Of course, most of us aren’t climbing the Galibier or sprinting down the Champs-Élysées. But there’s still a way to capture a little of that pro peloton magic in our own riding routines. Whatever kind of rider you are—romantic, number-cruncher, style icon, grease-stained tinkerer, or social soul—there’s a Tour-inspired energy waiting for you. Here’s how to find yours.
The Dreamer
The dreamer rides for the feeling. You’re not here to chase KOMs or fine-tune your cadence, you’re here for the swooping descents, the long shadows across an open road, the sudden burst of emotion when a rider crosses the finish line in tears. Watching the Tour feels like reading poetry in motion. You follow the race not just for the results, but for the stories: the underdog attacks, the roadside fans with homemade signs, the glimpses of lavender fields and château-dotted horizons.
This summer, you don’t need to travel to France to make your rides feel cinematic. Start by giving your usual loop a little narrative flair, rename your local climb something suitably grand and set out to conquer it as if it were a summit finish. Take the long way home if it means catching golden hour on your favourite stretch of road. Ride without watching your speed. Let your legs guide you like a rider on a long, solo breakaway.
And when you return home, maybe take five minutes to jot down your ride like a race recap. Not for social media, just for yourself. Your personal Stage 9. Because for the dreamer, every ride is part of a bigger story.
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The Data Geek
You, on the other hand, love numbers. The Tour is your Olympic Games, but also your spreadsheet Super Bowl. You keep tabs on watts per kilo, heart rate zones, aero testing, tire pressures, and the second Pogacar starts tapping out negative splits on a climb, you’re mentally recalibrating your own training plan.
This summer, try structuring your riding around something the pros would respect. Maybe you target a new power zone, or build your own mini training camp inspired by your favourite team’s approach. Think of your weekend loop as your flat stage, your hill repeats as a short, punchy finish, your long ride as a simulated day in the break. Track your progress like you’re prepping for a Grand Tour. Use the Tour’s drama as your motivational fuel: if they can attack on the Alpe d’Huez after three weeks of racing, you can probably squeeze in a threshold interval before work.
The data geek doesn’t just watch the Tour—they study it. And with a bit of planning, your summer can be a well-oiled training block worthy of a WorldTour coach’s approval.
The Aesthete
You might not know anyone’s average watts, but you do know what socks each team is wearing this year, and which kits have no business being televised. You treat your bike like an extension of your style, and your Instagram feed looks more like a Rapha catalogue than a training log. You’re the reason the rest of us clean our bikes before the group ride.
For the aesthetic rider, the Tour is a visual feast. The kits, the bikes, the sponsors, the backdrops. This summer, take that inspiration and run with it. Curate your own July looks—maybe a sleek white-on-white kit for hot days, a throwback cap for café stops, or a team-inspired fit just for fun. Plan a golden hour ride and actually bring your tripod. If your town has cobbles, lean into the drama, snap the shot, get the angle, own the moment.
While the pros have soigneurs and photographers, you’ve got your eye and your unique vibe. Ride like you’re being followed by a race moto, even if it’s just your own shadow at dusk.
The DIY Mechanic
You don’t just ride bikes—you fix them, tweak them, tune them, clean them, and possibly name them. While some fans watch the Tour for the sprints or GC battles, you’re zooming in on drivetrain setups, aero bar positions, and the new prototype wheels someone quietly debuted in Stage 5. The real drama, for you, might be whether that chain drops under pressure.
This summer is your time to shine. Give your bike the kind of care it deserves: a mid-season strip-down, fresh cables, and a bit of new bar tape to match your TdF mood. If there’s a component you’ve been meaning to upgrade, or a setup you’ve been itching to test, now’s the time. The Tour reminds us that every marginal gain counts, and there’s no satisfaction quite like a perfectly indexed shift.
And if your ride buddy’s bike is creaking ominously, well… you know what to do. Bring the multitool. Be the team car. You are the unsung hero of summer cycling.
The Social Rider
Not everyone gets Tour fever through power data or gear geekery. For some, the magic lies in the shared experience: the group chats lighting up during each stage, the watch parties with post-race debates, the group rides where everyone’s pretending not to be racing up that final hill.
If you’re the social soul of your riding circle, this summer is the perfect excuse to build community around the Tour. Organise a TdF-themed ride with friends, maybe everyone picks a team to represent, or you mimic a stage route in your local terrain. Host a watch party with themed snacks (croissants and electrolyte drinks, anyone?) or a sweepstakes where each person draws a rider from a hat and cheers them on all month. Better yet, create your own “Tour de [Insert Town Name Here],” a mini multi-stage challenge over a few weekends, with sprints, climbs, and café stops as checkpoints.
For the social rider, cycling is a team sport, even if there’s no podium. You bring the energy, the banter, the good vibes. And just like the peloton, your strength is in numbers.
Find your peloton
The best part about the Tour de France is how it sparks a little something in all of us. You don’t have to shave your legs or ride 150 kilometres to be part of it. Maybe it’s the way you climb your local hill like it’s the Col du Tourmalet. Maybe it’s the way you wax your chain while the pros warm up for a time trial. Maybe it’s just the fact that you ride a little more often in July, pulled by the momentum of the world’s greatest race.
Whatever your riding personality, the Tour is yours to channel. Clip in, pick your stage, and bring the vibes.
