Cyclists tend to be a tech-savvy bunch, but they also appreciate the simple things. So if there's a cyclist on your gift list this holiday season, you'll find no shortage of attractive options for all budgets.

Whether you're looking for some new fenders or a spiffy bike worthy of the Tour de France, we've rounded up a handful of popular items sure to delight any cyclist in your world.

Read on and ride on.

SEE ALSO: Canyon comes to America

DON'T MISS: This Cannondale is everything an American champion's bike should be

Spurcycle Bell

Probably the world's finest bike bell. Small, elegant, and beautifully engineered, the Spurcycle Bell has a powerful, pleasing ring. We've had one on our commuting and road bikes for years, and it's perfect for giving others on the road or path a heads-up. $49; Spurcycle

Specialized S-Works Prevail II

Sleek and light, the Prevail II is one of the hottest helmets on the market. It's worn by some of the sport's best cyclists, including the three-time world champ Peter Sagan. $225; Specialized

SKS Raceblades

We've had Raceblades on our commuting and road bikes for years, and they remain our go-to clip-on fenders. They're easy to install and fit tires 25 to 32 mm wide. $60; Amazon

• Aerobic exercise provides a ton of benefits, from a lift in mood to more toned muscles.
• Some of the benefits can emerge within minutes, while others might take several days or weeks to crop up.
• A new study suggests that aerobic exercise also changes the makeup of the microbes in our gut.

Aerobic exercise, or cardio, might be the closest thing we have to a miracle drug.

When we commit to regular workouts that raise our heart rate and get us moving and sweating for a sustained period, magical things happen to our mind and body. We start to think more clearly, feel better about ourselves, and even build buffers against age-related cognitive decline. Our lungs and heart get stronger, too.

But cardio may have other less obvious benefits. A small study published in November suggests that activities like walking, swimming, and running — while they are no shortcut to weight loss— also change the makeup of the microbes in our gut that play a role in things like our energy levels and inflammation, an early warning sign of illness.

"These are the first studies to show that exercise can have an effect on your gut independent of diet or other factors,"Jeffrey Woods, a professor of kinesiology and community health at the University of Illinois who led the research, said in a statement.

That could have important implications for learning more about why exercise seems to be so uniquely capable of lifting our spirits and energizing our bodies.

Cardio affects our gut — but not in the way you might think

For the most recent study, published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports Exercise, Woods and a team of other scientists looked at 32 lean and obese women who had been essentially inactive before the study.

For three days a week over six weeks, the participants cycled, walked, ran on a treadmill, or used an elliptical machine. They started with a moderate 30-minute workout and worked up to a vigorous one-hour burst by the end of the study.

"They had a choice of activity on any given day, but most chose the treadmill," Woods told Business Insider.

After six weeks, the participants were instructed to go back to their normal sedentary lifestyles for another month and a half.

The researchers looked at the microbes in participants' guts using fecal samples immediately after their exercise program, then again after six weeks of not working out. They found that after weeks of exercise, there was an increase in participants' concentrations of butyrate, a type of fatty acid that helps keep our guts happy by tamping down on inflammation and producing energy. They soared in the lean participants and picked up modestly among those in the obese group.

"The bottom line is that there are clear differences in how the microbiome of somebody who is obese versus somebody who is lean responds to exercise," Woods said. "We have more work to do to determine why that is."

How aerobic workouts clear our minds and lift our mood

Precisely how cardio affects different types of bodies remains somewhat murky. But its powerful ability to clear the mind has been well documented by a handful of recent studies.

Aerobic exercise "has a unique capacity to exhilarate and relax, to provide stimulation and calm, to counter depression and dissipate stress," according to an article in the Harvard Medical School blog"Mind and Mood."

Some benefits of cardio, like a lift in mood, can emerge as soon as a few minutes into a sweaty bike ride. Others, like improved memory, might take several weeks to crop up.

The reason aerobic workouts seem to lift our spirits seems related to its ability to reduce levels of natural stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, a recent study in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science found. Activities like running and swimming also increase overall blood flow and provide our minds fresh energy and oxygen — another factor that could help us feel better.

Those benefits may be one of the reasons that working out is so helpful for people with depression. A pilot study with people with severe depression found that 30 minutes of treadmill walking for 10 consecutive days was "sufficient to produce a clinically relevant and statistically significant reduction in depression."

But the mental benefits of heart-pumping workouts aren't confined to better moods. This kind of exercise also seems to improve our memory and may even guard against some of the detrimental effects of aging.

A study published in May found that for adults aged 60-88, walking for 30 minutes four days a week for 12 weeks appeared to strengthen connectivity in a region of the brain where weakened connections have been linked with memory loss. And a recent study in older women who displayed potential symptoms of dementia found that aerobic exercise was linked with an increase in the size of the hippocampus, a brain area involved in learning and memory.

A study in the British Medical Journal suggests that if you're over 50, the best results come from combining aerobic and resistance exercise, which could include anything from high-intensity interval training, like the seven-minute workout, to dynamic-flow yoga, which intersperses strength-building poses like planks and push-ups with heart-pumping dance-like moves.

So what are you waiting for? Get moving, and keep it up.

SEE ALSO: How long you need to do cardio to reap the benefits for your body and brain

Join the conversation about this story »

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• Renowned British cyclist Chris Froome has failed a drugs test.
• The four-time Tour de France winner's urine sample during the Vuelta a España in September contained twice the permitted level of salbutamol, a legal asthma drug.
• Froome will challenge the result, but if it is upheld he could face a lengthy ban from the sport.

Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome has failed a drugs test, according to The Guardian.

Froome submitted a urine sample that contained twice the permitted level of salbutamol, a legal asthma drug, during his 2017 victory at Vuelta a España in September.

He maintains innocence and, according to The Guardian, said that "it is well known" that he suffers from asthma, that he knows "exactly what the rules are," and that he used an inhaler to manage his symptoms.

Cyclists are allowed a level of 1,000 nanograms of salbutamol per milliltre in their urine, as per World Anti-Doping Agency rules. Froome's sample was double that.

"My asthma got worse at the Vuelta so I followed the team doctor’s advice to increase my salbutamol dosage. As always, I took the greatest care to ensure that I did not use more than the permissible dose."

Froome is considered to be one of the most successful Tour de France cyclists of all time, thanks to four championship wins. He also won the 2017 Vuerta title, is a two-time Olympic bronze medalist, and received an OBE in 2016.

He said that the world governing body for cycling, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), is correct to examine the test results and said he would cooperate with it's investigation. "I will provide whatever information it requires," he said.

It is understood that Froome and Team Sky will challenge the result of the test.

However, if the result is upheld, Froome will lose his 2017 Vuelte title, be handed a significant ban from the sport, and could therefore be suspended for the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France in 2018.

Join the conversation about this story »

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• Belgium's Sven Nys is the greatest cyclocross rider of all time.
• He told Business Insider he attributes his 140 victories and world titles to outworking his rivals, thinking creatively, and not copying others.
• Recently retired from pro racing, Nys has embarked on the second half of his career as a businessman and brand ambassador to the US's only billion-dollar bike company, Wisconsin-based Trek Bicycle Corp.

