Photographs capture the beauty of the Tour de France. And the photographers behind the shots are just as important. Let’s revisit some of our favorite shots from this year’s edition of Le Tour and the stories they tell.
Photo by Mia Domenico (via Unsplash)
The unique beauty of cycling photography
A well-captured photo of a cyclist transcends mere movement. As light filters through a peloton, it creates a mesmerizing dance of shadows. A lone rider cresting a mountain peak, seen from afar, embodies the spirit of human struggle against the majesty of nature. A close-up of determined eyes conveys the raw power and focus within each athlete.
In short, cycling photography captures not just the sport, but the emotions, the beauty, and the poetry woven through it.
Photos come to life from Florence to France
The Tour de France overflows with narratives begging to be captured. From the sun-drenched landscapes riders conquer to the etched expressions of exhaustion and triumph, each frame becomes a fragment in the epic poem of each year’s Tour.
It begins as soon as the Grand Depart, which happened in Florence this year. Photos capture the beautiful Italian city in all its historic beauty. The juxtaposition of the cutting-edge bikes with old buildings and narrow roadways create evocative images that make this edition of Le Tour unique.
Then, along the French coastline in Nice and Monaco, images capture victory for the winners of each of the four jerseys. From Richard Carapaz’s daring King of the Mountains campaign in the Alps to Tadej Pogačar’s triumphant time trial in his hometown, the dedicated photographers traveling alongside the peloton were there to see it all.
And the photographers have stories of their own, too!
Highlighting the photographers who capture cycling’s beauty is important. These artists showcase the passion, determination, and even the personalities and humor of cyclists. Their work helps us see the sport from a fresh perspective, inviting us in to experience it up close.
Each photo captures some of the photographer’s story, too. Whether traveling, setting up their gear, or finally nabbing that perfect shot, they bring us along with them through the work they share. Sometimes they share something about their experiences in the photo caption. Other times, it is simply that the pictures themselves are worth a thousand words.
In this article, we’ll link directly to the Instagrams of these talented photographers. We love their work and appreciate all they do! If you’d like to join them on their journeys to capture cycling at its best for many future editions of Le Tour, please give them a follow on Instagram.
Now, let’s check out some of the most striking photos from this year’s Tour de France and the stories behind them.
A truly Grand Depart from Florence
1. Florence played host city to the Tour de France’s first stages this year.
Each year, a different city gets their chance at the spotlight. In Florence, cycling fans were treated to beautiful landscapes and stunning architecture. This photoset from Charly Lopez highlights some of the Italian streets and canal-side views that accompanied the peloton during Stage 2, which finished in Bologna.
2. Romain Bardet’s yellow jersey.
Longtime cycling fans are familiar with Romain Bardet. Now, the rider who will retire before next year’s Tour got a chance to wear the yellow jersey in his home country. After a successful breakaway, Bardet’s teammate celebrates as Bardet himself grabs his helmet in disbelief. Jered Gruber captures this meaningful moment.
3. Biniam Girmay wows with early sprint wins.
One of the breakout stars of this year’s Tour de France was Biniam Girmay, a sprint superstar from Eritrea. This Tour, he became the first Black athlete to win a jersey in the Tour de France. His winning streak started as early as the first week, with amazing stage wins in the first week. We love Russell Ellis’s photo of him celebrating at the finish line as spectators cheer in the background.
4. A history-making moment with Mark Cavendish.
Another sprint star who made history this July was Mark Cavendish. The “Manx Missile” got his 35th stage win early in the Tour this year. His record passes Eddy Merckx’s for the most stage wins in the Tour de France. Seeing him at the finish with arms raised in the air perfectly marks this momentous occasion for the entire sport of cycling.
5. The personal side of Cavendish’s win shines through.
If we had it our way, this entire gallery would be from Cavendish’s stage win. However, we especially love this shot capturing some of his emotion at the podium presentation. Cav has always been one to let his feelings shine through, and his historic win was no exception!
Photos tell the stories of individual athletes and what they stand to win or lose on the roads of France.
