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VeloNews News

Photo Essay: The Tour’s Alpine road to Paris

The Tour de France's final week takes on the Alps and a hot, hard time trial in Marseille, where Froome stamps his authority on the race.

Photo: Francesco Rachello / Tornanti.cc

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

Tour
Not much else says the Tour de France like seeing Didi the Devil entertaining passersby along the race course in the Hautes Alpes. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Chris Froome arrived late to the line in Le Puy-en-Velay as the world watched. The previous rest day had brought exceptional controversy between Team Sky and some British press. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Michael Matthews took the Paris stage in 2017. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Top GC leaders Romain Bardet, Rigoberto Uran, Chris Froome, and Dan Martin navigated the crowds and switchbacks of the Col du Galibier, reeling in most of the day’s earlier breakaway. Photo: Francesco Rachello / Tornanti.cc / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Bardet led the charge on the descent of the Galibier, pushing further gaps into their chasers, including Fabio Aru and Dan Martin, who had been with them on the ascent. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Uran showed his GC chops in the Alps, keeping close tabs on rivals Aru, Bardet, and Froome and earning his place on the podium in Paris. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Newly minted green jersey, Matthews, spent time playing the part with fans in the start village on stage 18. Photo: Tornanti.cc / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
The last mountain stage of the 2017 Tour de France was a summit finish on the Col d’Izoard, an iconic and famed hors categorie climb of 14 kilometers that was literally packed with fans at the top. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Bardet followed the wheel of fellow podium contender Uran as Mikel Landa and Froome charged up the last kilometer of the Col d’Izoard. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
The race’s fierce pace on stage 18 drove even wider gaps between the GC leaders. Aru and Quintana wilted on the Col d’Izoard. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
It was a French fan’s paradise on stage 18 as the polka dot jersey, countryman Warren Barguil, stole the stage. Plus, their top GC guy, Bardet, fought hard to the line. Photo: Tornanti.cc / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
The beauty of the Tour in the Hautes Alpes. Photo: Tornanti.cc / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Perhaps one of the most majestic stage finishes in the 2017 Tour de France was stage 18 when Frenchman and maillot a pois Warren Barguil soloed to glory. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
The last road stage before the final day in Paris started with a bucolic passage across the Lac de Serre-Ponçon at Savines-le-Lac. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
The French Armee del’Air flew the national colors above the river crossing at Sisteron. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
The peloton traversed the banks of the river Durance in Sisteron, one of the most picturesque villages along the race route. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
On stage 19, Edvald Boasson Hagen arrived triumphant after several near-misses at the line in earlier stages. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Boasson Hagen enjoyed the media cyclone after the finish line in Salon-de-Provence. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Stage 20 in Marseille was no standard individual time trial as the race started and finished in the cavernous Orange Velodrome with all the bells and whistles one would expect of the Tour. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Bora-Hansgrohe was looking to play its last card at this year’s Tour de France with time trial specialist Maciej Bodnar. He warmed up under relative obscurity among the team buses in Marseille. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Time trial world champion Tony Martin could find no place to hide from the media’s eyes before his start time in the velodrome in Marseille. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
The Tour knows how to put on a good show, as one can see from inside the Marseille velodrome during the stage 20 time trial. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Froome sat quietly mere moments before his time trial start on stage 20. Less than a minute gap separated him from his rivals. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
In what was expected to be his last Tour de France, Alberto Contador rode strong, showcasing his time trial prowess. He arrived only 21 seconds down on stage winner Bodnar’s time. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
With everything on the line, Froome rode into third place on the stage and cemented his fourth Tour victory. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
A moment to let it all sink in, Froome took refuge behind the technical zone. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Bodnar brought glory to his team on the penultimate stage of the Tour after the setback of losing world champion and ace sprinter Peter Sagan hurt the team’s overall race. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Stage 21 began in Montgeron where the easy roll of the peloton belied the last battle that lay ahead for the sprinters in Paris. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Part of the final-day procession to Paris is the customary celebration of the yellow jersey with his team. Along the route, Froome toasted their success and enjoyed a few well-earned laughs. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
The final day is still a normal race, filled with normal daily activities for the riders. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
As the race neared the Champs-Élysées in Paris, the French air force streaked through the sky. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Team Sky led the peloton over the Champs-Élysées for the first passage before a clear breakaway was established. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Resplendent in yellow, Chris Froome raced on the Champs-Élysées. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
The grandeur of the Tour de France on the Champs-Élysées can never be overstated. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Team Sky continued its Tour domination in Paris leading on many of the eight laps. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
The peloton snaked its way down the Champs-Élysées after cresting the Arc de Triomphe just a couple laps from the finish. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
And the fans went wild. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Dylan Groenewegen claimed the sprint victory as the first Dutchman to win on the Champs-Elysées since Jean-Paul van Poppel in 1988. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Four-time Tour winner Froome greeted his family at the finish line in Paris. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
The face of Warren Barguil tells a story about the brutality and endurance of this year’s Tour de France. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
The media scrum was barely contained as everyone angled for a view of four-time winner Froome. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
Bardet gave the fight of his life and left nothing out on the course, placing third overall after a setback in the Marseille TT. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
The 2017 Tour de France podium of Chris Froome, Rigoberto Uran, and Romain Bardet made their mark in the history books. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Tour
The final jersey line-up — Barguil, Simon Yates, Froome, and Matthews — raised their trophies to the heavens. 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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