Roland's Tour Report

Since December, I’ve been preparing for one of the toughest and most emotional cycling races in the world: Le Loop – the entire Tour de France, a week before the pros. Thousands of kilometres, extreme elevation gains, heat, exhaustion, doubt, suffering – and yet, at the same time, those incredible moments when you realise why you’re doing all this. But this time, it’s about more than just sport.

On Saturday, 27 June 2026, around 100 cyclists will gather in Barcelona for the ‘Grand Départ’. Some will ride for just a few days, others for longer. Over the course of the following three weeks of the Tour, more participants will join us.

Once again, I am one of the 40 chosen ones who will experience the entire Tour.

Marry Christmas and Happy New Year greetings from the indoor training camp.

It’s out, the guessing is over, we know the route. The adventure has a face, and it commands a great deal of respect. Here is a brief introduction to what is in store for us in June 2026.

It’s summer 2025, a spectacular Tour de France is on TV next to my desk, perfect images and magnificent routes awaken my memories and direct my thoughts to the question: Again?

The year 2023 was relatively quiet in terms of cycling for me, yet it concluded with a fantastic tour that yielded at least one report and memorable impressions for my followers. Early in 2023, my cycling companions and I deliberated over potential tour locations. My suggestion of Sicily won out, leading us to arrange a gathering in Catania come October—a choice that, looking back, was excellent.