Tour de France countdown: 2 days to go – Live

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the countdown to the 2020 Tour de France.

With just two days to go until Saturday's Grand Départ in Nice, you can follow all the latest news and updates here.

Here was our last piece of news last night, in case you missed it, from the Ineos Grenadiers unveiling press conference.

Chris Froome: It’s sentimental to race Vuelta a España as my last race with Ineos (opens in new tab)

Philippa York will be contributing once again during the Tour de France. Here's her latest analysing French hopes at the race, which last saw a Frenchman – Bernard Hinault – taste victory back in the 1980s.

Philippa York and French expectations at the Tour de France (opens in new tab)

We also have a new dedicated Tour de France section on the homepage, pulling together all the latest news, tech, interviews and analysis from the race.

Just scroll down past the 'Don't Miss' section to check it out.

No planes or trains, just automobiles and 'bubbles' at Tour de France (opens in new tab)

Explaining the COVID-19 protocols that will keep the Tour de France riders safe and on the road all the way to Paris

With the Tour just two days away, find out how to watch the race (opens in new tab).

Jumbo-Visma held their pre-Tour press conference this morning. Co-leader Tom Dumoulin said that the team would not attempt to take the race lead early on in a bid to anticipate a possible mid-race cancellation due to COVID-19.

Jumbo-Visma rule out tactic of taking early Tour de France lead if race is halted (opens in new tab)

More from Jumbo-Visma – Wout van Aert rules out green jersey challenge at the Tour de France (opens in new tab)

Bora-Hansgrohe have unveiled a new jersey for the Tour de France, switching up the black section of their jerseys for more white. Check it out below.

Peter Sagan shows off all-new Bora-Hansgrohe jersey for the Tour de France (opens in new tab)

The latest in our squad analysis series – it's EF Pro Cycling and their trident of Colombian climbers.

Analysing EF Pro Cycling's Tour de France squad (opens in new tab)

There's 50km to go in the women's road race of the European Championships.

Follow the action live here (opens in new tab)

Caleb Ewan eyeing stage wins over Tour de France green jersey (opens in new tab)

Degenkolb says his Lotto Soudal teammate is the fastest in the Tour

The latest from Ineos Grenadiers – team boss Dave Brailsford has said that the squad will feature a more collective leadership after the passing of DS Nicolas Portal.

Brailsford also denied that the squad is turning its back on British cycling after the non-selections of Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome.

Read Jeremy Whittle's full story here (opens in new tab)

The European Championships women's road race finished not long ago.

Click through to check out our report and results. (opens in new tab)

Bahrain McLaren have added Australian climber Jack Haig on a three-year deal. Haig made his Tour debut for Mitchelton-Scott last year but won't start in Nice.

Read the full story here. (opens in new tab)

Andy Schleck has ranked the Tour de France GC contenders. All the big names are there, but maybe not in the order you'd expect. Check out the 2010 Tour winner's list below.

Andy Schleck's Tour de France favourites (opens in new tab)

The team presentation is getting underway in Nice right now. Follow along with a live stream here on Cyclingnews.

Tour de France team presentation – Live stream (opens in new tab)

Deceuninck-QuickStep held their pre-race press conference today. The star of last year's race, Julian Alaphilippe, reaffirmed his committment to chasing stage wins rather than the general classificatiion. Read Stephen Farrand's story below.

Julian Alaphilippe: I'll be aggressive like always (opens in new tab)

When is a positive not a positive? COVID-19 and the Tour de France (opens in new tab)

Chances of false results are high unless ASO do repeat testing on COVID-19 positives

The Tour presentation is over now. All that remains is to wait for the start in Nice now. That's just about a day and a half away.

A women's stage race, organised by ASO and held in France, is set to come in 2022, says UCI president David Lappartient. "Whether this race will also be called Tour de France, I don't know yet," he said.

Read the full story here. (opens in new tab)

A tech piece for today, and another visit to the infernal debate of rim brakes vs disc brakes. Which one will be raced to victory at the Tour?

Rim brakes vs disc brakes: Which technology will win the Tour de France? (opens in new tab)

Cases of COVID-19 in and around Nice have jumped up in recent days, putting the city in the middle of a 'red zone' and meaning the start of the Tour de France will see stricter limits on crowds and more rigid mask-wearing rules. Stephen Farrand has all the info – read about the new measures below.

Tour de France Grand Depart under heightened security as Nice declared COVID-19 red zone (opens in new tab)

Lottto Soudal has sent two staff members home after the pair returned two "non-negative" tests for COVID-19. The two roommates of the staff members have also been sent home.

Read the story here (opens in new tab)

Romain Bardet will begin his final Tour de France with AG2R La Mondiale on Saturday. He said during Thursday's virtual press conference that he'll be targeting stage wins and a spell in yellow rather than the general classification.

Romain Bardet: I'm targeting stage wins on 'aggressive' Tour de France parcours (opens in new tab)