Duncan Alexander
@oilysailor
luxury sports content | editor, writer, talker @TheAthleticFC | previously @OptaAnalyst
Each day on PL there is one main crisis club. The goal is to never be it
this tweet is one of the best 'typing things out' performances of the social media era
🏁 150KM The Breakaway / L'échappée 🥵 🇪🇸 @_rccarlos 🇳🇱 @ThymenArensman 🇫🇷 @laurance_axel 🇳🇴 Tobias Svendsen Foss 🇫🇷 Guillaume Martin 🇫🇷 @MadouasValentin 🇦🇺 Ben O'Connor 🇨🇭 Mauro Schmid 🇩🇰 @skjelmose_ 🇩🇪 Emanuel Buchmann 🇧🇪 @dylan_teuns 🇧🇪 @TiesjBenoot 🇳🇱 @mathieuvdpoel 🇬🇧 Joe…
If cycling is a national obsession in the month of July, then Ventoux is the apex from which it ripples. France finally have their first win of this Tour, Valentin Paret-Peintre finishing off a fantastic stage on the final ramp. Report with @TimSpiers: nytimes.com/athletic/65082…
Before the Tour de France, Matteo Jorgenson paid tribute to each teammate. But what would he like them to say of him? “Just that I’m fully committed.” Loved speaking to him about journaling, cycling’s all-consuming nature, and battling with Pogacar. nytimes.com/athletic/65064…
Fun day of racing in Carcassonne. Freed of domestique duty, Wellens wins in the Belgian champs jersey. Pogacar repays post-crash favour (and reignites spat with Jorgenson), and what about poor old Alaphilippe? nytimes.com/athletic/65045…
Stage 14 and Superbagnères — a climb one favourite failed to reach. Remco Evenepoel has abandoned the Tour de France. “He didn't have the legs to suffer,” say his team. Arensman wins for under-fire INEOS, muted Pogacar/Vingegaard duel. With @oilysailor: nytimes.com/athletic/65035…
🟡 Twenty-one stages and counting for Pogacar 🧐 What was wrong with Remco? 👊 Vingegaard wrestles some improvement from himself 🤌 Red Bull get some vintage Roglic 🖐 Plus high-fives and a broken finger @jwhitey and @oilysailor analyse stage 13 of the #TDF2025…
Over the past five years Tadej Pogacar has proven himself capable of winning almost any race in cycling's calendar. But it is the Slovenian’s laidback nature which stands out — an essential lightness to his being, a head which does not hang heavy with the crown. This is the…
The first high mountain stage of the Tour de France. The last stage the race was in the balance? Pogacar shows there is a chasm between himself and the rest - his acceleration was one of the most decisive acts I’ve seen on a bike. nytimes.com/athletic/64995…
🎯 2nd in La Liga for line-breaking passes 🌪️ Quick, one-touch play through midfield Martín Zubimendi's raw numbers rarely stand out, but @SkillCorner can help to add context on how his passing interacts with the game around him. For @TheAthleticFC ⬇️ nytimes.com/athletic/63992…
Rider of the race so far? Best stage? Pogacar still favourite? Jonas Rickaert appreciation? We're over halfway through the Tour de France. As we enter the pastures of the Pyrenees, a chewing of the cud with @oilysailor, @ChrisDHWaugh, & @TimSpiers. nytimes.com/athletic/64974…
We had to wait an extra day for stage 11 — but what a doozy it was. Pogacar crashes but the bunch waits, Abrahamsen grabs Uno-X's first Tour win — chaos in Toulouse. Plus — a chat with cycling obsessive Eden Hazard and an update on Evenepoel's future. nytimes.com/athletic/64974…
“It’s July 14, the French national day, and it’s a very steep and hilly stage. If you have to choose one day to do something, to do something great, it’s today. The TV, on the road, there will be a huge audience. Today is a day you cannot miss.” Each year France yearns for a…
To French teams, Bastille Day is the most important day of the year. Spent it with one of them, Cofidis, in the Massif Central. The stage did not go as they hoped. “For most teams, this is the real experience of the Tour de France.” nytimes.com/athletic/64951…
🟡 Ben Healy gives Ireland its first yellow jersey since 1987 🥇 Energetic Visma win stage with Yates and isolate Pogačar 🇫🇷 Lenny Martinez completes his Bastille Day mission @ChrisDHWaugh & @oilysailor break down stage 10 of the #TDF2025 nytimes.com/athletic/64928…
Ben Healy has another golden day - the first Irishman to wear the maillot jaune since Stephen Roche in 1987. Was Pogacar isolated? How did Yates pull away? And how about a break-formation deep-dive… Top-tier analysis from @ChrisDHWaugh & @oilysailor: nytimes.com/athletic/64928…
😢 Van der Poel's 170km escape caught with 740m to go 🥤 No drinks, no problem for stage winner Merlier 🤕 How much does Almeida’s departure weaken Pogacar? 💨 And redemption for the humble Tour de France sprint stage? @jwhitey98 breaks down the key moments from stage nine of…
Jonathan Milan is possibly the fastest rider in the world — but until today, had never won a stage of the Tour de France. He ended a 113 stage wait for an Italian win. Analysis of a tetchy sprint — plus an even tetchier UAE-Visma relationship: nytimes.com/athletic/64897…
some incredible detail in this 🧊
On Thursday, EF Education-Easypost invited @TheAthletic to witness how they fuelled a rider during a day at the Tour de France. On this day, that rider happened to win the race. Featuring Ben Healy, tamagotchis, and a lot of frozen gels. nytimes.com/athletic/64887…
Tadej Pogacar wins at Mur de Bretagne, and yet again, makes the extraordinary look ordinary. It is a shame his victory felt so underwhelming. Some repercussions may arise from Almeida's crash — plus Costiou's big day out and a tribute to Sam Abt. nytimes.com/athletic/64878…
What really goes on at a Tour de France time trial? Spent stage five in Caen with Decathlon-AG2R, a team on the up. Massive helmets, technical innovation, and the view from inside the team car. nytimes.com/athletic/64854…