-po...
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I spent yesterday getting my shit rocked on Alpe d'Huez, here's what it was like amid the chaos on cycling's most iconic arena: defector.com/a-day-in-the...
A Day In The Chaos Of Cycling's Most Legendary Arena | DefectorALPE D’HUEZ, France — Roughly halfway up the final climb of Stage 19, and roughly five hours before the riders hit the base, our car indulged the thick snarl of besotted fans who wanted to do the wave...defector.comA mathematically rigorous guide to the uncs of the Tour de France: defector.com/a-mathematic...
A Mathematically Rigorous Guide To The Uncs Of The Tour de France | DefectorVOIRON, France — Last week, my colleague Jonny Long from Escape Collective (EC) remarked that he speaks to more old people at the Tour de France than he does the whole rest of the year. It’s true, and...defector.comOut of nowhere, Jonas Vingegaard crashed out of the Tour de France. A lot of people are assigning blame and trying to figure out why, when really, it's very simple: the unavoidable cruelty of professional cycling. defector.com/jonas-vingeg...
Jonas Vingegaard Felled Yet Again By The Cruelty Of His Sport | DefectorÉVIAN-LES-BAINS, France — Exactly 84 minutes after Jonas Vingegaard spiked his right collarbone into a curb and limped into an ambulance and out of the Tour de France, the assembled press watched him ...defector.comPhotographers at the Tour de France scout every kilometer of the race months ahead of time and have to constantly battle with the cops to be allowed to move around the course. I spent a day with them to see how they do their ultra-demanding jobs. defector.com/a-chaotic-da...
A Chaotic Day In The Life Of The Photographers At The Tour de France | DefectorCHALON-SUR-SAÔNE, France — Roughly 15 minutes after driving past the start line, Harry Talbot decides it’s time to pull over next to a field of droopy sunflowers. He scouted the route of Stage 11 of t...defector.comHow cycling solved sleep: Inside a Tour de France team’s sleep program, a look at the expansive tech they use, and a theory of wellness culture, sleep, and simplicity: defector.com/how-cycling-...
How Cycling Solved Sleep | DefectorAURILLAC, France — Is the Tour de France is the most competitive sleep environment in sports? “Probably, yeah,” answered Dr. Jon Greenwell, EF-Education EasyPost’s Head Doctor when I asked him. Every ...defector.comI believe I have located a ham truck in France defector.com/i-believe-i-...
I Believe I Have Located A Ham Truck In France | DefectorSOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE OF FRANCE — They call it the diagonal of the void: the corridor running southwest to northeast across France where population density is significantly lower than elsewhere in t...defector.comYesterday at the finish of the Tour de France, I ran into and then interviewed three Italian backpackers who walked over the Pyrenees and didn’t know the Tour was there. Here is their story: defector.com/an-interview...
An Interview With Three Italian Backpackers Who Crossed The Pyrenees And Accidentally Ran Into The Tour de France | DefectorGAVARNIE-GÉDRE, France — Millions of people travel to the Tour de France every year, almost all of them on purpose. This is the story of three people who did so by accident. While waiting for the ride...defector.comTorstein Træn was briefly and ecstatically the story of the Tour de France, until his time in the yellow jersey came to a sudden, sad end. This is his story: defector.com/meet-torstei...
Meet Torstein Træen, The Stoic Norwegian Survivor Who Briefly Lit Up The Tour de France | DefectorPAU, France — Some people are natural performers. Torstein Træen is not, though his work on the bike might have been the last exciting general classification action before we get to Paris. As the 30-y...defector.comYesterday’s Tour de France stage was the hottest in recorded history. What sort of future does the race have in the face of climate change? defector.com/the-tour-de-...
The Tour de France's Infernal Present Portends Its Impossible Future | DefectorSAINT-GAUDENS, France — On Monday morning, the Tour de France’s media-wranglers sent us all a text announcing something genuinely shocking for such a French organization: They had banned smoking. The ...defector.comIsaac Del Toro’s Tour de France stage win was the first by a Mexican rider in 36 years. I hung out with the fans who came to watch and party: defector.com/gifts-gritos...
Gifts, Gritos, And A Breakthrough Win: An Afternoon With The Tour de France's New And Jubilant Mexican Fanbase | DefectorBARCELONA — “Pogito! Hermano! Ya eres Mexicano!” sang the gathered dozens. Over an hour after Isaac del Toro won Stage 2 of the Tour de France, an enthusiastic knot of 40-ish tricolor-clad fans was st...defector.comFirst Tour de France dispatch! 🇪🇸🌞🥵💀🚵♂️🌊 On Jonas Vingegaard taking the yellow jersey and reigniting cycling’s best rivalry, and the vibes in Barcelona: defector.com/jonas-vingeg...
Jonas Vingegaard Made It Out Alive, Then Made Barcelona Smile | DefectorBARCELONA — “Every swarm needs a face,” declares the post announcing Visma-Lease a Bike’s new bee mascot, “and every face needs a name.” Confusing proclamations aside—the defining characteristic of a ...defector.comThere is an ongoing youth movement across all of sports, with various children succeeding way earlier than ever before. I wrote about how the 2026 Tour de France explains the trend: defector.com/the-tour-de-...
The Tour de France Is For The Children | DefectorWith the start of the 2026 Tour de France mere days away, most of the world’s attention will focus on Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard as they race for the yellow jersey. The sixth consecutive insta...defector.comI went to an A's game and all I got was this psychic damage: defector.com/the-athletic...
The Athletics Are An Abomination | DefectorSAN FRANCISCO — On Wednesday night I attended a Major League Baseball game for the first time since the final game the Athletics played in the Oakland Coliseum. I have all but stopped paying attention...defector.comThe State Of Sportswashing: a proposal for a new definition of the term defector.com/the-state-of...
The State Of Sportswashing | DefectorOn Dec. 5, 2025, FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented Donald Trump with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize, nominally for Trump’s “tireless efforts to bring people together in a spirit of peace.” I f...defector.comJonas Vingegaard rides free: defector.com/jonas-vingeg...
Jonas Vingegaard Rides Free | DefectorBy racing the Giro d’Italia, Jonas Vingegaard chose to court the most pressure possible. Not only would he face the unrelenting scrutiny of being the sole favorite for the race, whatever he did would ...defector.comThe latest episode of Nothing But Respect features the great Noah Kulwin and is out now: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/k...
Kenny Kennedy with Noah KulwinPodcast Episode · Nothing But Respect · May 20 · 1h 15mpodcasts.apple.comI wrote about some people who need to have some self- (and for that matter, species-) respect:
DefectorThe written word is having a rough week: