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Tour de France

VeloNews Events Tour de France
Tour de France

Photo Essay: Cobbles punctuate Tour’s first week

BrakeThrough Media captures the drama of the Tour de France's hectic first week with sprints, a TTT, and some cobbles.

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Don't miss a moment from Paris-Roubaix and Unbound Gravel, to the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, Vuelta a España, and everything in between when you join Outside+.

Chris Froome (Sky) spoke to the press at the start of stage 1 of the 2018 Tour de France. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
After being expelled from the race in 2017, Peter Sagan (BOH) returned in 2018 to the delight of his fans. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Photographers waited patiently as the 176 riders of the 2018 edition Tour de France lined up for the start of stage 1 in Noirmoutier-en-l’île. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
The peloton rolled out of Noirmoutier to open the 2018 edition of the Tour de France. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Colombian sprinter Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step) took a convincing victory on stage 1. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
American Lawson Craddock (EF Education First) was one of the first casualties of the 2018 Tour when he arrived at the finish in Fontenay-le-Comte with a fractured scapula. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
In his debut Tour de France, Fernando Gaviria claimed the stage victory and his first ever yellow jersey. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
The premier maillot jaune, Quick-Step Floors’s Fernando Gaviria, arrived at the sign-in stage in Mouilleron-Saint-German for the start of day two. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
The race caravan rolled out through the neutral zone through the historic town center of Mouilleron-en-Pareds on stage 2. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
On his last Tour de France before retirement, Frenchman Sylvain Chavanel made an audacious solo escape on stage 2 through Les Herbiers. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
The yellow jersey rode safely in the bunch through the villages of southwest France on stage 2. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Another sprinter’s stage and Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) took the victory with a bike throw over Sonny Cobrelli (Bahrain-Merida). Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Peter Sagan was the new yellow jersey on stage 2 in La Roche-sur-Yon. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Norwegian fans brought the Nordic vibe to the start of the team time trial in Cholet. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
One of the favorites to win the team time trial, Greg Van Avermaet and his BMC teammates warmed up under brutally hot conditions in Cholet. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
The Movistar squad took off from the start ramp in Cholet for the 35.5 kilometer TTT loop. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Team strategies to beat the heat abounded in Cholet with searing temperatures and unrelenting sun taxing the riders before the start. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Team Sky rode to solid a second place only four seconds off the pace of the stage winners BMC. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
BMC rode perfectly over the 35km course to take victory in Cholet. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
The new maillot jaune, Peter Sagan, emerged from the team bus near the start of the TTT in Cholet. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
All eyes and cameras were aimed at the maillot jaune, sprinter extraordinaire Peter Sagan before his Bora-Hansgrohe team took the start ramp. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
John Degenkolb (Trek-Segafredo) cooled down after the finish of the blistering 35.5km time trial course. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Quick-Step Floors rode to a respectable third place only seven seconds behind the BMC team in Cholet. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Quick-Step’s Bob Jungels took questions from the media after his team came up seconds short at the final of the TTT in Cholet. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Marcus Burghardt shared team camaraderie with fellow teammate and maillot jaune Peter Sagan at the finish line in Cholet. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
BMC took victory in the team time trial in Cholet and cast Greg Van Avermaet into yellow. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
The tour takes over France in July. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
BMC led the peloton on the roads of stage 4 in defense of its yellow jersey Greg Van Avermaet. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
The sprinters assembled for battle again on stage 4 in Sarzeau. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Fernando Gaviria (QST) was faster than the rest at the line in Sarzeau on stage 4. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Stage 4 victor Fernando Gaviria (QST) hugged teammate Julien Alaphilippe after his second Tour stage win in Sarzeau. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Peter Sagan (BOH) watched the replay of the sprint to see where he went wrong, coming second to the Colombian sprinter. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Fernando Gaviria tossed his bouquet to the mass of fans at the podium on stage 4. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
The peloton rolled along the seaside near For-Bloqué in Brittany at the start of stage 5. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
