It would be impossible to pick a favorite as this group of photographs has captured the essence of the tour so remarkably. An appreciative nod to all those professional photographers for their excellent work so we can thoroughly enjoy this outstanding sporting event.

I stumbled upon this page of photos from a Wikipedia link. These photos are absolutely extraordinary, breathtaking and they really capture the excitement and majesty of le Tour!

Just found this site - thanks to the SBS Forum post.
Great images and photo technique.

It's an American thing - Paris, France - London, England etc etc.
Of course the Tour de France is hosted by France.
Would you hold the Indy 500 at Le Mans or Silverstone - duh.

that picture of Didi the jumping devil is so surreal, amazing photos all of them.

¡Preciosas fotos! Enhorabuena por el trabajo gráfico y gracias por compartir estas bellas imágenes de la carrera. Se agradece el buen gusto, el procesado y la exquisita realización. Buen trabajo.

Nobody should support these drug-addicted guys by watching the tour.

thanks. thats very nice........

Thanks for the great photos, really liked the one with the horse

Amazing photos, Beautiful race, beautiful country, art in motion

Fotografias Increibles !!!, captaron el momento!

a beautiful summary of photos to date.. Where is Cadel Evans? And the Americans? Hincapie? Frischkorn? Vandevelde?

I would imagine the farmers' whose fields were trampled by the photographers are a little less enthusiastic than we are about right now.

That is really some super pictures, and I dont think they all are drugged, they just find more on cyckle than any other sports because they are checked much more, bbut perfect pictures.

Why were the photograghers in the seventh picture wearing helments?

Picture Perfect ! Well done.

Yes the photos are truly magnificent. I enjoyed the photos of "opportunity" and also the "set up" photos. The riders, bikes, weather, colour, people, and landscapes are very enjoyable to see as photos and not just film.

I also enjoyed reading most of the comments above and realising that so many other people appreciate TDF. My shool boy French helped about 90% when reading Terri's post above, and my Italian heritage helped when reading Glomy's Mexican/Spanish post. The international flavour of this site makes it a more colourful place to visit ;)

I too came here from the SBS TDF forums thanks to the heads up from CW.

Thank you to the Boston Globe and photographers of TDF.

Cadell to win!

mag916

ruben, the photographers follow the tour on the back of motorbikes, hence the helmets.

HOORAY FOR EL DIABLO!!!!!!!!!!

Great shots...I can see my friend Ryder(5th wheel)looking over at the horse.

These are some outstanding images... A couple cliches that one sees each year, ie the sunflowers. All in all very nice. I love the irony of the 8 guys all stranding in the sunflowers... waiting for the same shot. It's nice to see that the images chosen are of the events and riders who have affected the race so far.

Felicidades desde México!!! excelentes fotos

This the best pictures I found on Tour de France....I love cycling very much. I love the scenery of france specially the sunflowers. Best place to ride a bike...
Love the pictures... Thanks, keep sending us pictures of the tour to the last going to france Paris.

Thank you for great picture

I love this wonderful pictures,my complement to you.

Great Photo's, my wife and I follow the Tour de France on TV here in Perth WA each year, and marvel at these men of terrific stamina and determination .
We also like the breath taking countryside they travel through it must be awsome to be actually there following the race. never the less your photo's are the next best thing. thanks.
Glyn & Mary

Wow! Wonderful photos! Thank you for putting them up!

http://cyclingfans.com is one of my favorite cycling sites since they always have big beautiful photos (Sirotti I think?). You should hook up with them and post your photos there!

Anyway, keep up the good work!

Diane

Beautiful, wonderful

What a beautiful pictures, increase my love for the bike and the photograph.

These pictures are simply amazing!! Awe inspiring. The picture of the back of the helmits, the horse rider and the wet calves are the coolest!
Luke Stack, BC, Canada

Damn, my calfs don't look like that. Looks like I need to work a little harder. Amazing shots! Well done.

Makes me want to ride!!!

Bets shot (IMO) is of Cavendish sprinting for finish (2nd to last photo). Their actual speed (around 45mph) and relatively poor and flat light make it tough photo to grab a focus on a single rider.

