World of Cycling: Was that the hardest Grand Départ ever?

With two back-to-back hilly stages in the Basque Country to open the Tour de France, the peloton was treated to one of the toughest Grand Départs we have ever seen.

It was Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) who took advantage on stage 1 to claim the first yellow jersey of the Tour, before Victor Lafay (Cofidis) managed to take Cofidis’ first stage at the Tour for 15 long years on stage 2.

In the World of Cycling studio, Si Richardson is joined by GCN’s Conor Dunne and journalist William Fotheringham to decide if the Tour has ever seen a tougher start to the race. They are joined by Andy McGrath from the ground in the Basque Country, whilst stat guru Cillian Kelly delves into his vast cycling book collection.

Elsewhere, the trio analyses the opening stages of the Giro d’Italia Donne, which saw Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) take her 100th victory as a professional and ride into the maglia rosa. With a handsome lead after only a few stages, is the Dutchwoman already unstoppable in her pursuit of a fourth Giro Donne title?

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