Sven Nys is to cyclocross what Michael Jordan is to basketball: his sport's greatest. The Belgian retired last year, but not before winning 140 races, including seven World Cups and two World Championships.

Over two decades, Nys dominated his sport like nobody had ever done, earning himself the nickname the Cannibal from Baal. With a winning combination of fitness, technique, and racecraft, Nys became the best-known name in cyclocross.

Cyclocross is one of Belgium's biggest sports, whose races are nationally televised and attract tens of thousands of spectators, rain or shine. The season starts in September and finishes in February, and some would like to see cyclocross become an Olympic sport. The bikes look like road bikes but have knobby tires and other features that make them suitable for off-road riding. Courses are about a mile long, and riders complete several laps with the winner being the first person across the line. Amateurs race for 40 minutes with the pros going a full hour.

Cyclocross is most popular in northern Europe but is the fastest-growing discipline in US cycling. Older than the Tour de France, cyclocross started as a way for road cyclists to keep fit in the winter, but it's now very much its own sport, and it has seen explosive growth.

Nys, 41, sat down with Business Insider to talk about his career and lessons for success, on and off the bike. We caught up with him in Waterloo, Wisconsin, at Trek Bicycle Corp., where Nys is an ambassador and helps the US's only billion-dollar bike company with product development. He occasionally jumps into local amateur races too.

Daniel McMahon: You enjoyed an extraordinary professional racing career that spanned 20 years, winning every cyclocross race that mattered. When you look back, what were the most important lessons you learned?

Sven Nys: First, you need to have the passion and really love to ride your bike every day at the highest level. Also, for me personally, my goal was to always try to beat another generation, to try to beat the sport again. Trying to develop myself even when I was 37 years old.

In 1997, when I started as a professional athlete, my sport was not like it is now. I needed to develop myself to beat the next generation, but things also changed in the sport. Bikes have changed, the sport has gotten faster, and it's becoming more professional. But my goal always was to try to be one step in front of all the others. That was my motivation. That helped me to work every day during the year, and very hard. And it never stopped.

McMahon: Is that why you competed in road racing in addition to cyclocross?

Nys: Yes, exactly. I did road racing almost every year to prepare myself for the cyclocross season. At certain times I did more road racing and some of the spring classics. But I never forgot what I was really good at. And that was cyclocross. I'd do a whole season of cyclocross and then some of the spring classics, up until Paris-Roubaix. But I never made the decision to ride on the road only, and then maybe do a dozen races in cyclocross. No. It was always the opposite: Cyclocross was always most important.

SEE ALSO: Canyon finally comes to America: Will it thrive?

DON'T MISS: A conversation with Katie Compton, America's greatest cyclocrosser

McMahon: You say you always wanted to be ahead of the next generation, so clearly you had to work harder than your rivals.

Nys: Yes, but the discipline also changed, and the materials changed. So you needed to not only develop your own skills but the bike too.

Also, going to training camps and sleeping at altitude. It was always step by step, doing some new and different things. For example, I took the decision in 2005 to ride in the summer mountain-bike races, which helped me to get stronger in cyclocross. And it motivated me in different way to prepare for cyclocross. That's the reason I was always motivated and sharp about trying to be the best.

McMahon: You took your physical conditioning seriously, more so than others took theirs. You were always trying new things to complement your training on the bike. For example, you incorporated plyometrics into your workouts.

Nys: Yes. And not using weights too much. Riding my bike was most important, doing all the power training on the bike, because that's specific and that's really important. Also, core stability, and trying to be in balance — your whole body, physically and mentally.

And you need to be ready before the season starts. Don't think in September that you need to train or that you can still grow a lot. No, no, no. You need to be ready before September.

With the schedule I created for myself, I saw a lot of times that others copied what I did. And if you copy somebody, you are always too late. And that was always my luck, that I never copied somebody, that I developed something new. And they were always one step behind.

McMahon: Where did that thinking come from?

Sven: I was just trying to be creative. If you see that your sport is changing, you need to change yourself and think about it and work with people around you who are really smart in what they do, whether as a coach or as a managing director.

A lot of people around me were really strong in organizing events, in publicity, in coaching, and that was all very important. That is why I'm sitting here right now.

McMahon: How did you become a professional cyclocrosser?

Nys: I started when I was 5 years old as a BMX kid, and I did that until I was 15. At that time in Belgium, BMX was not all that popular, and of course it was not an Olympic sport back then.

I was looking for a discipline in cycling where I could show my technique, my skills. On the road it was not easy. Then I took the decision, OK, first let's do some BMX races, and then in the winter I'll go and do some cyclocross races. Then I just felt it: This is what I love to do.

McMahon: You were competitive up until you retired last year, at age 40, when most cyclocross pros have long since retired. How did you stay competitive for so long?

Nys: You know, I worked during my last year even harder than in the beginning of my career. I just never felt it was enough. The pressure and the racing, maybe that was the only thing that I ever felt made me say, OK, that's enough. But the hard training, watching your diet, trying to develop yourself, even when you're 40, that was what I loved to do. I still love to do it today. I just love it, racing and trying to be the best.

McMahon: Was there one change you made during your career that had a significant effect on your performance?

Nys: There were a lot of things, but at one point I went too far in my diet. I felt my power was gone. My coach said to me, "You need to find a good balance." That meant eating some more fat and finding a good combination in my diet. At one time I felt that was out of balance. Turns out I wasn't eating enough fat. It's like I lost my energy. We changed things up, and that helped me to stay healthy all season. I had more resistance.

Also, when I started in cyclocross, there were no training camps in the winter. I started with that, and now all the riders, they go in the middle of the season, somewhere warm, like Spain, to train at altitude.

McMahon: You were also one of the first cyclocrossers to have your own campervan.

Nys: I was. In the beginning, I was going to the showers in the locker room that was available from the event, and at a certain point I said, "Hey, when I come to the locker room, it's always cold water." Because [after doing postrace interviews] I was always the last guy who needed to go to the showers, and there was never any warm water left. Eventually I said, "I need to have a campervan for myself that I can shower in, that is going to help me stay healthy, that has everything around me, including my mechanics." So, you know, it's 5% here, 12% there, and then, step by step, you're getting more professional.

The point is, you can always grow. Even now, you can make some small steps, which is what you need to be thinking about. Today, I'm in another position, but I can help the young guys.

McMahon: And now everyone has a campervan.

Nys: Yeah — and it's strange if you don't have one.

McMahon: Who was your greatest rival?

Nys:Whew — I had a lot.

But the most difficult one to beat was Zdeněk Štybar. He was technically on the same level. He was really explosive. He had a really fast acceleration. When I was young I had it also.

You know, when we trained together, we killed each other. We were always pushing ourselves until, and over, the limit. Always. Not for a few weeks, but 365 days.

When I was in a race and thinking I was going to try something, he was there. For me, he was the most difficult one. But it was also because I was getting a little bit older. He was still younger. My explosivity went down a little more, so I needed to use my experience more, and my power. So it all needed to be in a good moment for me to beat him, and him to beat me. That was a really important period for me to push myself to a higher limit.

Štybar is a really nice guy too. He loves cycling. And he's still a good rider.

Most major bike brands adore the Tour de France, and for good reason. Millions watch the three-week race from the roadside and hundreds of millions more watch it on TV, making it the ideal time to roll out new bikes and cycling gear.