Next best photos are first one of David Millar on his funny bike....I really like tricked out funny bikes like that! Then finally the descending Ricardo Ricco in picture 5. That is such a cool look! You can see very clearly the concentration required on his face and how he is balancing himself on the pedals. Too bad he doped!

All great shots...I love bike racing!

Breathtaking and captivating pic’s.
This is an excellent presentation of a collection of marvellous photo’s, and their affect is to place us right where the action is occurring. In fact, sometimes I am made to feel that I am participating in the arduous and demanding struggle on two wheels, other times I amengrossed by the joy of the spectators, or the beauty of the scenery.
It is a favourite pastime of mine to zoom in on picturesto inspect the details of the landscape, or, to get in amongst the crowd, to see people’s faces and their excitement, and to look at what they are wearing. (To Zoom within Internet Explorer simply hold down the Ctrl key and use the roller on your mouse, or, hold down the Ctrl & Shift keys then use the Plus & Minus keys). Now come with me to see what we can find.
Pic’s #6 & 7: It would seem that #6 was taken by one of the photographers we see in #7, so in #7 they are caught in the act of taking #6. Also, look at their different cameras and their different methods – using left eye, etc.
On #8, look at the many older people lining the road at the left, see their joy; also, look at the spectators standing on top of the wall and the active sea waves behind them.
On #9, check out the irony of the ‘lucky-charm’ bracelet worn by the fallen and bleeding cyclist, how disappointing to find himself there; think also of his wife as she sees him. You cannot get any closer than this; get right into the emotion and reality of what has happened here.
On #10, look at the smiling faces of the cyclists (you must zoom in close) as they look across at the horse rider (just in front of the horse’s head), and of course the girl is also smiling. What exquisite timing and perfect position for this photo. Just let yourself participate in the friendship and the joy occurring there. I have no idea who she is, maybe she is related to one of the cyclists – in the same colours (?).
On #11 – interesting to note that Stefan Schumacher wears an ear stud!
On #16 & 17, think how dangerous it is to propel one of these narrow-tyred vehicles on wet roads.
On #17, look at the strained expressions on the cyclist’s faces as they extract every last erg from their weary bodies; and look at the way the body ergonomics causes the bicycle to tilt from side to side in the sprint - especially Mark Cavendish.
The county-side is also interesting and beautiful. See especially #4, 7, 10 & 15.
Well, there are countless other details for all of us to inspect, which draw us into the many emotions involved in this exhilarating sport – and give us a glimpse of the country of France.
My thanks to the sharp-eyed staff at boston.com for allowing me to ‘participate’ in the 95th Tour de France - from the comfort of my Adelaide/Australia home vantage.

nice shots

all I can say is WOW!

I wanna get one of those big black lens!

Extraordinary pictures. Does anyone know what is growing in the other field the riders are passing? Are they onions or artichokes, by chance??

chinnko

the blogs are tremendous fun........#111 is marvelous..the photos are first class and this display is almost as good as getting up at four every morning to see the real thing........thanks

excellent photos-indeedeeee 1st class sir ! :p

momentos brillantes del ciclismo, quen ejan ver aun mas la supremacia deportiva en el mundo para todos ellos mi mas grande admiración, desde Mexico un saludo.

excellent photos-indeedeeee 1st class sir ! :p

great photos. as a cyclist, I especially like the rainy sprinting photos since I can really relate with both of them. I can tell you from experience how much it sucks to be in a sprint when it is raining. I noticed quite a few photos with Ricardo Ricco or a Saunier-Duval rider featured in it. It's a shame that they pulled out because Ricco doped. Not to say that those pictures sucked though...

the pictures are great, but some people commenting are not on track, le tour varies from year to year, ie, some years it starts in france, others it doesn't, some years there are team time trials, sometimes there aren't, sometimes they ride the hills frontwards, and other backwards, sometimes they ride the alpes in the first week, sometimes it's in the last week. As far as doping goes, it'll be a horrible ordeal if cycling loses the public completely because of doping, the fact of the matter is that most pro sports in north america are full of dopers, but when theyre caught it's no more then a slap on the wrist. why, well because better proformance means more seats to be filled, that's why silly. It's just too bad that cycling has been on the forefront of this and has taken such a hit.

