RIDE Media

This team bike gallery features the evolution of title sponsors and brands for what is now the number-one team in the world, UAE Team Emirates-XRG. Essentially this team emerged out of the ashes of what was once Lampre, a brand that had a strong link with Italian brands (Wilier key amongst them) but there was also that season (2005) when Cannondale muscled its way in to the bike supply after a merger with what was the Saeco team.

The latest instalment in our #BikeGallery series looks back at the bikes raced by French outfit Cofidis from 2004 through to 2026 (with one notable omission – we’re still searching for images from the 2020 season). It’s also a fascinating look at one of professional cycling’s longest-standing equipment partnerships.

We’re kicking off what will become a long-running series looking back at the bikes raced by Tour de France teams over the past two decades. First up is the team now known as Netcompany INEOS. Before that it was INEOS Grenadiers, and before that, Team Sky. Despite the changes in name, one thing remained constant throughout the team’s rise to Grand Tour dominance: Pinarello.

Professional cycling has changed enormously over the past two decades, and nowhere is that more obvious than the bikes. Since 2004, the team now known as Team Visma | Lease a Bike has raced under several names, partnered with some of the sport’s biggest manufacturers and ridden bikes that have helped define successive generations of road racing technology.

For Australian cycling fans, July is a month built around the Tour. Late nights, early mornings, breakaway predictions, team selection debates and plenty of opinions about who’ll be wearing yellow in Paris. For many readers, the Official Tour de France Guide has become part of that annual routine. It sits within arm’s reach throughout July, helping make sense of the route, the contenders and the key storylines as the race unfolds.

For plenty of Australian cyclists, winter means a familiar trade-off. The motivation to stay fit is still there, but dark mornings, cold temperatures and wet roads can make it harder to get out the door consistently. That’s where indoor training starts to make a lot more sense.

Every Tour de France arrives carrying a few big questions. This year feels like it has more than most. Can Tadej Pogačar win a fifth Tour and move another step closer to the sport’s immortals? Can Jonas Vingegaard back up a dominant Giro d’Italia victory and complete the rare Giro-Tour double? Is Remco Evenepoel finally ready to turn his immense talent into a Tour-winning challenge?

Billed as “Australia’s Premier Bike Show” Spoken 2025 is coming to Sydney on the weekend of 20-22 June. With over 80 exhibitors from across the cycling industry the expo at Carriageworks is your chance to see bikes, components, riding kit, and more. RIDE Media has a stand booked, so come along, have a chat, and grab a copy of the Official Tour de France Guide. Visit the Spoken.bike for more, including session times and special events.

Ride Media: Update Sydney, 17 March 2026 The ride began with a magazine in 1998 and on the cover it stated: “A Celebration Of Cycling”. My passion for bike riding served as a catalyst for me to begin a media business with cycling as the central theme. Ride Media was created 28 years ago. I was 28 years old. And so, I can proudly say, I have been the Publishing Editor for half of my life. Today it’s different.

Thinking of a cycling getaway but still considering your destination options? If you want gloriously smooth roads with minimal traffic and great choices of riding terrain, look no further than Ehime in the northwest of Shikoku island in Japan. Introduction to a series of travel videos: Episode 1  |  Episode 2  |  Episode 3  |  Episode 4  | – by Rob Arnold It was an offer that was too good to refuse.