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

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:

Jan 5, 2022National Bird Day
Aug 16, 2024International Roller Coaster Day
Feb 8, 2021A hero for the 21st century
Apr 12, 2018Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia
Jun 22, 2022World Rainforest Day
Sep 2, 2018Row, row, row your gondola
Nov 11, 2020Honoring our veterans
Jul 9, 2018Gauchos showcase Argentina’s independent spirit
Jun 13, 2024Registan Square, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Dec 22, 2025The Nutcracker performed by the Turkish State Opera and Ballet in Türkiye
Aug 21, 2025A wheatear in Peak District National Park, England
Aug 31, 2018Let’s have a ball
Feb 25, 2020Jazzed for Mardi Gras
Mar 11, 2025Broken Beach in Nusa Penida, Bali, Indonesia
Dec 11, 2018‘The mountains are calling’
Oct 4, 2022World Space Week
Mar 14, 2019Rocky mountain pi
Feb 29, 2024Leap day
Feb 11, 2023Milky Way over Zabriskie Point, California
Aug 17, 2021Wanderin Wawayanda
Jun 16, 2025World Sea Turtle Day
Dec 20, 2020Dressed for winter fun
Nov 23, 2021Fibonacci Day
Mar 15, 2024Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California
Oct 7, 2022Berlin Festival of Lights
Nov 4, 2018And they’re off!
Jul 3, 2021Diving into the underwater nirvana
Sep 4, 2024Dusky eagle-owls, Pakistan
Jun 18, 2025Pollinator Week
Feb 7, 2019A wonder in winter