The BMC squad controlled the front of the race as they chased the breakaway through the harbor town of Concaneau on stage 5. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Philippe Gilbert attacked hard in the last 750 meters to the uphill sprint finish in Quimper, stage 5, but couldn’t hold off the competition to the line. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Peter Sagan (BOH) won convincingly in Quimper, sitting up after the line to take stock of his second stage win in the race so far. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Bora-Hansgrohe teammates congratulate each other on another Sagan stage win in Quimper. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Day 6 continued to be hot, hot, hot as summer revelers queued up for ice cream before the race arrived in Sizun. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) rolled through the village of Sizun with the maillot jaune on his back. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
The peloton passed through the many scenic villages of the Finistère region of Brittany on stage 6. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
The race climbed up the Mûr de Bretagne twice on stage 6 providing the throngs of fans with all the excitement of early escapes and eager attacks before the finale. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Dan Martin (UAE) timed his jump perfectly to steer clear of being caught before the line at the Mûr de Bretagne on stage 6. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Dan Martin sprinted away on the final meters of the Mur de Bretagne to take the stage win and confirm his form for the overall in Paris. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
A mechanical in the last 5km caught Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) out and his anger and frustration was evident with an emphatic shout of a few expletives as he crossed the line losing nearly a minute. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
The peloton blew by a bit of French culture in the farmlands of the Normandy region. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tour de France photographers tracked the final race action on stage 7 before the finish line in Chartres. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Young sprint phenom Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo) outpaced Peter Sagan at 75 meters to the line in Chartres. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Up against worthy rivals Sagan, Gaviria, and Demare, Dylan Groenewegen made victory look easy in Chartres on stage 7. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Dylan Groenewegen (TLJ) celebrated his first win at the 2018 Tour de France. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Yellow jersey Greg Van Avermaet celebrated another day in the leader’s jersey at the conclusion of stage 7 in Chartres. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
It was Bastille Day with the french tricolor flag dotting the race course from Dreux to Amiens. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
The peloton weaved through majestic chateaus and villas as the race bore north from Dreux to the Somme region. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
The peloton rolled past a renaissance performance in front of a chateau on Bastille Day. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
After Peter Sagan jumped near 300 meters to go, it was again the Dutchman Groenewegen who out-sprinted André Greipel, Sagan, and Gaviria. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Dylan Groenewegen took his second Tour stage win of 2018 in Amiens on stage 8. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Dylan Groenewegen took his second stage win in a row on stage 8 in Amiens. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Dan Martin was the victim of a crash in the closing kilometers of the race but chased back to minimize his losses. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
The escape group hit the first sector of cobbles on stage 9 to Roubaix. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Punctures and crashes are part of the unpredictability of a cobbled Tour de France stage. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
All the favorites for overall victory rode together through the treacherous sector 11 at Tilloy. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
The much feared Roubaix stage proved to be relatively tame as to the effect on the GC with only Rigoberto Uran losing time to the main rivals. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
A rare moment where Chris Froome was leading classics expert Peter Sagan through the cobbles at Pont-Thibaut. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Peter Sagan led John Degenkolb through the dry and dusty cobbles at Cysoing. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Sun and dust was one of the stories of the day on stage 9 to Roubaix. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
The lead group of Lampert, Van Avermaet, and Degenkolb used their cobblestone expertise to escape the peloton on the last sector before the finish. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Chris Froome rode a perfect day over the cobblestones of northern France. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Team Education First rode flat out to bring Rigoberto Uran back into contention but the Colombian would ultimately lose nearly two minutes. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
John Degenkolb out-sprinted the yellow jersey Greg Van Avermaet and Yves Lamoert on the line in Roubaix. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
John Degenkolb was swarmed by staff and media after winning stage 9 of the 2018 Tour de France. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
John Degenkolb returned to the top level of the sport with an emotional victory after a devastating crash in January 2016 almost ended his career. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com
Tom Dumoulin was content as he warmed down on the turbo trainer having survived the most feared stage of the 2018 Tour de France. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
Pain, sweat, and dirt told the story of the day on Serge Pauwels’s face at the team bus after stage 9. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | www.brakethroughmedia.com
John Degenkolb did not hold back his emotions on the podium as he was awarded victory on stage 9 of the 2018 Tour de France. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

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