Whether you're tuning in late or missed part of the action, we have all the updates to this year's Tour de France listed below to keep you up to date. Check back often, or subscribe to our newsletter for updates delivered right to your inbox!

Stage 5-7: Greg Van Avermaet

They say that the best defense is a good offense, and that’s just what BMC’s Greg Van Avermaet did today. In an attempt to defend the yellow jersey he’s worn since winning Stage 5, the Belgian went on the attack midway through Stage 7, along with 28 other riders hoping to win the first Pyrenean stage of the 2016 Tour de France. Van Avermaet didn’t win the stage, but he added more time to his lead. Thanks to his aggressive riding, the yellow jersey is his for another day.

How Long Can He Stay in the Yellow?

Stage 8 has four tough climbs on tap for the riders, including the Col du Tourmalet, the first Hors Categorie or “Beyond Category” ascent of this year's Tour. Van Avermaet’s efforts today will certainly affect him tomorrow, but he has more than a six-minute lead over the Tour’s second-place rider. Tour history is filled with stories of riders who have worn the yellow jersey days longer than anyone expected them to. Van Avermaet could be writing another one.

Who's Really Winning the Tour?

It’s still too soon to say who’s really winning the Tour, but it looks as if another pre-race contender has lost it. FDJ’s Thibaut Pinot, considered by many to be a podium threat, was distanced on the Col d’Aspin today, and lost several minutes to the rest of the Tour’s overall contenders. While two weeks of the Tour remain, the Frenchman’s hopes of a top-three finish are probably over.

Stages 3-4: It's Still Sagan's Race

Tinkoff’s Peter Sagan stills leads the Tour, and thanks the four-second time bonus that came with his third-place finish on Stage 4, he extended his lead to 12 seconds over Etixx—Quick-Step’s Julian Alaphilippe and 14 seconds over Movistar’s Alejandro Valverde.

How Long Can He Stay in the Yellow?

Tomorrow’s stage is the hardest of the Tour so far, with a cluster of Category 2 and 3 ascents clustered in the final 45km of the stage. Sagan will need to have one of the best days of his career in order defend the jersey against the likes of Alaphilippe and Valverde, two riders whose past performances make them top contenders for tomorrow’s stage.


That said, Sagan has surprised us before. Remember the climb of Mt. Baldy in last year’s Amgen Tour of California? Sagan had a jersey to defend that day too—and he rose to the challenge. Coincidentally, his biggest challenger that day was also Alaphilippe. Can history repeat itself tomorrow? Tune-in and see.


Who’s Really Winning the Tour

It’s still too soon to say, but tomorrow’s stage could give the Tour’s overall contenders—men like Team Sky’s Chris Froome and Movistar’s Nairo Quintana—their first opportunity to test one another before the race hits the Pyrenees on Friday.

Stage 2: Tinkoff’s Peter Sagan Takes the Lead

Peter Sagan is now in the lead in this year's Tour, following his Stage 2 victory in Cherbourg. The World Champion was patient on the final climb of the Côte de la Glacerie and the final ramp to the finish line, letting other riders attack while saving his sprint at the last possible moment.
The stage win was his first since the 2013 Tour de France, and the yellow jersey that came with it is the first of his career. He also holds the green jersey as the leader of the Tour’s Points Competition, but won’t be wearing as long as he holds yellow.


How long can he stay in yellow?

Quite a while, actually. The next two stages are expected to end in field sprints. Even if pure sprinters like Dimension Data’s Mark Cavendish, Etixx—Quick-Step’s Marcel Kittel, and Lotto-Soudal’s Andre Greipel earn time bonuses via stage victories, they lost too much time at the end of Stage 2 to make much of a dent in Sagan’s lead. As for GC riders like Team Sky’s Chris Froome and Movistar’s Nairo Quintana, they’re waiting for the Pyrenees before starting their real battle for the yellow jersey.


Sagan’s greatest threat might be Quintana’s Movistar teammate, Alejandro Valverde. Wednesday’s Stage 5 is quite hilly, and Valverde  has the skills to drop Sagan on the steep climbs late in the stage. Etixx—Quick-Step’s Julian Alaphilippe (second to Sagan on Stage 2) bears watching as well.


Who’s Losing the Tour?

It’s too soon to say who’s really winning the Tour, but two riders already appear to have lost it (or at least, they haven’t done themselves any favors). Tinkoff’s Alberto Contador crashed hard during Stage 1, then fell again midway through Stage 2. The battered rider lost a minute to his rivals at the end of the stage, and has started the Tour in the worst way possible.
Another pre-race contender, BMC’s Richie Porte, lost 1:45 today thanks to a flat tire late in the stage. There are still three weeks before Paris, but these two riders have a lot of ground to make-up to get there in yellow.

Stage 1 Goes to Mark Cavendish

Dimension Data's Mark Cavendish scored his 27th Tour de France stage victory today at Utah Beach. But in doing so, he also won something he's never actually won before: the yellow jersey as the overall leader of the Tour de France. Cavendish out-sprinted Etixx--Quick-Step's Marcel Kittel and Tinkoff's Peter Sagan to win the stage, and now leads the two riders by 4 and 6 seconds respectively.


How Long Can He Stay in the Yellow?

Stage 2 ends after the top of a short, steep climb, though, making Sagan a good bet to take the jersey for himself tomorrow. It's a finish that's certainly too hard for Cavendish and Kittel, but not too hard for the Slovak. So don't expect Cavendish to be in yellow after Stage 2; the finish may prove too challenging for him.


Who’s Really Winning the Tour

As for the rest of the overall contenders, it's too soon make predictions about who's going to win the 2016 Tour de France. That said, Alberto Contador's chances took a big hit when the Spaniard crashed mid-stage. He says he suffered only cuts and scrapes, but it's certainly not the way he wanted to start his Tour.