Motorbikes and mountains: photographing the 2026 Tour de France – photo essay

Twenty Tours de France. It seems faintly ridiculous erstwhile I constitute it down. My first was nan twelvemonth Lance Armstrong’s cautiously constructed empire was opening to wobble. I photographed him circling nan Champs-Élysées pinch a movie SLR, blissfully unaware that neither movie cameras nor Armstrong’s estimation would property peculiarly well.

Today I’m backmost wherever it each began, sitting extracurricular a cafe a stone’s propulsion from Place de la Concorde nursing a café crème while Paris carries connected wholly oblivious. A mates laughter complete breakfast. Someone walks an exceptionally making out poodle. A waiter successful a waistcoat unsuccessfully attempts to seduce 2 visitors that vodka is an acceptable accompaniment to a croissant. In a fewer hours the world’s biggest motorcycle title will thunder done these streets. Right now, it’s conscionable different Sunday morning.

That’s 1 of nan peculiar things astir nan Tour. It arrives for illustration a travelling circus, creates absolute chaos for a fewer hours, past softly disappears.

First shape of nan Tour and I’m connected nan moto. Those days person go thing of a luxury. Before Covid, location were 18 accredited in-race photography motos weaving done nan Tour. Now location are conscionable nine, pinch smaller agencies pooling their allocations and sharing pictures to clasp access. I activity pinch a mini Belgian-Italian collective, truthful erstwhile it’s your turn, you make nan astir of it.

This year, my tie included nan opening squad clip trial, a fistful of sprint stages, and nan upland decorativeness successful Orcières-Merlette. It wasn’t Alpe d’Huez, but cipher turns down a time connected nan backmost of a Tour moto.

The opening shape offered small play from nan motorcycle itself, truthful I fto Barcelona do nan storytelling instead. The Sagrada Família became my backdrop. As my characteristically cheerful moto driver vanished into nan distance, I realised each 1 of my h2o bottles had vanished pinch him. Good occupation it wasn’t nan mediate of a Spanish heatwave. This could beryllium a agelong day.

• The UAE Emirates XRG team, lead by Tadej Pogacar, powerfulness astir nan streets of Barcelona.

A 400mm lens picked riders retired from nan cathedral’s shadows earlier I switched to a 24mm arsenic they swept past, trying to cram Gaudí’s masterpiece into nan framework – crane and all. By nan clip nan last teams rolled through, I’d go amazingly adept astatine juggling cameras while panning astatine speed.

Between runs an older feline leaning complete nan barriers, brandishing a mates of master cameras, entertained me, saying that, having started arsenic a Navy photographer, he’d photographed everyone from Reagan to Obama. I softly Googled him afterwards, half expecting to observe he was a spot of a lune. A speedy hunt revealed that he wasn’t making it up. He’d had nan benignant of profession astir photographers could only dream about.

Perhaps sensing I was slow dehydrating connected nan baking tarmac, a group of Danish fans adopted maine for nan afternoon, keeping maine supplied pinch ice-cold h2o until nan last squad rolled through.

• Team Visma - Lease a Bike walk nan Sagrada Familia successful Barcelona metropolis centre earlier winning nan stage, and past observe connected nan podium.

Returning to nan moto for shape 18 couldn’t person contrasted much pinch Barcelona. The constrictive Alpine roads near hardly capable room for riders, support cars and nan occasional motorcycle. We spent astir of nan day leapfrogging betwixt nan breakaway and nan chasing peloton, stopping occasionally for sweeping upland views earlier racing backmost into position.

• Spectators return pictures arsenic nan riders walk done their town; nan breakaway pinch Mads Pedersen astatine nan beforehand thrust done nan Alpes during shape 18 from Voiron to Orcieres Merlette.

Then, pinch 3 kilometres remaining, Richard Carapaz attacked. Unfortunately for us, he chose our broadside of nan road. One infinitesimal he was down us, nan adjacent he was almost alongside. My driver instinctively grabbed different fistful of throttle conscionable arsenic I swung nan camera round. For a fewer entertaining seconds I was photographing one-handed while hanging connected to nan backmost of nan motorcycle for beloved life. Unsurprisingly, nan sharpest point astir immoderate of those pictures was nan memory.

• Richard Carapaz makes a break successful beforehand of Valentin Paret Peintre successful nan last kilometers of nan shape and past celebrates arsenic he crosses nan statement to triumph shape 18.

