Photography by Cor Vos, Chris Auld, Gruber Images, and Kristof Ramon
The many facets of the Tour de France make for a subject matter that’s completely dynamic, filled with the emotions and pain of sport, picturesque landscapes, chaotic situations, and even humor. An eye familiar with the sport, behind a lens, can produce images that make us feel empathy, awe, and admiration.
Sometimes these images let us understand the plight of the racer — the visible pain in faces and wounds, the grimace of a mountain ascent.
Sometimes we’re placed at a perspective of greater appreciation of the environment — a helicopter shot of a vista, or a high alpine view.
But always, these images solidify all the things we so deeply appreciate about the sport.
Below is an extended gallery of the images we feel most accurately represent the 2017 Tour de France. They’re not all photos of post-up celebrations, because elation isn’t always the reality of the sport. Neither did we exclusively choose painful, or controversial, images, because joy and excitement are also significant factors in bike racing.
This gallery is meant to reflect the entire spectrum of emotions felt during a 21-stage Grand Tour, captured by Kristof Ramon, Ashley and Jared Gruber, and Cor Vos.
Click here to review all of our 2017 Tour de France content.
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- Stefan Küng took a moment after his Stage 1 individual time trial effort.
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- Stage 2 saw a crash at the front of the field with 30 kilometers to go. A rider sitting fourth wheel lost grip through a wet roundabout and amongst others took down Chris Froome (Team Sky), Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale) and Richie Porte (BMC Racing), the first-, second-, and fourth-place finishers of last year’s Tour. Photo by Chris Auld
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- The symmetry of the forest surrounding the Spa-Francorchamps circuit on Stage 3 struck a distinct contrast with the paved tarmac.
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- The exact moment that lead to the controversy on Stage 4, ultimately concluding with world champion Peter Sagan’s (Bora-Hansgrohe) disqualification from the race.
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- Fabio Aru looked back to check the distance to his rivals on Stage 5’s summit finish on La Planche des Belles Filles.
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- Jacob Fuglsang dug deep on the 20% finishing section of La Planche des Belles Filles.
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- Chris Froome’s yellow jersey zoomed through the village of Gilly-lès-Cîteaux on Stage 7 to Nuits-Saint-Georges.
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- An exhausted Nicholas Roche (BMC Racing) spun his legs on the trainer after Stage 7.
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- Nate Brown of Cannondale-Drapac had some eyes on him as he cooled down from Stage 7’s effort.
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- Lilian Calmejane (Direct Energie) fell to the ground, overcome with cramps after his Stage 8 solo win.
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- The summit and descent off the Grand Colombier on Stage 9 offered some of the most spectacular views of the 2017 Tour.
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- GC contender Richie Porte took a hard fall on the descent off Mont du Chat on Stage 9 after misjudging his line through a tight chicane. BMC Racing later announced that Porte had broken his clavicle and pelvis.
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- The Tour affirmed its savage beauty on the chaotic Stage 9, where incredible vistas were juxtaposed against the misfortune of many a rider.
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- Polka-dot clad race fans moved part of their living room onto the course as to better follow the action.
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- Laurens Ten Dam (Sunweb) led one of the early iterations of the breakaway on Stage 9.
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- A supertuck expedited the traverse of one of the many intermediate valleys on Stage 9.
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- Domestiques from the sprinter’s teams, delegated to the front to keep the breakaway in check, led through a town on the way to Bergerac on Stage 10.
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- The iconic images of sunflowers in France in July never get old.
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- After checking his margin, Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale) took an illustrious win to Peyragudes.
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- Paul Martens of Lotto NL-Jumbo perfectly hit the apex of a corner on the descent off the Port de Balès on Stage 12.
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- Steve Cummings (Dimension Data) ascended through the mist on the HC Port de Balès.
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- The roads of the Massif Central, the range traversed by Stage 15, are where Romain Bardet fell in love with cycling.
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- The group behind frantically chased but their effort would be in vain in the crosswinds of Stage 16.
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- Michael Matthews (Sunweb) jubilated upon his second stage win of the 2017 Tour on Stage 16.
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- A young fan of Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo) patiently waited for his hero. Contador had a tough day on Stage 16, finishing 90 seconds down from the front group, losing more time in the general classification.
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- Barguil won again atop the Col d’Izoard on Stage 18.
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- The day’s work finished, Michal Kwiatkowski (Sky) made his way to the summit of the Izoard and even took a moment to appreciate the view.
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- The peloton rode under the imposing rock formations in Sisteron and crossed the Durance River on Stage 19.
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- After taking an advantageous line through a roundabout with three kilometers remaining on Stage 19, Boasson Hagen and Arndt distanced themselves from the chasing eight.
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- Tony Martin (Katusha-Alpecin) left everything on the road during the Stage 20 individual time trial.
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- Dan Martin and Simon Yates were fierce competitors for the past three weeks finishing 6th and 7th overall respectively, but after Stage 20 had some time to reflect on a gruelling July.
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- The peloton on the Champs-Élysées.