But brands don't just introduce new bikes at the race. Bikes need to be test-ridden, tweaked, and, yes, raced. At the same time, companies want to preserve the excitement of a new bike, build hype, and ensure customers keep buying the existing model that's soon to be replaced.

Trek Bicycle Corp.'s launch this past summer of its latest super-high-end road bike was a good example of how brands try to conduct under-the-radar real-world testing before unveiling bikes in prime time. The day before this year's Tour it debuted one of the most talked-about new bikes, its redesigned Émonda SLR 9, an ultralight carbon climber for its Trek-Segafredo team.

But it came only after a year or so of redesigning the bike from its previous iteration and trying its best to test it in stealth mode with some of the world's best cyclists.

In the run-up to this year's Tour, Business Insider got an inside look at how America's leading bike company readied and debuted one of the most important bikes in its over 40-year history.

DON'T MISS: Canyon finally comes to America

SEE ALSO: Kittel makes history at Tour with disc brakes

NEXT UP: A conversation with Sven Nys, the greatest cyclocrosser of all time

It all began for us with a cryptic email from Trek inviting a handful of journalists to attend a private event at its headquarters, in Waterloo, Wisconsin, in early June, less than a month before the Tour's start in Düsseldorf, Germany. The invite concluded by saying it was an embargoed event, meaning no teaser previews or "spy shots" on social media until June 30, the day of the official launch.

So about three weeks before we headed to the Tour we made the drive from Chicago to Waterloo, wondering what lay in store. Almost certainly Trek would be announcing a new bike — but which one? A redesign or a completely new one? Or something else?

We arrived at Trek HQ in time for the opening presentation. The large building, sleek and modern, houses about a thousand employees (another thousand or so work at offices and stores around the world). Trek says everyone is encouraged to get out and ride during the workday, and employees we talked to said the company has a "very generous" employee discount on bikes and gear. Trek is the only billion-dollar bike company in the US.

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

The Insider Pick:

• Whether you're bouncing down the trail on a mountain bike or sprinting on a racing bicycle, without proper tire inflation, you'll have a bad ride. Fortunately, there are a lot of great bike pumps out there that can fill those tires fast. The Vibrelli Performance Floor Pump is our top pick, thanks to its high 160-PSI pressure capacity and low price.

The first device that looked like the modern bicycle was developed in the early 1800s. It was known as a velocipede, and it had as many disparities as shared traits with modern bikes. Early pedal-driven cycles used steel bands or solid wooden wheels instead of pneumatic (air-filled) tires, so its little wonder that one variety of early bike was known as the boneshaker. Pneumatic tires were developed in the 1880s, and cyclists have been enjoying fewer headaches ever since.

But even the latest greatest modern pneumatic bicycle tire is useless without a good pump to fill it with air. If you have a bike manufactured any time after the late 19th Century, you also need a good bike pump to keep the tires ready to roll. But how to choose the right bike pump?

First, you need to think about the most basic consideration: What type of bicycle will the pump serve? Road bikes with narrow tires require a fair amount of pressure, generally between 80 and 130 pounds per square inch (PSI). Mountain bikes with large, thick tires use much lower pressures, generally down around 30 PSI. A general-purpose bike, commonly called a hybrid, will, not surprisingly, fall in the middle, with an average range of 50 to 70 PSI.

It logically follows, then, that the racing bike enthusiast needs a pump capable of creating plenty of pressure and ideally that can do so quickly, while the mountain biker will be served just fine by a pump with a lower output capacity.

Beyond basic PSI capacity, next think about pump size and design. Do you need to carry the pump along with you during a multi-day bike camping trip? Or during an all-day road race that will take you far away from the nearest support infrastructure? Then a lightweight and portable pump is a must. Or are your rides mostly around town for commuting and recreation? If so, a larger floor pump stored in the closet or in a shed is just fine.

And finally, how serious of a cyclist are you? If you have to dust off your bike before each ride, a lower cost pump of midrange quality will suit you fine. If you ride every morning and afternoon, then, by all means, invest in a professional-grade pump that fills the tires fast and that will last for years of regular use. Don't worry about the budget too much, as even an excellent pump can be yours for less than fifty bucks.

Read on in the slides below to learn why the Vibrelli Performance Floor Pump is our top pick and why you might also like the Lumintrail Mini Bike Pump, the EPAuto Portable Air Compressor Pump, the Bell Windstorm 400 Floor Pump, and the Topeak Sport II Floor Pump.

SEE ALSO: The best bike locks you can buy

The best bike pump overall

Why you'll love it: The Vibrelli Performance Floor Pump has a strong, smoothly-operating steel barrel that inflates up to 160 PSI with minimal effort.

For about $30, the Vibrelli Performance Floor Pump is a bargain for a quality tool. With a maximum output rating of 160 PSI, this pump can inflate just about any bike tires you will ever come across, and it does so rapidly with minimal effort thanks to its efficient and reliable design. Its nozzle can rapidly convert to accept Schrader, Presta, and Dunlop valves.

The Vibrelli has an extra long barrel that makes each pump productive, saving you time and effort as compared to shorter options. Its wide nylon foot base and broad ergonomic handle work in tandem to keep the unit stable even during vigorous operation.

The highly accurate gauge, which displays air pressure both in pounds per square inch and bar units (a metric system measurement; one bar is equal to 14.5 PSI) makes it easy to know just when you've hit the optimal pressurization for your bike's tires.

In case the high quality and low price weren't enough for you, the Vibrelli Performance Floor Pump also comes with an inflation needle for balls as well as with a puncture repair kit.

With more than 2,600 reviews posted on Amazon, the Vibrelli has a shining 4.7-star average rating. An owner named Yan calls it "amazing," saying it makes "pumping so much easier and more efficient" than other units he had used. A cyclist named Jeffrey called it a "fantastic pump" with a gauge that is "accurate and responds quickly."

A writer with PedalSwift called the Vibrelli a "high performance" option at a reasonable price and noted its "all steel barrel design." A BuytheBest10 review called it "affordable" and "durable" and praised its "multipurpose T-valve."

Pros: High efficiency pumping, good price point, durable barrel, accurate pressure gauge

Cons: Proper nozzle attachment takes practice

Buy  the Vibrelli Performance Floor Pump on Amazon for $32.96

The best portable bike pump

Why you'll love it:  The Lumintrail Mini Bike Pump is less than a foot long and weighs less than a half pound, so it can tuck away in any backpack or be strapped to a bike's frame.

If you manage a busy bike shop and spend all day inflating tires, then the Lumintrail Mini Bike Pump is probably not an ideal choice as your primary pump. If, however, you are a mountain biker who ventures well out into the wilderness, a touring cyclist who spends days on the road, or a racer who needs to ensure your bike tires are at the optimal inflation at all times during hours of cycling, then this is the perfect pump for you.

At just 7.4 ounces of weight and 11 inches of length, this pump can tuck away in a backpack, a pannier, or it can be strapped right onto the bike's frame using a frame mount that comes included.

Don't let the Lumintrail's small size fool you. This pump can create up to 120 PSI, enough air pressure for most bike tires even including high-performance racing tubes. The rotating nozzle accommodates both Schrader and Presta valves and is held in place by a locking lever. A small gauge set just beneath the nozzle lets you keep track of the pressure.