I'm sorry to be the odd man out but in general these are mediocre images. It is difficult to get extraordinary cycling images. The last few in the rain as well as the 4th image in start to get at something a bit more interesting while the two sunflower field shots perfectly illustrate the problem to overcome. Yes, I see the irony in the field of photographers but it does not get past being irony. Graham Watson is still the untouchable master of cycling photography. But don't stop - keep improving, I beg you! It is a joy to see the big images in this blog.

A spectator known as Didi, dressed as a devil, jumps beside a pack of riders during the fifth stage of the 95th Tour de France cycling race between Cholet and Chateauroux, July 9, 2008. (REUTERS/Bogdan Cristel)

This photo is amazing and I liked all photos also presented here.

More photos may be added and we enjoy the live telecast of the event

Kasi viswnadham Y , India

Outstanding photos of the riders and the country side. shows why the tour de France is so magical and beautiful to ride in.

Amazing pics. Thanks for sharing.

Fantastic photographs, seemed more like art than news photos.

#92: the photographers ride on motorcycles throughout the course of the race to get their shots. Since the motorcycles are weaving and speeding through hilly and mountainous terrain, and the photogs are holding onto their cameras and not their drivers, I suppose that is cause for the extra heavy helmets and flak jackets. I would guess that the helmets also have a comm link to the race radio, so they can get an idea of what is happening and where to go.

On one of the stages earlier in the race, the organizers would only allow a certain number of photographers to travel past a certain point in the race (it might have been a narrow road). There was a pool to choose who would get to go, and they had to agree to share their photos with all of the non-chosen photogs.

Hope this clears up the mystery of the soldier/photographers!

BTW LOVE this blog!

Great pics of the best sporting event in the world. When will this be updated with more pics? btw Glenn, get in the spirit of things you miserable %@#!.................

Thankyou for the pictures:)

Great pictures, thanks!
Tour de France really is one of the best sporting event in the world!

i feel so touch,very wonderful

Glenn - you wanker! Put up or shut up you goose.

GASP these pics were awsome and great phograpy

pictures were awsome !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Really great !
please give us asap an update of the gallery with a pic of Cancellara in front of the leading group !!!

Hop Swiss

tkx

le tour de france n'est pas juste une course cycliste mais un monument patrimonial comme la tour eiffel,c'est pour ça,qu'il est immortel et totalement différent de tous les autres évènements sportifs.Il est gratuit,passe devant les portes,fourmillant d'anecdoctes que l'on se raconte les onze autres mois.Le dopage est toujours présent,mais il n'a pas et n'aura jamais le maillot jaune.

It really is true...pictures tell a thousand words...Amazing!!!!

Die Fotos erfreuen mich!

great picture, awesome

Beautiful pictures. Would like to see more of them in the Alps!
Christian Loriau

Fanatastic photos.. I would like to see MORE from the different stages, especially form the Alps. Please send update as Photos added to the site...
Thanks so much for sharing..

amazing pictures!! have been to france many times and the countryside is just as beautiful as the pics show!! the comments onholding it only in france are stupid. it is the tour defrance !!!

Excellent photos. I met Didi outside Buckingham Palace at TdF start in 2007. I think Graham Watson is the orange helmet guy in field of Sunflowers. His website has pics of the whole season of cycling. There is so much more to follow than just the TdF. In the UK the sport gets little coverage although with Mark Cavendish 4 stage wins and strong squad in upcoming Olympics things might change. Anyway readers of this page seem to appreciate the incredible achiement that is riding the Tour. Toughest event in the world - and best free show. Pics of Alpe D'Huez are a must.

These are fantastic photos!

All the pictures are just fabulous.My favorite pic is when the lady was riding the horse

Very good photos. Nice .. Is there a newer image?

Hi Alan

These pictures a fantastic! Absolutely the best I have seen from the Tour for many years.

