Tour de France

Photo Essay: Mayhem on Mont Ventoux

From the shortened course to the costumes to the now-infamous crash, Mont Ventoux was one of the Tour's most memorable stages.

Published
Photo: BrakeThrough Media
2016
With wind gusts predicted at nearly 100kph at the summit on Mont Ventoux, race organizers modified the finale to Chalet Reynard, six kilometers below the original finish line. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
The actual stage start in Montpellier began in relative calm where climbers such as Dan Martin mentally prepared for the day’s new course profile, which was still punishing in nature. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Nairo Quintana greeted a sea of fans in Montpellier before the official roll-out. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Passionate Colombian fans had front-row seats along the start line. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Maillot jaune Chris Froome rolled to the start line through the corridor of spectators — an act he would later recreate to wildly different circumstances and outcomes. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
The stage 12 roll-out got underway with Mont Ventoux set far in the riders’ sights. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
From Bédoin (15 kilometers from the new finish in Chalet Reynard), the enigmatic summit of Mont Ventoux teased onlookers under blue skies from the distance. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
For more than 10 kilometers from the finish line, fans lined the parcours with flags and costumes and wigs galore. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
A contingent of mock Elisabethan characters greeted the race caravan on the way up the climb. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Nearly every nook and cranny on Mont Ventoux staged a dance party, a BBQ, or a clown karaoke session. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Fans spared no expense in bringing color and enthusiasm to the final kilometers, even with the revised course. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Horns, cowbells, and life-sized beer bottles. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
This Norwegian duet brought an element of sophistication to the course in the last several kilometers. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
If you passed the friars’ club, you might also have gotten a blessing along the way to the finish. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Explosive energy was not just reserved for the riders, but also the spectators. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
The tail-end of the publicity caravan passed through throngs of fans and tifosi in the last kilometer to the line. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Breakaway survivors Thomas de Gendt (Lotto – Soudal) and Serge Pauwels (Dimension Data) were the first riders to greet the masses at 700m to go. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Lone chaser Dani Navarro (Cofidis) rode along amid the increasingly fervent aisle of fans in the last kilometer. Photo: Leon Van Bon / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Bert Jan Lindeman (LottoNL – Jumbo) showed the strain of the chase in the last 700 meters. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Thomas de Gendt claimed a well-deseved victory in Chalet Reynard but would soon lose the world’s attention when chaos broke out further down the course. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Serge Pauwels grimaced from the effort to the line. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
A mere kilometer downhill from the finish, the maillot jaune group — Richie Porte (BMC), yellow jersey Chris Froome (Sky), and Bauke Mollema (Trek – Segafredo) — rode through the giant hairpin unknowingly into the eye of the storm of Mont Ventoux. Photo: Leon Van Bon / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
What can only be described as a fan-rider-moto traffic jam took out the racing trio of Porte, Froome, and Mollema with unfathomable consequences as the yellow jersey started running up the climb with his Pinarello in hand. Photo: Leon Van Bon / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
After the crash Mollema succesfully remounted and started the chase back up the last kilometers of the climb. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Less than 15 seconds after Mollema passed, other GC contenders took up the mantle once the traffic jam was cleared. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Maillot blanc, Adam Yates (Orica – BikeExchange) came into the clearing after passing through the congestion of the corner at 1 kilometer — sparking controversy over whether he would later take the yellow jersey from Froome, still not yet in sight. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Spanish climber Joaquim “Purito” Rodriguez passed through the hurt locker chasing after Adam Yates. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
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Almost impossible to comprehend, a never-before experienced hush came over the crowds at 700 meters as soon as the maillot jaune arrived running up the climb without his bike. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Bauke Mollema reached the finish line where — after long jury debate — his time was also awarded to both Richie Porte and Chris Froome. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Having escaped the chaos in the last kilometers, Nairo Quintana arrived at the line in the company of loyal teammate Alejandro Valverde. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Richie Porte crossed the line clearly showing his frustration and dismay at what transpired along the last kilometer of the race. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Yellow jersey Chris Froome materialized at the finish with a Sky team-issue Pinarello after having temporarily acquired an ill-fitting Mavic NRS bike around 400 meters to go. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Behind his poker face, it would be impossible to imagine what could have been going through the mind of yellow jersey Chris Froome in the last 1,000 meters of stage 12 on the Mont Ventoux. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
2016
Further downfield, the race returned to normal with the peloton coming up the climb in single file. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
The gruppetto finally arrived nearly 28 minutes after stage winner Thomas de Gendt passed by — all the while, the GC results were still undetermined. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
It took over an hour for the race jury to conclude that Chris Froome has violated no official road race rules — awarding him the time of “crash companion” Bauke Mollema, keeping the maillot jaune intact for another day. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
2016
In what would quickly become one of the sport’s most epic stages in history, the race day finally came to a close on the Mont Ventoux. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

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