Granted, if you need to inflate a stack of flat tires, you will spend a lot more time using the Lumintrail mini than you would with a floor pump. But as a backup unit, a portable pump, or as the only bike pump for the seldom-used bike, the Lumintrail Mini Bike Pump is a fine choice. Also, it costs $12.

Amazon buyers have given this plucky little pump a solid 4.2 out of five-star average rating. One cyclist calls it "well made" and reports that it has "held up through drops onto concrete." Another owner calls it "perfect for keeping in the backpack."

A product reviewer with NoPlaceCalledHome called the Lumintrail mini "easy to use" and "durable," noting how its rotating head made it easy to select the proper nozzle for a tire's valve.

Pros: Compact and lightweight, great low price, easy to switch valve types

Cons: Pumping gets difficult at higher PSI

Buy the Lumintrail Mini Bike Pump on Amazon for $11.99 (originally $22.99)

The best electric air pump

Why you'll love it: The EPAuto Portable Air Compressor Pump does all the hard work for you, effortlessly inflating tires to an exact pre-set pressure goal with the tap of a few buttons. 

When used to inflate bicycle tires, there are three issues with the EPAuto Portable Air Compressor Pump that we should deal with at the outset. First, it requires a 12-volt DC power outlet, AKA the cigarette lighter port you found in an automobile. Second, it has a maximum pressure output of 100 PSI, which is too low for some road bike tires. And third, to inflate a tire with a Presta valve, you will need to purchase a separate adapter.

Those drawbacks aside, for most cyclists who also own a car, the electric EPAuto Portable Air Compressor Pump will make inflating bike tires easier than ever. Once the nozzle is screwed in place onto a tire's valve, all you need to do to achieve the exact level of inflation desired is pre-program the target PSI using the Plus or Minus buttons, then start the unit up. 

The compressor's LCD screen displays pressure in PSI, BAR, or KPA measurements, and the unit features a built-in flashlight for use after dark. This compressor is also more than suitable for use with auto tires. That, after all, is the EPAuto Portable Air Compressor Pump's primary purpose.

With more than 2,750 reviews posted online, this compressor scores an admirable 4.4-star average rating. One owner said its "gauge is accurate" and appreciated that it was relatively "quiet for a compressor." Another said that despite its small size it "packs a punch" or pumping power.

A review from WoodWorkingToolKit appreciated the fact that this compact compressor has an "auto shutoff feature that shut[s] down the unit when the desired pressure is achieved "that can "prevent over inflation."

Pros: Fast inflation time, pre-set air pressure target, built-in flashlight

Cons: Requires access to auto battery, maxes out at 100 PSI

Buy the EPAuto Portable Air Compressor Pump on Amazon for $25

• KALK is an electric motocross bike made by the Swedish company CAKE.
• It has a carbon fibre frame and it weighs just under 70kgs in total.
• The bike has a 15,000W motor and a top speed of 50mph.
• You can pre-order one now but the bike will cost £12,434 when it ships in June.

This is KALK, a minimalist electric motocross bike that can ride on and off road. On a full charge KALK can travel up to 50 miles, and has a top speed of 50mph.

It’s made by the Swedish company CAKE and every component of the bike is made from scratch.

It has no gears or clutch and is powered by a 15,000W motor. They are available from June 2018 but release is extremely limited, with only 50 bikes being made.

Produced by Charlie Floyd

Join the conversation about this story »

• An advertising agency in New Zealand is paying employees up to $NZ10 (£5.23) a day to cycle to work.
• The agency says it will be paid out to employees as a bonus at the end of the year.
• "My gut instinct is that it could be something really good for the workplace," the head of the company said.

An advertising agency in Christchurch, New Zealand is offering its employees cash to cycle to work in an attempt to encourage physical exercise and move away from the reliance on cars and public transport.

Employees of Make Collective will receive $NZ5 (£2.62) a day for the round trip.

But if employees cycle to work for more than half the year, the incentive will double to $NZ10 (£5.23) per day.

The business says it will be paid out to employees as a bonus at the end of the year.

That means if an employee rode to work every day for a year, they could receive a bonus of up to $NZ1,950 (£1,020.61).

The head of the company Tim Chesney told Stuff.co.nz that he hopes the scheme will encourage a long-term, rather than just a one-off.

"For a while I had been thinking it would be great to incentivise cycling in some way. I’m a really keen cyclist [and] cash is clearly the most obvious incentive," he told the publication.

"My gut instinct is that it could be something really good for the workplace. I know for myself I show up feeling a lot more energised, my blood is already flowing."

An obstacle for some employees is that there are no shower facilities in the building, but Chesney said that they may negotiate with the gym across the road for a shower-only membership.

Read more on Stuff.co.nz.

SEE ALSO: Cycling to work may 'half your risk of cancer and heart disease'

Join the conversation about this story »

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• SRAM is the leading manufacturer of state-of-the-art bicycle components in the US. In 2017 it enjoyed strong growth while its competition was flat.
• CEO Stan Day told Business Insider that SRAM's product innovation was the driver of its success. It was awarded 16 patents last year alone.
• SRAM headquarters, in Chicago, is a positively cycling-obsessed work environment, and most employees are biking enthusiasts.
• The company carries on the strong tradition of bicycle-related manufacturing in the Midwest.
• But the industry faces challenges, including a soft market, distracted drivers, and even problems with autonomous-car technology.

CHICAGO — Set deep into the industrial-chic Fulton Market neighborhood of the revitalized West Loop, among the offices of Google, Uber, and other tech darlings, is the home of SRAM, the high-end bicycle-components maker that's coming off one of the best 12 months in its 31-year history.

"We were up 15% last year and continue to do well, and that's in a relatively flat market," CEO Stan Day told Business Insider on a visit to SRAM headquarters. SRAM's growth is driven by product innovation, Day said, whether it's the company's award-winning electronic-shifting system, aerodynamic wheels, or Tour de France-proven components.

SRAM, an acronym made up of its founders' initials, actually comprises several brands that together produce virtually all the components needed to build a road or mountain bike. The privately owned company got its start in the Windy City in 1987 with six employees and today has 3,500 worldwide.

Business Insider sat down with Day, one of SRAM's founders, after getting a tour of one of Chicago's most innovative companies.

Stan Day: Business is pretty good. We're up 15%, and that's when Shimano is up 1% and others are down a little, up a little. So we think we're doing better than most, and it's really being driven by the product innovation — eTap and Eagle drivetrains, for road and mountain, respectively. Those are on fire.

McMahon: What is SRAM's market share?

Day: Shimano is about $2 billion in sales in the bike industry; we're about $700 million. Then Fox is about $450 million total, but about $200 million in bike. And then it drops off. From there it gets small fast.

McMahon: Is Campagnolo a market factor?

Day: Not really a competitive factor. They are really a great brand, a classic brand. They're probably about $100 million in sales, with $60 million of that in wheels and $40 million in drivetrain. They are the historical, classic brand, but they're not really on the competitive or performance curve of what we and Shimano are producing.

SEE ALSO: Will Germany's Canyon Bicycles disrupt the American bicycle industry?

