Being tasked with selecting an image gallery of the Tour de France when you have well over a century of history to play with seemed an impossible job.
Tens of thousands of evocative pictures to choose from was a daunting task.
Who to select and who to leave out? How do you balance the epic, race-defining moments with the smaller snapshots that capture the event’s personality?
Of the quartet of five-time winners, only Miguel Indurain isn’t featured, but the Spaniard bludgeoned his way to victory with such methodical ease that we struggled to find ‘interesting’ shots of him. Do we include Lance Armstrong?
His wins have been officially chalked off from the record books, but he’s part of the race’s history, whatever you think of him. So here he is – two photos of the back of his head.
And how much coverage do we give to the Tours of the 21st Century, given we’re more clued up on those, and the more recent don’t feel appropriate for a retro gallery?
When you trawl through the archives, the remarkable thing is how little has changed. Look at the race sign-on of 1908 or the caravan and press room of 1951.
Sure, the clothes, habits, fashions and technologies have moved on, but the shared, ultimate goal in all these images – of getting a rider round France in the fastest time possible – means the essence of the race remains.
More from the Tour de France
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- 12 ways a Tour de France bike differs from yours
- Mathieu van der Poel’s custom yellow Canyon Aeroad CFR
- 'If Pogačar has a life-changing injury, we will have blood on our hands'
- Brailsford's battle: Ineos Grenadiers are 'feeding on scraps' and have no bike deal for 2026