6. Early racing between the GC favorites promised an exciting road ahead.
Fans were delighted to see the early battles between the “big 4” — Pogačar, Vingegaard, Evenepoel, and Roglič. Jered and Ashley Gruber, photographer power couple of the cycling world, had a front row seat to all the action. In the Instagram captions, they share their travel stories and the details behind each picture. The captions also serve as a place to open up about the challenges of photography. Here, Ashley shares that she wasn’t totally happy with her recent photos, but vows to keep trying. No doubt her feelings mirror Pogačar’s competitors’, who kept up the fight even as their rival began to gain time on them.
7. Photos of “invisible” riders show what they were up to this July.
Many pro cycling enthusiasts were surprised Mathieu van der Poel did not target or win a single stage of Le Tour this year. In fact, the World Champion was often found riding in support of his teammate Jasper Philipsen. Packed into the peloton, it would be easy to miss his distinctive rainbow jersey. But this photo by Kristof Ramon does a great job of capturing him solo, juxtaposed against a blue sky. Check out the rest of his gallery for more perfect shots from the first day in the mountains.
8. Remco Evenepoel’s Tour debut came with his signature time trial panache.
Expectations were mixed for Remco Evenepoel before the start of the race. Would he contend for GC, or simply “blow up” in the high mountains? Early in the race, fans were treated to a beautiful time trial performance, highlighting Evenepoel’s skill in this discipline. Enjoy this photo of him amidst the vineyards, a shot that captures his aerodynamics and movement perfectly.
9. Jonas Abrahamsen makes a big breakthrough.
One of the standout performances early in the Tour came from Uno-X’s Jonas Abrahamsen. His often-solo breakaway attacks in the early mountains earned him the King of the Mountains jersey, which he held for most of the first week. The second weekend of the Tour de France saw him facing the gravel stage in polka dots. We adore this pic that captures his heroic breakaway effort against a minimalistic background of gravel, fields, and blue sky.
Flip through the rest of Russell Ellis’s post to see more great gravel shots.
10. A disappointing end for one of the Tour’s “big 4.”
Long-time fans of Primož Roglič know he’s no stranger to big crashes. When Rogla went down in a hairpin corner on the descent of Stage 11, everyone was holding their breath. Despite the battered photo he shared on Instagram, the indominable rider returned the next day with no long-lasting problems. Sadly, it was not to be. A crash during the next stage, an uneventful sprint finish, saw Roglič abandoning the race and turning the “big 4” to the “big 3.”
Read more: Is This Finally Primož Roglič’s — and BORA-Hansgrohe’s — Year? (CyclingScoop)
Narratives prevailed through the second week of the race.
11. Photos of the cyclists and crowd alike transport us to France.
In this post, Jered Gruber shares more stories about their travels through France. Alongside them, striking photos of both the crowd and athletes bring the streets of Pau alive for the viewer. This historic town has played host to a start or finish of the Tour many times throughout history, and even houses an outdoor museum dedicated to its winners. Special Tour moments captured on film live on through these photos, too.
12. The peloton presses forward.
One of the most exciting things about the Tour de France is how unstoppable it is. It presses on, continuous, for three weeks through every part of France. These photos from Kristoff Ramon couple close-up shots of the riders with sweeping vistas the Tour is known for. Enjoy reliving Stages 11 and 12 through these stunning shots.
13. Cracks appear in the GC fight.
These photos, snapped by Ashley Gruber, seem to perfectly capture when the cracks in the “big 3” GC battle began to form. We especially love the shot of Jonas Vingegaard pushing forward to the finish line as Pogačar celebrates after the finish line on the screen behind him. A turning point in the race is captured through a series of beautiful, detail-oriented and emotionally-sensitive photos.
12. The twists and turns of the road ahead.
Daring mountain days are thrown into sharp relief at the race approaches the Alps. Richard Carapaz’s successful breakaway marks a turning point for the King of the Mountains jersey. These photos do a wonderful job capturing the brutal efforts on the SuperDévoluy.