DON'T MISS: How Trek secretly tested the world's lightest production road bike and then unveiled it the day before the Tour de France

McMahon: The high-end road-bike market is soft. Why is that?

Day: We certainly don't have the turbo-charge effect that we had when Lance was popular. There's general softness in the bike market, but we're right at the inflection point in the road market where disc brakes are coming in and the disc availability is very limited, in terms of bike selection and, literally, availability.

I think — my hypothesis, my hope — is that consumers are postponing new high-end purchases until the suite of new disc bikes becomes more filled out. I mean, you could buy a few now, and you could build up a few, but even if you did a kit build, your frame selection is limited. So as we swing forward, there are going to be more standard-specced disc bikes and more frames available for kit builds. I think 2018 is going to be meaningfully better, and 2019 is going to be a lot better, because in another 18 months that entire category is going to be well populated.

McMahon: I've heard from some road cyclists, including industry insiders and even veteran pros, that they're doing less road cycling these days and instead seeking out trails and more off-road-type riding, in part because of distracted drivers and some of the horrific news stories you hear about. What's your perspective, as a year-round bike commuter and the head of a major cycling brand?

Day: Distracted driving is an incredible issue and a terrible thing. You can see it when you're commuting. People are texting or on their phones. It's horrendous. I think it's maybe a piece of why the road market has slowed a little bit. John Burke will say it is a factor. It's one of the reasons we're so into advocacy for more bike lanes. Bike lanes help a lot, even a stripe. And it doesn't have to be protected — just some visual. One of the things that drives me crazy here in Chicago is you go down some of these streets that were striped and now the paint has worn off. Like, Gimme some more paint!

There's work going on as well in the auto industry as we go self-driving, as we go driving-assisted. How can we see the bikes better? And proactively create the linkage into those information systems? So we're going to get better, meaningfully better, but right now we're in a little bit of a valley where we've got more cyclists on the road, which is great, but exacerbated by the problem with distracted driving, so we've got to get through this valley and come out the other side.

• The Stompump is a portable foot pump that attaches to your bicycle.
• The Stompump comes from the creators of the "Bar Fly" products.
• Bar Fly makes a range of bike clips and mudguards.
• It is made of aluminum and has a filter to keep dirt and dust particles out.

Stompump is a portable foot pump that claims to work three times faster than a hand pump. Stompump's creators worked previously on battle robots and utilised similar air pump technology for this product.

Traditional foot pumps are too big to carry around with you and hand pumps are labour intensive to use so this compact foot pump really is a game changer. 

Each pump has a storage compartment and can be clipped on to your bicycle. The Stompump works on bikes and scooters, but it can be used on cars and trailers too. The pumps are available to pre-order for £63.

Produced by Charlie Floyd

SEE ALSO: This machine washes your clothes while you cycle — and it saves loads of water and time

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Disgraced former American cyclist Lance Armstrong on Thursday settled federal fraud charges against him for $5 million. The charges were related to his use of performance-enhancing drugs during his professional racing career.

It ended a protracted legal battle that involved former teammate Floyd Landis and the US government on behalf of the US Postal Service, Armstrong's Tour de France team sponsor from 1999 through 2005. Landis filed the original lawsuit — which had sought $100 million — in 2010 and is eligible for up to 25% of the settlement.

The deal came as the two sides prepared for a trial that was scheduled to start May 7 in Washington, The Associated Press reported. Armstrong said he was happy to have "made peace with the Postal Service."

For a decade, Armstrong was not only one of the world's most dominant athletes but also one of its most recognizable figures. Armstrong did what no one had ever done: He won the Tour de France seven times, and he did so consecutively from 1999 to 2005.

But that was all before the US Anti-Doping Agency found that his team had run "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."

As we know now, Armstrong used a variety of performance-enhancing drugs, and all his wins in the greatest bicycle race were eventually stripped from him.

As recently as 2016 Armstrong still blasted USADA, calling it "one of the most ineffective and inefficient organizations in the world" and claiming its CEO, Travis Tygart, went after him only because he needed a case and a story.

Armstrong didn't act alone, and it was, darkly so, a team effort. A calculating tactician, Le Boss handpicked his teammates carefully, and together they were cycling's most successful team.

Several of the riders who served under Armstrong's tainted reign are still involved in the sport.

Here's a look at what he and his old teammates have been up to:

SEE ALSO: All Tour de France articles

An indelible image from the era was that of the US Postal Service's "Blue Train" setting a blistering pace at the front of the peloton, one that no one could match, let alone beat.

Levi Leipheimer was an all-rounder who rode with Armstrong on a few different teams at the Tour. He later admitted doping during his career.

Source: USADA

He now lives in Santa Rosa, California, where he runs a mass-participation bike ride. He also does promotion videos and coaches cyclists.

Sources: levination, Levi's GranFondo

The PodRide was invented in 2016 by Mikael Kjellman. He wanted to be able to cycle to work in the winter. The PodRide was an internet hit and Mikeal was overwhelmed with requests from people who wanted to buy one of their own. So, Mikael redesigned the bike to be more efficient for mass production. Following is a transcript of the video.

This bike looks like a car. The PodRide is a four-wheeled, electric-assist bike. It's covered by a fabric shell. The shell protects the cyclist from various weather conditions. The electric motor can assist up to 15 mph. So you'll have to use your legs if you want to go faster.

The inventor, Mikael Kjellman, created the PodRide so he could cycle in the winter. But the PodRide works on more than just snow. It can handle dirt trails. Ice. And snowy roadways. Kjellman spent years piecing different bicycle parts together. And tested different prototypes. His final version came complete with headlights. Storage. A small heater. Air suspension. And a windshield wiper.

After the PodRide went viral in 2016 Kjellman received a lot of interest in the new vehicle. 

David Rowswell: But the problem was that PodRide had never been designed with any thought of mass production. So Mikael went back to the drawing board and set about redesigning PodRide from the ground up to be better suited for mass production.

He even added requested features, such as a rear child seat. PodRide is currently crowdfunding for the prototype and production phases. They plan on bringing the PodRide to Europe first. 

David Rowswell: Due to U.S. and Canadian regulations, a motorized, four-wheel PodRide would not be classified as a bicycle. So we will produce a three-wheeled version for the North American market. The non-motorized, four-wheel PodRide is classified as a bike in North America.

Would you take a ride in the PodRide?

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• Brompton Bikes is the UK's largest bike manufacturer.
• It makes over over 45,000 bikes per year.
• The Brompton was invented in 1975 and can be folded down in 20 seconds.
• Each bike is created by hand in Brompton's London factory. 

The Brompton factory in London makes 1,000 folding bikes per week. The process starts with steel tubes, these tubes are cut to length and put into an auto-brazer. The auto-brazer attaches machined parts to each tube.

Each part is then cleaned in an agitator. Once cleaned they're bent into shape and joined together to form the frame. Each bike is hand-brazed, this is a similar process to welding but uses lower temperatures and doesn't melt the metal being joined together.

This process allows Brompton to use thinner metal and produce lighter bike frames. It takes 18 months of training to become a brazer at Brompton and each brazer stamps their initials onto the frames they work on. 

