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Tour de France

VeloNews Road Road Racing Tour de France

Photo Essay: Le Tour’s topsy-turvy first week

The first week of the Tour de France had rainy carnage, an explosive summit finish, plenty of sprints, and an epic mountain stage.

Photo: BrakeThrough Media

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.

2017
The 2017 Tour de France opened with a 14km time trial in Düsseldorf, Germany, where race favorite and three-time winner Chris Froome went through the customary preparation before the start. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
2017
Germany’s native son Tony Martin was the all-out favorite to win the short time trial in Düsseldorf as he took off from the start house on a custom Canyon Kraftwerk bike. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Geraint Thomas earned his first ever grand tour stage win on stage 1 of the Tour de France. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Geraint Thomas signed autographs while being swarmed by the media on his first day in yellow. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2017
Tour de France fans showed their global presence near the stage 2 start line in Germany. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
On stage 2, Team Sky took control of the peloton on the rain-soaked roads heading toward Liege, keeping their men Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome out of trouble. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2017
The rainy day did not keep the fans away from seeing the peloton pass through the historic center of Aachen, near the Belgian border on stage 2. Photo: George Deswijzen / PRO SHOTS / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Marcel Kittel took a convincing win on the opening road stage into Liege, showing the German sprinter has once again found his top form. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2017
All eyes were on German sprinter Marcel Kittel as he exalted in his first 2017 Tour de France stage win in Liège. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
In his debut Tour de France, American Taylor Phinney took advantage of a race-long breakaway to claim the first polka-dot jersey of the 2017 Tour de France. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
The peloton was strung out at high speeds as the riders took to the tarmac of the famous Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps auto racing course in Spa, Belgium. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Peter Sagan bested an unlikely pair of rivals in Michael Matthews and Dan Martin on the slightly uphill finish into Longwy on stage 3. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2017
Two-time defending world champion Peter Sagan caught his breath in the middle of the media scrum after the finish on stage 3 in Longwy. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2017
Maillot jaune Geraint Thomas took questions from the press before a sunny and warm start to stage 4 in Mondorf-Les-Bains. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2017
A fan shared her loyalty to Peter Sagan before the stage 4 start in Mondorf-Les-Bains. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2017
American Nathan Brown of Cannondale-Drapac proudly donned the polka-dots before stage 4 on July 4. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2017
The peloton snaked its way through the iconic sunflower fields of summer in France. C’est le Tour, after all! Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Picture perfect clouds and golden fields were the backdrop of the day on stage 4 from Mondorf-les-Bains to Vittel. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
The finish in Vittel proved to be dangerous and costly, with two crashes in the last kilometer. Arnaud Demare ultimately won the stage. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Mark Cavendish was a victim of the crash in the last 100 meters. He managed to cross the finish line and still congratulate the lone escapee of the day. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2017
Peter Sagan made an apologetic visit to the Dimension Data team bus after a contentious crash with fellow sprinter Mark Cavendish left the pair embroiled in controversy. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2017
Newly minted French national champion Arnaud Demare took center stage for his sprint win as French fans cheered from the sidelines. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2017
At the 2017 Tour, Italian national champion and race favorite Fabio Aru made a solo escape in the last kilometers of the summit to La Planche des Belle Filles and managed to keep his distance to the line in dramatic fashion. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2017
The first mountain stage of the 2017 Tour de France brought out the initial GC round-up as Richie Porte, Chris Froome, and Dan Martin all put in an aggressive chase. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Fabio Aru followed in the footsteps of previous Italian Tour de France winner Vincenzo Nibali by taking a solo victory on the first mountain test at La Planche des Belle Filles. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Romain Bardet left it all on the climb to limit his losses to his top GC rivals. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2017
New yellow jersey holder Chris Froome is no stranger to the glow and media attention that comes with wearing the maillot jaune. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2017
The stage 6 jersey lineup of Chris Froome, Arnaud Demare, Simon Yates, and Fabio Aru waited at the start line in Vesoul. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2017
Race leader Chris Froome’s Sky squad was all strung out as the race passed over highway junctions and near the wheat fields en route to the finish in Troyes. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Another sprint victory went to the German speedster Marcel Kittel on stage 6 in Troyes. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2017
Marcel Kittel was all emotion after his second stage win in the 104th Tour de France. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2017
Maillot jaune wearer Chris Froome and Co. flew past the endless fields of wheat that are so typical to summer in northern France. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Stage 7 in Nuits-Saint-George ended in another bunch sprint that resulted in a photo finish. Sprint ace Marcel Kittel earned the victory by 6 millimeters. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2017
Marcel Kittel threw a sign to teammate and leadout specialist Fabio Sabatini to illustrate his third victory in this Tour. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Marcel Kittel made it three stage wins in the first week. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2017
The peloton passed under a canopy of color and through a vibrant celebration in the small village of Arbois early in stage 8. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2017
Lilian Calmejane collapsed to the ground after the stage 8 finish line, where he took a magnificent win by holding off chaser Robert Gesink despite suffering from leg cramps in the final kilometers. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Stage 8 finished at Station des Rousses after a hard series of climbs that took a deep toll on the riders. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Chris Froome returned to the top step of the podium on stage 8 to Station des Rousses. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2017
Warren Barguil and Tiesj Benoot crested the Grand Colombier midway through stage 9, while several chase groups and the race leaders fought to reel them back in. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
In his familiar role of race leader, Chris Froome rode in control and with his rivals always in his grasp on what was billed as the hardest stage of the Tour from Nantua to Chambery. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2017
The GC group came over the summit of the Grand Colombier after an especially brutal first part of the race that featured crashes on the previous mountain descents. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2017
With more than 90km left to race, Bora-Hansgrohe leader Rafal Majka showed signs of his earlier crash on all sides as he grimaced up the last meters of the Grand Colombier on stage 9. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2017
Nairo Quintana became detached from the lead group on the climb up the Mont du Chat, along with a lagging Alberto Contador — who lost more than 4 minutes on stage 9. Photo: Eloise Mavian / Tornanti.cc / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2017
Chris Froome dug in near the summit of the Mont du Chat while Riche Porte kept him in sight. Porte would soon suffer a Tour-ending crash on the descent that shook up the GC even further. Photo: Eloise Mavian / Tornanti.cc / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
At the end of a stage marred by crashes, withdrawals, and cracking, the victory again came down to a photo finish between Warren Barguil and Rigoberto Uran. Iran took the victory in Chambery. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2017
Warren Barguil paused in the center of the media scrum at the finish of stage 9 while a debate over results via photo finish circulated. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2017
Maillot blanc holder Simon Yates found a patch of quiet near the finish line chaos to recover after one of the most unrelenting Tour stages in recent years. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Rigoberto Uran earned his first ever stage win at the Tour de France with a photo-finish victory in Chambery. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2017
Fortuneo-Oscaro rider Eduardo Sepúlveda looked over his injuries outside the medical truck after the finish of the chaotic stage 9. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com

An American in France

What’s it like to be an American cyclist living in France? Watch to get professional road cyclist Joe Dombrowski’s view.

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