13. A start-line selfie captures this year’s champions.
Start-line selfies are a fantastic new tradition at Le Tour. This year, there were many great ones shared on the Tour de France’s official Instagram account. However, we especially love this one. It highlights all of this year’s jersey winners together at the start. Pogačar, Girmay, Carapaz, and Evenepoel — who could ask for a better group of champions?
Landscapes of the third week finished a wonderful Tour de France.
14. Leaving the Alps brought the peloton to the coast.
As the riders departed the hardest mountain days in the Alps, they were treated to a final stage and time trial near idyllic Nice. No doubt many in the peloton were already dreaming of sunny days by the beach in this photo, which shows the descent of Stage 18.
15. Harsh vistas highlight the brutality of a three-week race.
The final days of the Tour weren’t all sunshine and daisies, though! In these photos, we see Kristof Ramon capture the punishing mountainside the peloton traversed in Stage 20. It fits perfectly with the theme of his recently published cycling photography book, The Art of Suffering.
16. Could YOU make it up these climbs?!
Russell Ellis did an amazing job capturing the intensity of the climbs in the third week. His photo collection below shows the toughest parts of Stage 17. Here, Carapaz is a lone figure threatening to disappear behind the foliage, while Pogačar rides solo and Arnaud De Lie tries a wheelie. So much can happen across different parts of the race!
17. Not all the GC contenders were finishing at their strongest.
Most of the top ten had some fight left in them by the Alps, but it was still a difficult few days for most. Riders had to duke it out to keep their position in the overall standings, and they couldn’t do it without the help of their teammate in this crucial week. In this photo shared by team Ineos, Carlos Rodriguez gives his teammate Laurens De Plus a heartfelt hug after a tough climbing day. Rodriguez finished in seventh place in the overall GC standings.
Read more: Tour Disappointments: 5 Riders with Something Left to Prove (CyclingScoop)
18. Tadej Pogačar soars triumphant.
Of all of Pogi’s finish line photos, this one is our favorite. The Slovenian GC champ coasted into the final days of the Tour relaxed, dominant, and victorious! Ashley Gruber captures this amazing shot with the fans in the background, including the Danish flag likely in support of Pogačar’s main rival Jonas Vingegaard.
The final day in Monaco and Nice was unique for 2024.
19. Olympics changes brings Stage 21 to Monaco.
The Tour de France finish in Paris is iconic. However, the 2024 Paris Olympics necessitated some changes for this year. Instead, a time trial starting in Monaco saw the riders on a coastside cruise. While no big changes in GC were expected, fans turned out to cheer on their favorites from the peloton and enjoy a day at the beach themselves.
20. Pizza is the perfect way to finish a three week race!
Another Paris tradition made its way to this year’s final stage. That is: post-race pizza from Tour de Tietema! This group of pro cycling YouTubers always makes sure to show up with personal pizzas for the Tour’s hungriest cyclists. We love this photo of Wout van Aert getting his pizza! We’ve linked Tour de Tietema’s video down below if you want to see the rest.
Watch: We Delivered 120 PIZZAS (🤯) to the TOUR DE FRANCE! 🍕 (Tour de Tietema)
21. A perfect podium finishes this year’s edition of Le Tour.
The “big 3” came through after all, and all three stood on the podium in Nice! Tadej Pogačar shared these photos on his Instagram, capturing the golden hour loveliness of the celebration. From Pogačar, to his teammates, to his partner Urška Žigart, the happiness shines through in these photos!
22. The respect between champions will last the test of time.
While we originally wanted to finish this article with just 21 photos, we had to include this one. It was shared by Jonas Vingegaard’s team Visma Lease-a-Bike after the race. Pogačar and Vingegaard walk side by side to the podium. The respect between these two champions, as well as Evenepoel and the other stars, makes this era of cycling truly special.
Did you have a favorite photo from this year’s Tour? Which photographers do you love to see photos from during the cycling season? Let us know in the comments! ★