Each bike is made up of around 1,200 parts and each is assembled on site. Colours and features of each bike can be customised, from different gearing to the style of handlebar.

Brompton bikes are available from £840. 

Produced by Charlie Floyd

SEE ALSO: This is how craft beer is brewed at Beavertown — one of the UK's biggest craft breweries

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• A 45-minute indoor cycling workout can burn 350- 600+ calories.
• Indoor cycling is a low-impact way to get a high-intensity cardio workout.
• In addition to a heart-pumping cardio workout, cycling works you lower body, especially your glutes and quads.

There's nothing quite like the intense sweat and muscle pump you get from an awesome cycling workout.

Ideal for beginners and fitness fanatics, cycling workouts are all the rage— thanks in part tostudios like SoulCycle and FlyWheel who attract some of Hollywood's biggest celebrities.

From boutique-style classes to traditional cycling programs, people are lining up to get a seat in the gyms and studios offering this intense workout. That's because cycling, also called spinning or indoor cycling is one of the best ways to torch calories and get your cardio in.

Whether you like the accountability and motivation that comes from a group exercise class or the flexibility to work out on your own, indoor cycling may be exactly what you need to kick-start your fitness plans and get into shape just in time for summer.

Indoor cycling workouts have a ton of benefits. 

“Indoor cycling classes work, plain and simple,” Erin Moone and Dionne Del Carlo, co-founders ofStarCycle told INSIDER. That's why they've been around for decades.

In addition to being energizing and fun, Moone and Del Carlo said an indoor cycling or spin workout is a phenomenal and effective way to get a high-cardio workout, withlow-impact to the joints.

They also pointed out that an indoor cycling class works your major muscle groups like yourglutes, quads, and core. Whether in a class or on your own, this piece of cardio equipment challenges the legs in two different ways: Crank up the resistance and thepush-pull movement increases the intensity by placing more tension on the quads and hamstrings, or lower the resistance and you end up with a workout that is fast-paced and more endurance based.

The downstroke engages the gluteal muscles, the quadriceps, the gastrocnemius and soleus (calf muscles), while the up-stroke uses the hamstrings and the flexor muscles in the front of the hip.

It can also burn a lot of calories.

Plus, theAmerican Council on Exercise (ACE) says that a 45-minute group cycling class can burn 350-600+ calories, that makes it equivalent to running for the same amount of time (with less impact to your body).

But it's the ability to connect the mind and body that makes indoor cycling so beneficial to your overall health. “It's just you and the bike, getting it done,” said Moone and Del Carlo. One way they create an atmosphere that enables riders to make the mind-body connection is by not having screens or monitoring devices on their bikes.

“We really believe health starts with giving your mind a break from that stimulation and feeling the visceral sensations of your body hard at work,” they both explained.

Certified Sports Chiropractor, Dr. Alex Tauberg, told INSIDER that one of the main benefits of Indoor cycling is the ability to customize your workout. “Today's exercise bikes do an excellent job of simulating different rides and conditions--regardless of whether you're training for a sprint, a hill climb, or just to get a great workout, there is usually a setting for you,” he said. Tauberg also said indoor cycling is just plain safer, especially compared to outdoor cycling.

You can do indoor cycling pretty often, but you should listen to your body. 

TheAmerican College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that the average adult get 150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise per week to develop and maintain cardiorespiratory fitness. This works out to be about 30 minutes of moderate cardiovascular exercise five days per week.

And if efficiency is what you're after, then theCenter for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends doing 75-minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity each week, which equates to about three days a week for 20-25 minutes each session.

But remember, these recommendations are only if you want to meet the basic health guidelines or maintain your endurance level. If you're looking to lose weight or crank up your endurance level, then you're going to have to kick it up a notch or two.

When you do crank it up, make sure and pay attention to how your body is feeling. Just like outdoor cycling, there are still overuse injuries with indoor cycling. Tauberg said some of the more common injuries include tendinitis or muscle strains, which can be mitigated by not overdoing your workout. “Try to stay within your limits and don't increase the intensity of your training to fast,” he recommended.

The bottom line is this: When it comes to how often you should do a specific workout, the best answer is, do what's right for you. “Rather than being prescriptive, we're big believers in tapping into what your body needs, said Moone and Del Carlo.

That said, a good rule of thumb is to ride three to five days a week. This will help you experience the full benefits of spinning workouts.

But, just like any other exercise program, if your body is telling you it needs a break, listen to it.  

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• The Tour de France, the world's greatest race, runs July 7-29.
• The most advanced performance road bicycles will be on display during the three-week event.
• Curious what a fully loaded Tour bike would be like to ride, I rode one of the fastest for a year.
• The Specialized S-Works Venge ViAS Disc e-Tap shines at high speed, in sprints, on flats and descents, and in windy conditions.
• It isn't the lightest bike, but with aero wheels, disc brakes, and wireless electronic shifting, it's at the cutting edge of superbikes.

It's not every day you get to drive the fastest car or fly the fastest plane, so when a leading bike brand agreed to let me borrow its fastest bike, I got plenty excited.

The California-based Specialized sent an S-Works Venge ViAS Disc, a whole lot of bike that has won stages in the Tour de France and countless other top races. It's an aero road bike built to do one thing: go fast.

I've been riding this impressively equipped Venge — with wind-cheating ZIPP wheels, the novel electronic shifting eTap, and powerful SRAM disc brakes — for the better part of a year.

Swapping my regular bike for a superbike was like going from a Civic to a Corvette. Here's what it was like.

SEE ALSO: Will Canyon disrupt the US bicycle industry?

NEXT UP: Inside SRAM, Chicago's high-tech bicycle-components company that just raked in $700 million and is up 15%

DON'T MISS: How Trek, America's No. 1 bicycle company, secretly tested the world's lightest production road bike

First impressions: wicked fast, technically crisp, surprisingly comfortable, supremely balanced.

The aero road bike became a thing around the mid-2000s. The new kind of bicycle had a single purpose: to go fast in a straight line.

Engineers tested lightweight carbon-fiber tubes of myriad shapes and sizes to help riders slice through the wind, reduce drag, and go faster. But while the early aero bikes were significantly faster, they handled like time-trial bikes. Over bumpy roads they felt harsh, the handling twitchy. They were not fun to ride.

Thankfully, aero bikes have a come a long way, as has the Venge. Specialized's fastest offering, which has now seen a few iterations, inspires more all-around riding confidence and feels comfortable for a carbon aero bike.

When Specialized rolled out this version of the Venge, in 2016, it said it was the fastest bike it had ever made, as well as "the stiffest and most aerodynamic." That meant something, given that Specialized has its own "Win Tunnel" and for years has been making some of the most sought-after bicycles, which have won just about every race you can name, including world championships, the classics, and grand tours. In fact, the current men's world road champ — and one of the best bike racers of all time — counts a Venge among his quiver.

But let's be clear: You buy an aero bike to be the fastest on your group ride or the first across the finish line. At least now you can have your speed and enjoy it, too, because the dragster has evolved to Formula One.

When it launched this Venge, Specialized claimed the bike would save a rider a whopping 45 seconds over 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) compared with the Tarmac, the company's climbing bike, which itself has since been updated.

