Lionel Birnie and Graham Willgoss kick-off The Cycling Podcast’s build-up to the Tour de France, which starts in Lille on July 5.

The Critérium du Dauphiné began in spectacular style with fireworks at the end of the opening stage on Sunday. The three riders who finished on the podium at last year’s Tour de France – Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel – lined up alongside each other for the first time since last July.

And they all came alive on the final climb of the race, breaking clear with Mathieu van der Poel and Santiago Buitrago, to hold off the sprinters in Montluçon.

It was a statement of intent from the three leading contenders for this summer’s Tour as they begin their final preparations for the grand départ.

Get NordVPN two-year plan + four months extra ➼ https://nordvpn.com/tcp It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee.

If you are looking to hire someone for your company, maybe the best way isn’t to search for a candidate but to match with Indeed. Go to indeed.com/cycle now to get a £100 sponsored job credit and get matched with the perfect candidate fast.

Twitter @cycling_podcast

Instagram @thecyclingpodcast

Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes.

Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in.

Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it’s after 11am).

The Cycling Podcast is on Strava