The story of Stage 18 will be long remembered because of its finish, with the Ineos Grenadiers’ Stage win for Michal Kwiatkowski and Richard Carapaz. They crossed the line together and it was a lovely moment of great generosity.

Have a good day today.. 🙂

The real story of Stage 18, came from Ineos Grenadiers, who suffered great disappointment and sadness over Egan Bernal. The reigning champion was in such a bad state, that the team decided to withdraw him from the race, fearing further injury should he continue. Michal Kwiatkowski and Richard Carapaz formed a phenomenal break that lasted to the finish. They set a fantastic pace, reminding us that this team remains a forceful presence in the race.

Have a good day today.. 🙂

Another feature of the route today, was a section noted for its gravel roads, never easy for riders and their teams for fears of punctures or falls, but very dramatic for the viewers and photographers, with the potential of smokey looking images, full of atmosphere. This is my attempt, which shows the Yellow and Polka Dot jerseys passing through the gravel, no doubt with more than a mouthful of dust in their lungs afterwards…

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There are many fans who not only come out to cheer on and witness the spectacle of the Tour, but also provide a bit of entertainment themselves. Here is a prime example, a huge Obelix, at the side of the road, in hid fetching blue and white trousers!

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If there is one thing that this year’s Tour de France would teach a visitor from outer space about France, is that it is a country with the most remarkable collection of mountains! I am staggered every year by the landscape and especially the mountain stages, but this year, they have seemed even more breathtaking than ever. This scenery typical of the views throughout the day! Wow!

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The stage was dominated most of the way by Bahrain McLaren and Jumbo Visma, but then the mighty climb at the end of a long day produced an astounding break at 2.8km from Astana’s Miquel Angel Lopez, who powered through to take the win… Oh Superman!

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Another image highlighting teams in this year’s race. Two teams on show here and I was taken with their respective colours, hence the title of the picture! The team at the front, is Bahrain McLaren, who picked up the pace and set a target for Jumbo Visma just behind them.

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Stage 17 the Queen stage this year, takes 168km between Grenoble and the newly-built cycling route to the summit of the Col de la Loze. This first image shows the peloton heading towards the mountains, which to my eye, looked like a frontier that was big and very blue. Simply stunning…

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Stage 16 reached its climax with a phenomenal break by Lennard Kämna, who burst through, leaving Carapaz behind, to take a terrific win. Fantastic stage today and it’s the Queen stage next, how much better can this be?

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The Ecuadorian rider Richard Carapaz made the next explosive break; he is a firecracker of a rider! He is the current champion of the Giro d’Italia and his class and strength on this climb burst through.

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This break in Stage 16 shown here, began with Guillaume Martin of Team Cofidis, at 25.5km, along with his team-mate Nicolas Edet. Martin is riding high in the General Classification and his strength is no flash in the pan, but the bold move was short-lived being pulled back at 20km.

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Stage 16 saw several attacks throughout, this one saw Quentin Pacher ride with determination on the ascent to the last climb of the day. He maintained a healthy gap on the peloton, until he was later reeled in.

Have a good day today.. 🙂