Since last Saturday's Tour de France stunning stage 20 time trial, the race against the clock has been on everyones lips. So, we've been gathering the thoughts of Nikolai Razouvaev again, this time the Russian 'in the know' looks at the time trial bike. The pros and the cons - but mostly the cons.

Book Review: Thanks to Covid-19 the 2020 Giro d'Italia started this weekend in Sicily... In October! Thanks to “Maglia Rosa: Triumph and Tragedy at the Giro d’Italia” by British author/Italian resident Herbie Sykes, we have an English-language history of the Giro d’Italia.

Continuing Ed Hood's theme of why there seems to be more crashes in the professional peloton recently, Ed caught up with British star of the 60’s and 70’s, Norman Hill for his thoughts. There have been many changes over the years - Norman throws some light on the less than positive 'improvements'.

There is a very special jersey that, once you win it at a one day event, it is yours for a year wherever you race. This jersey, is of course, the glorious rainbow-striped confection first donned by Alfredo Binda in 1927. Its fascinating history is the subject of “Chasing the Rainbow: The Story of Road Cycling's World Championships” by Giles Belbin.

Author Peter Cossins describes in his history of that first 1903 Tour de France, the inelegantly titled “Butcher, Blacksmith, Acrobat, Sweep,” the original Tour de France, something totally new and untried and flawed in many ways, “should be considered as one of the greatest events in sporting history.”

Continuing with Ed Hood's series of 'English speaking' Tour de France pioneers, Ed moves onto Derek Harrison. Sadly Harrison died in May, 2018 in his adopted home of France, but his pro career spanned the 60s and 70s and include many top wins and two appearances in the French Grand Tour.

Australia, once deemed primarily suitable as a dumping-off place for convicts, is in fact a stunningly beautiful land. Its wild countryside has attracted explorers and adventurers, but cycling around it takes a special dedication. Some of the brave and/or eccentric souls who did are the subjects of a new book by Daniel Oakman, “Wild Ride.”

The world is a different place from last year, and thanks to Covid-19 our lives have changed. It's Tour de France time (yes, it shouldn't be in September) and Ed Hood should be 'Roadside' in France. He's at home in Scotland reminiscing over the good and the not so good points of the Tour.

As the 2020 Tour de France is on its first rest day, the 'PEZ Crew' got to thinking of their coolest Tour stage memories. Here are the guy's choices and, surprisingly, not for the sporting aspect of the stage, but more for the 'other' happenings on the day.