Tuesday 29 July 2014

GALLERY: Best of the 2014 Tour de France

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Between bad weather and harrowing routes, the 2014 Tour never lacked for action. Here are our favourite shots from the 21-stage race. —Words and photos by James and Ella Startt


Click on a thumbnail to enlarge.


British fans upstaged the French when it came to welcoming the Tour de France. Based on the success of the three opening stages in England, the Tour may be returning on a regular basis. Frenchman Roman Bardet readies for Stage 2 in Harrogate, England. The 23-year old Frenchman turned out to be one of the race’s revelations. The peloton rolls out under the shadow of King’s College in Cambridge at the start of Stage 3, the final stage of the Grand Depart hosted by England. Cobblestones started already on Stage 4, giving racers a taste of the ancient stones ahead of the “Roubaix stage” the following day. After winning Stage 2, Vicenzo Nibali rode brilliantly on the brutal cobbles of Stage 5, taking a real upper hand in the race as he put time into all the other GC racers. The Italian finished third on the stage, a minute ahead of Classics contenders Fabian Cancellara and Peter Sagan. The Tour paid homage to the 100th anniversary of WWI by tracing the Western Front for three days. Here the peloton races past the Chemin des Dames, a pivotal line along the front. The peloton races past the battlefields of Verdun, home to some of the bloodiest battles of WWI. Alberto Contador demonstrated he was prepared to challenge Vicenzo Nibali’s supremacy when he attacked on the final climb to Gerardmer. Though he put three seconds into Nibali, the Spaniard would soon crash out of the race. The peloton races past endless vineyards in the Alsace region of France on Stage 9. With a stage win and a day in the yellow jersey, Frenchman Tony Gallopin was another of the up-and-coming French riders that marked this year’s Tour de France. Though he put in a valiant effort on Stage 10, Nibali reclaimed the lead. Who needs publicity caravan handouts when you can make your own polka-dot jerseys? Wine vineyards continued into the Beaujolais region on Stage 12 with a common sight from 2014: Astana on the front. Italy’s Vicenzo Nibali appears confident before Stage 13. And with good reason: He rode to perfection throughout the three-week race. For much of the Tour de France, veteran Frenchman Jean-Christophe Peraud was the only rider capable of following Vicenzo Nibali’s repeated attacks. His plucky spirit allowed the 37-year-old to climb into second place overall at the end of three weeks. The Astana-led peloton passes below the Rocher de la Baume in the town of Sisteron on Stage 15. Fans greet Thibaut Pinot, Vicenzo Nibali, and Jean-Christophe Peraud on the Beyond-Category Port de Bales climb in the Pyrenees on Stage 16. Coming into the Tour as a last-minute replacement, Polish rider Rafal Majka astounded many as he rode strongly to win two stages and the best climber jersey. Vicenzo Nibali stormed to his fourth stage win on the epic Hautacam climb in the Pyrenees on Stage 18. With rain on the horizon, Vicenzo Nibali enjoys a quiet moment before the start of Stage 19 in Maubourguet. By now the Italian held such a large lead, he need only survive to Paris to win his first Tour de France. Germany’s Tony Martin proved once again why he is the world time trial champion when he smoked the field to win the much-anticipated 54-kilometer time trial on Stage 20. The peloton cruises around the Arc de Triomphe on the final stage of the Tour. Since last year, the peloton now races around the entire Arc, rather than simply turning in front of it as had did for decades.



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