• The US bicycle manufacturer Cannondale on Monday debuted the SystemSix, which it claims is the world's fastest road-race bike.
• It's rolling out just in time for professional cycling's preeminent race, the Tour de France, which begins Saturday.
• The American Tour team EF Education First–Drapac p/b Cannondale will ride the SystemSix during the three-week event.
• The hyper-aero bike is a direct rival to the Trek Madone, the Specialized Venge, the Canyon Aeroad, and others.

The American bicycle manufacturer Cannondale on Monday launched its first aero road bike, the SystemSix, which it claims is "absolutely the lowest-drag, most efficient, all-around fastest UCI-legal road bike on the market today."

The Connecticut-based company bases its claim on extensive testing using computational fluid dynamics, wind-tunnel data, and a "constant feedback loop."

"SystemSix is the result of a ground-up design where each element is optimized in pursuit of speed," Nathan Barry, a Cannondale design engineer, said. "Aerodynamic drag is the single greatest resistive force that riders have to overcome, so it is important to everyone, not just racers. SystemSix delivers more speed, to more riders, more of the time."

Photos provided to Business Insider show a stealth-looking aero frameset and cockpit, deep-profile HollowGram wheels, disc brakes, and Shimano's Di2 electronic groupset.

The bike, as pictured, will retail in the US for $11,000. Other versions with different builds will sell for less, starting with the SystemSix Ultegra at $4,000.

The name SystemSix comes from Cannondale's six-point approach to integrated design in the frame, fork, wheels, seatpost, handlebar, and stem. The result, the company says, is a bike that's the fastest not just in the wind tunnel but everywhere on the road. (Stay tuned for a review.)

With the SystemSix, Cannondale seriously ups its game in the road-race category. It will now compete directly against the Trek Madone, the Specialized Venge, the Canyon Aeroad, and others. Till now, Cannondale's main race bike had been the SuperSix EVO, an excellent climber and all-rounder that nonetheless lacks the finer aero qualities of the SystemSix. So consumers looking for a new aero bike will now have another to consider.

See more photos below, along with select slides from the related deck that Cannondale provided to Business Insider; it explains how the company came to claim that the SystemSix is the fastest road bike in the professional peloton.

SEE ALSO: What it's like to ride a $13,000 Tour de France road bike

DON'T MISS: The most talked-about cycling brand has finally come to America, and it wants to disrupt the bicycle industry by selling some of the world's best bikes directly online at a steep discount

• It's been two years since France introduced a "cycle-to-work" reimbursement scheme.
• A study of the scheme carried out by the Observatoire de l'IKV showed the number of employees cycling to work shot up by 70% in the companies that implemented the scheme.
• Companies are incentivised to reimburse staff who cycle to work so it's a win-win situation for both employers and employees.

More cyclists, less sick leave and all-round savings for employers and employees alike — this is what happened for companies who implemented the expensed "cycle to work" scheme, according to a study carried out by the body monitoring the scheme, the Observatoire de l'IKV.

Introduced in France over two years ago as part of the Energy Transition Act of August 17, 2015, the scheme was devised to help employers reimburse employees who get to and from work by bike, with a statutory law being established on February 11 2016, fixing the rate of remuneration at ¢29 per kilometre.

On carrying out a survey amongst 57 employers who had implemented the scheme within their own companies, the Observatoire found that the number of employees who cycled to work went from 8% to 10% over two years, equating to an increase of 31% since the implementation of the scheme.

On looking at the statistics for companies and NGOs within in the environmental sector in isolation — where 90% of employees already used their bike before the law — the increase is even greater: the number of cyclists increased from 3% of employees to 5%, a jump of 69.2%

The reimbursement scheme is exempt from social security contributions

The study's results show that companies who had implemented the scheme saw a positive impact - not just on their public image, but on car parking costs and transport expenses — not to mention improved employee satisfaction.

The overall cost of the scheme is also relatively low. This is because the scheme is exempt from social security contributions for up to €200 euros per year per employee and most employers don't even hit that figure.

This scheme costs the French state nearly €190 million ($220 million) a year, but according to the Observatoire's study, this is almost immediately offset by savings in health expenditure.

And what's more, the study found that employees who cycle are, as one would expect, in better physical and psychological health. As a result, those who cycled to and from work ended up contributing to a 15% reduction in the amount of sick leave taken, as well as a reported reduction in stress, caused by road conditions and the costs of running a car.

SEE ALSO: This electric bike is disguised as a car

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LES HERBIERS, France — Ahead of the 105th edition of the Tour de France, the headlines have been all about Team Sky and its star rider, Chris Froome, but hardly for good reasons.

He almost didn't get to race this year because of a leaked positive test result revealed he'd been over the allowed limit for the asthma drug salbutamol at last year's Vuelta a España. At the last minute, on Monday, Froome was finally cleared to race, just days before the Tour's Saturday start; however, there's still a cloud hanging over the world's biggest bike race as a result of the complicated, protracted case, which dragged on for months and caused no shortage of controversy.

Many say Froome shouldn't be racing, while others argue he should now that he's been given the green light by Union Cycliste Internationale officials. Nonetheless, his powerful Team Sky is here, and it hopes to deliver Froome a historic fifth Tour victory.

To discuss the ramifications of Froome's situation, Business Insider sat down with Jonathan Vaughters, the head of the US-registered EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale team. He spoke about the leaking of the case and what it means for Sky as well as his own team's goal for this year's Tour. Vaughters' star rider, Colombia's Rigoberto Urán, placed second in last year's race behind Froome.

Daniel McMahon: The biggest news in the run-up to the Tour has been the matter of Chris Froome's salbutamol positive. We now know he's been cleared and allowed to race, but in your view, how has it affected the sport and the public perception of it?

Jonathan Vaughters: There are a multitude of issues that are part of that. It's a long answer, but, OK, the first thing I'll say is that, just on a technical level, there was no case against Froome. They were deciding whether or not to pursue a case against Froome, whether or not the first sample was a reverse analytical finding or not, whether they were going to pursue an ARDV or not. Normally in that stage of any antidoping investigation it's completely private. I won't even say unfortunately — I'd say outright just deviously someone leaked it. And I don't know who that person was, but as far as concerning athletes' rights, whoever that was really did not show any concern toward human rights whatsoever or dignity or the concept of innocent until proven guilty. So that's really, really unfortunate.

And by the way, that happens in other sports all the time toward very similar things. So it should never have been public, and it is not public with many other sports. It's very much like this disease of gossip and rumors and vindication that cycling has that pushed this public. And it's really unfortunate, and the person who pushed that public should really think about what they did. So, there's that.

Conversely, once it was out, Team Sky handled it incredibly poorly. Their communication was anything but transparent. It was opaque. It was arrogant, abusive — everything that that team basically is: opaque, arrogant, abusive. And if you pile that on top of the whole jiffy-bag investigation and all the cortisone issues and all that had gone on, they don't have any credibility, and so they're playing a sort of arrogant distancing opaque card in their public communications to a public that doesn't believe them and has dismissed their credibility a long time ago. They just compounded the issue. They made it worse and worse on themselves.

And so on one hand, I do feel really sorry that it was put public when it shouldn't have, and I feel that was very abusive to the privacy rights of the athlete — you know, on the flip side of it, I don't feel sorry for Team Sky management whatsoever because they have just carried themselves so poorly over the past couple of years that it just exacerbated the issue 10X and that's sort of something they brought upon themselves.