Stage 19 belonged to Tadej Pogacar. On nan Alpe d’Huez, he eclipsed Marco Pantani’s longstanding climbing record, and my domiciled that time was to hold astatine nan decorativeness alternatively than retired connected nan mountain. Recent Tours person tightened entree astir nan winner, replacing nan aged scrum of photographers pinch a acold much controlled finish, truthful positioning becomes everything. At this point, it’s astir second-guessing really nan riders will respond aft nan stage.

As it’s uphill and nan podium wasn’t acold from nan finish, you tin beryllium definite he won’t beryllium going excessively acold – truthful I positioned myself connected nan backmost statement of grey-bibbed photographers, getting fresh pinch my wide-angle lens for adjacent encounters. To debar missing nan decorativeness line, I changeable nan celebrations complete nan statement and kept a adjacent oculus connected wherever Pogacar would extremity up. Ducking and weaving to find my position, I made judge not to artifact my chap photographers and cameramen while commanding my abstraction and ensuring I could find nan correct angle.

The shots worked out, and I tin remainder easy knowing that my colleagues and I person what we request for nan evening news. Records person a wont of sounding absurd until you’re opinionated 20 metres distant erstwhile they fall.

• Tadej Pogacar celebrates his Stage 19 triumph aft crossing nan decorativeness statement and connected nan podium.

On nan last Alpine stage, stationed connected nan Galibier, I’d recovered nan creation and group up nan camera connected a tripod pinch a cablegram release, but needed personification to trigger nan distant camera while I worked elsewhere. Ryan, a cycling journalist and recreation companion pinch perfectly nary photography experience, abruptly recovered himself responsible for my 3rd camera. I walked him done nan task astatine hand. See man connected bike: property button! A fewer tense nods. Then I walked away, hoping for nan best. He nailed it! Chapeau, Ryan.

• Tadej Pogacar descends nan Galibier.

On nan last day, I rotation down nan now-barriered Champs-Élysées arsenic nan publicity caravan dances its measurement towards nan finish. I’ve near plentifulness of clip to locomotion nan two-kilometre stretch, passing burly gendarmes who activity maine done pinch practised indifference. Dressed successful acheronian bluish uniforms, bulletproof vests, dense achromatic boots and sunglasses, pinch pistols resting neatly connected their hips, they’re an imposing sight. I grin and connection a quiet bonjour arsenic I walk each one, conscionable to spot whether I tin coax nan faintest grin successful return.

The Champs feels different these days. Security is tighter than ever, pinch officers stationed each fewer metres down nan barriers. They don’t tolerate mistakes. Years agone an American photographer tried to return a shortcut into nan title by hopping a obstruction and spent nan day successful nan backmost of a constabulary van. It’s a useful reminder that, nevertheless relaxed nan Tour whitethorn appear, it ne'er really is.

By nan clip I scope my position, a twelve photographers are already lined up. After a fewer laps I caput backmost to cod immoderate other kit earlier making my measurement crossed to nan cardinal reservation. Normally it’s 2nd nature: measurement complete nan debased integrative barrier, onshore neatly, transportation on. I’ve climbed volcanoes, scrambled crossed upland passes and waded done mangrove swamps without incident. Yet a two-foot integrative obstruction connected nan Champs-Élysées proves my undoing.

The camera breaks astir of my fall. Unfortunately, I still request it for nan remainder of nan race.

• Yellow jersey holder Tadej Pogacar accelerates up nan climb of Montmartre to drawback Fred Wright; nan peloton title information nan streets of Paris; Remco Evenpoel intelligibly enjoying nan last shape arsenic he races past nan Arc de Triomphe; Mathieu van der Poel collapsed aft his each retired effort to triumph nan last shape connected nan Champs-Élysées.

An organiser runs complete to cheque I’m each correct while different photographer helps maine to my feet. Apart from a fewer grazes, I’m fine. My pride, however, has taken almost arsenic overmuch harm arsenic nan camera. Looking up, I drawback nan sympathetic grin of different photographer and a TV cameraman trying very difficult not to laugh. Right. I request different camera.

I telephone Jim, my travelling companion, who’s location successful nan crowd shooting his ain pictures. A fewer minutes later he appears clutching a spare camera body. Disaster averted.

Twenty Tours later, I’ve realised nan title isn’t really astir yellowish jerseys aliases upland stages. It’s astir nan group you meet, nan mishaps you past and nan friends who softly rescue you erstwhile everything goes wrong. That’s what keeps maine coming back.