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The world’s largest annual sporting event is taking place right now. No, it’s not the World Cup. As a newly minted soccer — excuse me, football — fan, you of course know that. “Annual” is the operative word here, and the World Cup ain’t annual.
That honor goes to the Tour de France, cycling’s premier three-week race that takes place every July. It’s what we snooty, Euro-cosplaying cyclists refer to as a “grand tour.” The stats are staggering: 21 stages, 2,000 miles, 180,000 feet of climbing (the equivalent of six Mt. Everests). Even more impressive is the amount of spectators. Some 12 million people line the roads of France every July to watch their favorite riders whiz past. This makes the Tour not only the world’s biggest annual sporting event, but also its largest free sporting event.
Unfortunately, getting into the sport for yourself isn’t so cheap (if all you desire is to spectate like a pro, peep our primer here). While the popular slogan goes “outside is free,” exploring it on two wheels is sure to set you back more than a few grand. That’s where I come in. As a cyclist, former bike racer and lifelong Tour de France fanboy, I’m not only here to extol both the physical and cognitive benefits of riding a bike, but to tell you that the sport is fire — even influencers have caught on. Think: fast, stylish and the type of activity that allows you to avoid your family for hours on end, should that be something you’re into.
Like anything in life, execution is everything. That means acquiring the right essentials. A bike that’ll hit that performance and pecuniary sweet spot. Clothing — ahem, “kit” — that looks as chic on the road as it does while you’re sipping a mid-ride macchiato. Plus accessories like shoes and a helmet. Should you catch the bug (trust me, you will), there’s a host of secondary swag that’ll make the miles all the smoother.
Read on for my recs, broken out by tier. But first, one more tip: never call your bike a “cycle” or say you’re going “cycling.” It’s “bike” and going for “a ride.” You can thank me later.
Essentials
Pinarello has won more grand tours than any other bike brand, and — being Italian — has always looked dope while doing it (Pharrell debuted a custom version during last month’s Louis Vuitton men’s show in Paris). While Pinarello’s latest Dogma X launches today, you’ll probably want to bail on balling out in favor of the more sensibly priced version above. The F3 gets you 90% of the Dogma’s performance at a fraction of the cost, all with perks like electronic shifting and a durable yet fast set of DT Swiss wheels.
Yes, you’re going to have to wear lycra. It’s more aero, more comfortable (especially in the old undercarriage area, boss) and — once you get used to it — actually looks pretty slick. There are a host of hype kit brands, from OG’s like Rapha to upstarts like Café du Cycliste, but MAAP gets my vote, especially when cost is a factor. Right now, you can score their Team Bib Evo shorts at 61% off MSRP. Pair them with MAAP’s Training Jersey and you’ll be turning heads while shouting “on your left!”
How to Understand the Tour de France (and Actually Enjoy Watching It)
From races within a race and chess-like tactics, our Tour de France 101 will level up your cycling knowledge so that you can actually understand just what the hell is going on
Your dome is important, and so is the lid protecting it. If there’s one piece of cycling equipment you should never cut corners on, it’s your helmet. Enter Swedish brand POC, whose Cytal gives you both EPS and MIPS protection technology (thus reducing rotational impact forces), optimized ventilation and easy-to-access sunglasses storage, all in a variety of good-looking colorways.
Giro (jeer-oh) — that’s Italian for “tour” — delivers on multiple gear fronts, but especially when it comes to footwear. Their latest Regime II shoe offers a stiff carbon sole for maximum power-to-pedal transfer, a supple upper and the ingenious Boa enclosure system, all at a sensible price point. For my financially irresponsible heads in the back, there’s the Imperial II shoe, and for my vibes-over-functionality brethren, consider their Stylus II lace-ups.
*I’ll mention here that you’ll need pedals too, but those are a highly personal choice based on your biomechanics. If you have tight hips and bad knees, consider Speedplay, which allow for a bigger range of lateral movement when clipped in.
Splurges
Want to go faster short of losing weight while building both power and endurance? Say hello to a new set of hoops, the biggest upgrade you can make to your bike as far as speed is concerned. Typically, wheels — I’m talking deep-dish carbon, baby! — would require remortgaging your home. But Zipp has solved that with their new 404 S, 50mm deep carbon wheels that cost $1,300 for the complete set — a steal by cycling standards. Also awesome: they accommodate up to a 40mm tire, meaning you can ease off on the tire pressure for a comfier ride while also being able to take your whip off-road.
While you can always document your ride via the Strava app (more on that below), the Garmin Edge 850 delivers all the data — plus other bells and whistles — true cycling junkies crave. Metrics, maps, real-time weather reports, even the ability to link credit cards for those all-important coffee stops. What I love is the touchscreen and compact size, because the last thing you want is a laptop on the front of your bike.
Heart rate, miles, calories and a bunch of other data points are important, but if there’s one metric serious cyclists train by, it’s power. As in, how many watts can you produce for a given period of time? Or, if we’re to get even more granular, how many watts can you produce per kilogram of bodyweight? (Reigning Tour de France champ Tadej Pogačar can produce an estimated 7.1 watts per kilo.) Regardless of what you can push, the Favero Assioma PRO RS-2 — which attaches to your bike via a spindle between your pedals and cranks — has got you covered.
If you’ve made it this far, you either have already been bitten by the cycling bug or fully expect to submit to its siren call soon — congrats (and apologies to your partner). At any rate, I get it. The competitive juices are flowing. Group rides. Half-wheeling buddies. Sprinting for town lines. But cycling is often a solitary sport, so how can you see where you stack up when riding all by your lonesome? Strava, of course, whose premium membership unlocks full leaderboards on every Strava segment globally (it’s addictive AF), plus gives you the ability to build cycling routes based on heat maps and creates customizable training plans.
Now I’ll caveat this rec by saying that I think we’ve jumped the shark in terms of how much data we leverage in the hopes of optimizing our lives. That said, if you absolutely must have sunglasses with a head-up display of your cycling metrics (go off, king), then the Engo3 is as elite as they come. Heart rate, power, pace — it’s all at your retinas’ disposal. But the coolest feature (providing you’re wearing a synched Apple Watch) is the Strava Live Segments, which give you splits against things like your previous best time, the segment’s KOM or friends’ times, thus letting you know if you need to push harder in your quest for weekend warrior glory.
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