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!
The Grand Départ: Tour de France begins
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
A personal collection becomes an institution
-
It s Coffee Day
-
World Migratory Bird Day
-
Fighting evil with costumes
-
What kind of bird laid these eggs?
-
My my, it s Syttende Mai
-
Ruins of a royal temple
-
A lunar lantern celebration
-
A house of grand scale(s)
-
Looking back on 150 years of rail travel
-
Diwali
-
Aerial view of the Colorado River Delta in Mexico
-
Stompin’ with the Big Chief
-
Lake Magadi, Kenya
-
Taking the scenic route
-
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
-
A spectacle unlike any other
-
A look at Uranus, seventh planet from the sun
-
Black History Month
-
National Go Birding Day
-
Yosemite National Park anniversary
-
Mountains fit for a queen
-
Sanday Island and the North Sea, Scotland
-
Independence Day
-
A narrow passage
-
Barcelona bids farewell to summer
-
Hippo family in Chobe National Park, Botswana
-
European beech forest, Belgium
-
World Bee Day
-
Navajo Bridge in Marble Canyon
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