My favorite is the one with the Devil. It's a classic Tour de France scene you captured from a very original (new) angle and it looks fantastic. Actually I had been thinking about that picture for a couple of days (couldn't get it out of my head), and all of a sudden I saw the very same picture on a TV-guide in Denmark where I live. It's a small world.

Thank you for sharring.

the tour de francia is the moss beauty sport in the world.

Great pictures, great sport....
Amazing

Good pictures.

My favorite by far is the one of Mark Cavendish headed for the line in Toulouse. I love the end sprints and just as poster 111 mentioned... you really see the anguish in their faces as the push their bodies and machines to the limit. LOVE IT!

I raced home every night on my bicycle over the Red Hill 'mountain pass' to see the highlights on the TV - they're all winners in these pictures - including the photographer

fantastic,sharp and full of atmosphere.Great

thank you for these amazing photos!

very cool pictures! this is such a grueling race! match sprint racing is still cooler ; p

Perfect, beautiful, Well done

Although TV coverage of Le Tour is now so very good, it still takes the skill & timing of the stills photographer to capture the drama and excitement. Excellent.

Awesome pic of David Millar

Wow! Absolutely incredible pictures. They are magical to say the least.

Beautiful pics.
When you get to think that the couple cyclist+bike touches the ground over just a few square centimeters of rubber, when you see pic #17, with a tight pack of riders sprinting in the rain at some 40 mph, or pic #5, with a rider descending at a speed of 60 mph, you get to realize how terribly dangerous this sport is.
These guys are true acrobats, all right, but I still marvel at the relatively small number of really serious accidents.

This Tour de France pictures are awesome, beutiful. France, definitely have good places to visit.

Thank You for thoses superb pictures... I brought my Family... wife and three sons in july 2003... we followed the TdF in a small village of Sommevoir ( Haut Marne) southeast of Paris and was on the Champs d'Élysée on the last day of the race when Armstrong won again... we were there at noon on the Champs d'Élysée we were on the third row of peoples waiting the cyclists to come in... at around a ¼ to four there was eight rows of peoples trying to get a shot at the racers... it was long waiting but it was worthwhile... then we went down to Chambéry, where my sons and theirs friends did the Alps... unbelievable the atmosphere that the TdF brings to France and the tourists with theirs $$$$... tasted theirs famous ''baguettes'' and their wine... my oldest son does every year what is called ''l'Étape du Tour'' it is a one day event for anybody who wants to try it... you have to be in shape to do a 100 miles in six hours in the Pyrénée... going up to 2000 meters and then coming down at a 10% angle, travelling at 50KM an hour... you better have good brakes... these peoples do it for the ''passion'' and their love of being in good shape and bicycling... in the very nice countryside of France... once again thanks for the superb photos...

For #15: the crop immediately behind the cyclist is garlic, but they are not used for eating - the flower stems are used in flower arrangements.

these picture were were dynamic, the woman with horse and the sunfowers were awesome .
Each photo gave one the sense of the energy and the power of each rider

Soy un apasionado de la bicicleta y las fotos nos dan una idea magnifica de esta prueba. ¡Bravo por estas fotos y el reportaje. José Manuel HG. México, D.F.

Great pictures. I follow the Tour on TV every year - the TV crew does an amazing job of bringing this great event on the screen. One can see great cycling and amazing country side and villages along the course. Looking forward to the 2009 Tour.

nice picuter

Ready to ride now.

talk about snapshot!!!!
lol ily

great````love you

Terrific! are they for sale? I like the Mark Cavendish ones and Didi :-)

Your photography is stellar. The beauty of these pictures is beyond words.
Thanks.

wow!!! i feel i am the one riding too! great pics.

The photograhpers wear helmets because they are transported via motorcycle between stages...

That country has the most beautiful scenery. If I were racing it would be hard to remember that I was in a race because I would be taking in the scenery. Then I think the hundreds of people riding bicycles would remind me tough.

Looks like more pro sports photographers are using Nikon gear now - Pic 7

Show...sensacional,espetacular....Lidas as fotos,Parabéns!!!!!!!!!!!

awesome pics