The Grand Départ: Tour de France begins Jul 7, 2018

The Grand Départ: Tour de France begins

All eyes are on France today as 22 teams begin the 105th Tour de France, the prestigious cycling race that takes competitors more than 2,000 miles through the countryside. Our image show the peloton (the main pack of riders) racing down a tree-lined road from Montélimar to the Parc des Oiseaux in Villars-les-Dombes during Stage 14 of the Tour de France in 2016. If you’re new to the competition, here’s what you need to know: The race includes 21 stages that span 22 days. Competitors will climb at grades of up to 11 percent through the Alps and Pyrenees, and pedal over miles of cobblestone and dirt roads, country lanes and highways, at last coming to a finish at the Champs-Élysées in Paris. When you see the peloton, keep an eye out for the yellow jersey–at each stage it’s worn by the cyclist with the overall leading time and is ultimately awarded to the winner. Bonne chance, riders!

© Michael Steele/Getty Images Sport

palette

Today in History

Jul 7, 2019Traffic jam on the caribou highway
Jul 7, 2020Mercury in retrograde
Jul 7, 2021Back on the rise
Jul 7, 2022Heceta Head Light, Florence, Oregon
Jul 7, 2023World Chocolate Day
Jul 7, 2024Rice terraces of Mù Cang Chải, Yên Bái province, Vietnam
Jul 7, 2025Northern gannets, Shetland Islands, Scotland

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Nov 27, 2020Green is the new black
Apr 11, 2026Papagayo Beach, Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain
Jan 19, 2021The ruins of a Maya superpower
Jun 8, 2019Diving into World Oceans Day
Apr 16, 2025Anniversary of Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah
Jun 11, 2025Greater flamingos, Lüderitz, Namibia
Nov 21, 2019Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé!
Jan 31, 2023Burchells zebras for International Zebra Day
Jun 17, 2022Grand Teton National Park
Apr 8, 2023The Giants Causeway, Northern Ireland
Jul 19, 2020Venice by night
Mar 6, 2021Here there be dragons
Oct 3, 2022World Architecture Day
Feb 16, 2019It’s not a pinecone, it’s a pangolin
Sep 13, 2024Point Reyes National Seashore, California
Jul 2, 2025Spine-cheeked anemonefish in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea
Jul 5, 2022Fannette Island, Lake Tahoe
Sep 19, 2018Talk like a pirate—or walk the plank
Nov 11, 2023Veterans Day
Oct 21, 2023International Archaeology Day
Aug 6, 2020Space-age style by the sea
Feb 18, 2024World Whale Day
Jul 18, 2023Great hornbill, Thailand
Mar 29, 2019A place called ‘Peace’ in India
Apr 27, 2022Midnight sun
Mar 29, 2020The borrowed days are here
Aug 4, 2020Into the woods
Apr 2, 2021White dunes, blue lagoons
Oct 27, 2019A festival of lights in India
Dec 9, 2025National Llama Day