So what it does to the sport is, you know, people who want that black-and-white solution, the "He's a cheat"/"He's not a cheat,""It was doping"/"It was not doping," whatever. Antidoping is very complex, it is very subtle, and the people who work in antidoping are incredibly intelligent scientists who have massive passion for fairness to all athletes, but the tests are not binary, and I think the public needs to realize that.

In the NFL, if there is a hold penalty, is there a degree of subjectivity if it's holding or not? Of course there's a degree of subjectivity in that. Facemask and so on. One person's version of holding is not another referee's. Antidoping is not that different. In the end it's the scientists making the best call they can based on what the analytic showed, and that is imperfect. I think the level of emotional sort of vitriol and anger over this really needs to be checked. And we need to let the process occur, which is what the media and the fans never let happen.

Everyone jumped to a conclusion — he's innocent or he's guilty — and held firm on their side. The impatience of letting a very complex process work as it should was really disheartening. I think there is a big lesson to be learned in this, that you cannot just jump to conclusions on preliminary results. You can't. You cannot judge someone to be guilty before they are actually charged. So I hope the sport and the fans of the sports and the sponsors of the sport learned a lesson from that.

Then I guess, lastly, it's just like, well, what are the repercussions? The repercussions are now you've got everyone sort of questioning a process they don't even understand, testing that is a mystery to them. That basically brings more negativity toward everything, which is really unfortunate because, quite frankly, other than the leak, the case was handled appropriately.

Now, the one thing I don't love is, well, what if it was an athlete who didn't have as many resources to spend in a robust defense? Would they have come to the same conclusion? Or would that athlete just have been railroaded because they were not able to put up a robust defense? And that's one thing I think should be looked at very hard is, is there not a need for public defenders, quote, unquote, who are assigned to athletes in these cases? Genuinely enthusiastic and well-paid public defenders? For athletes who can't afford their own robust defense. I get the feeling that if this had been a rider who was paid 50,000 euros a year, that the outcome might have been different. That has to be adjusted. And maybe it came to the appropriate results because of the robust defense. I don't know all the facts, so I can't say. But the point is, if it was a person on a low salary, there's no way they'd be able to afford such a robust defense. Would the outcome have been different? Probably, but who knows. I don't know.

McMahon: Last year Urán finished runner-up to Froome. How do you feel about Urán's chances of beating Froome and winning the Tour this year?

Vaughters: Empirically speaking, I'd say the team is a little better than last year — a little bit. Rigo is a little better than he was last year. And the course is actually a little more suited to Rigo than last year. So you put those three things together and you make the assumption that he'll at least replicate his performance last year if not better, right? But that assumption's wrong, unfortunately. There are just so many things that can go right and so many things that can go wrong on any given day of the Tour. You have to just be happy that everything's come together so nicely at the start, and then at that point in time it's just that the X factor is going to play out in your favor or it's not.

In principle, the way we're organizing the team is to win the race. And it's a long shot. But what are we here for if we're not doing that? You know, after 12 days if that's not working out, we can change then, but as of right now the objective is really simple — the strategy is really simple.

McMahon: What will it take to beat Froome?

Vaughters: It'll take impeccable tactics. It'll take luck. And it'll take a few moments where Froome loses a little bit of focus and you're able to take advantage of that. So we have to be flawless in tactics, and we have to be aware of a weak moment for him, for when he might be losing a bit of focus. There was a stage in the Pyrenees last year where he was actually falling apart a bit, and we didn't take advantage of it. He bluffed very effectively that day. And that might have been the opportunity to win the Tour last year. But we didn't see it, and [later we realized] he faltered in the last 300 meters in this uphill finish, but not sooner. Had we known, and if we could have seen he was actually suffering that day, that he fell apart in that moment. And had Rigo attacked a couple of kilometers out, it might have been a much, much larger time difference in the end. But we didn't see it. So it's being a little more vigilant in moments like that.

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• The world's greatest race, the Tour de France, starts Saturday. One hundred and seventy-six riders on 22 teams will take the start of the three-week, 3,351-kilometer/2,082-mile event.
• One of the most critical days of racing could be the team time trial on Monday.
• Three of the teams are registered in the US, with EF Education–Drapac p/b Cannondale arguably its most colorful.
• Business Insider got a behind-the-scenes ride in an EF-Drapac team car while the riders got to work reconning the TTT course with race-pace efforts.

LES HERBIERS, France -- Though the Tour de France starts Saturday with an opening flat stage suited to the sprinters, many cycling insiders are already talking about the day that could help decide the race, or at least meaningfully influence its outcome: the stage-three team time trial of 35.5 kilometers/22 miles around Cholet.

Unlike on typical days at the Tour — as on Saturday when the 176 riders will take the start en masse — the TTT is a unique discipline that pits team against team to see which is the strongest. Each of the 22 squads' eight riders will race together in concert to try to set the fastest time over the course and position their general-classification leader strategically for the coming two and a half weeks' of racing.

Britain's Team Sky is expected to win the day with the US-registered BMC squad of Australian Richie Porte another top candidate for glory. If Sky wins, its leader, Chris Froome, the embattled defending Tour champion, could put massive time into his rivals after just three of 21 stages — possibly a minute or two. That'd be a tough pill to swallow for his competitors, but as they like to say in racing, anything can happen.

Other teams will look to simply limit their losses and hope to stay within striking distance of the leader. Among them is another US-registered team, the EF Education First–Drapac p/b Cannondale outfit that counts Colorado and Texas natives Taylor Phinney and Lawson Craddock among its fast men. Both are strong time-trial riders, and along with their other teammates they'll be aiming to deliver their leader and last year's race runner-up, Rigoberto Urán, quickly and safely to the line.

EF-Drapac has no illusions of winning the TTT, but with a great ride it could finish in the top five and, more important, keep "Rigo" close to Froome on GC.

Business Insider got the opportunity to see the team in action as it reconned the TTT course on Thursday, two days before the Tour's start. Here's what we saw:

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It all started at the team hotel where the eight riders and more than 20 staff are staying in the run-up to the Tour. For the recon there were three cars with Cannondale Slice time-trial bikes packed on top. (I rode back seat in one of these cars.)

Up front the riders rode in the team bus, which we just followed it to the course's start, a half hour away here in western France ...

On the way there was lots of signage letting people know that roads would be closed over the weekend for race ...

On July 7 cyclists from around the world will begin the Tour de France, the prestigious three-week stage race — or "grand tour"— that happens to be the world's largest annual sporting event. All told, that's 2,087 miles of pedaling for this year's race.

Each day participants ride, on average, about 110 miles and burn some 6,071 calories, according to Inside Science.

To give you a better idea of just how many calories that is, we've teamed up with the folks at Inside Science, which originally calculated how many jelly donuts you'd have to eat to generate enough energy to keep up with a Tour de France cyclist on race day. Turns out it's 32!

Here are some more popular foods, and how many of each you'd have to eat to compete. Of course, this is not what Tour de France cyclists actually eat while competing!

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DON'T MISS: Take this quiz to figure out what you should be eating on a daily basis

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