Gallery: the slopes of Luz-Ardiden

The Tour de France entered the Pyrenees on Thursday and the people of the Basque country were out in force to support their pseudo-national team, Euskaltel-Euskadi. At times the crowd around Samuel Sanchez on Luz-Ardiden was five and six deep as he made the ascent of the Pyrenean mountain. Perhaps knowing a win was in the offing, Sanchez seemed to feed off the atmosphere and put in a momentous ride.

Cyclingnews has put together a gallery of a day of photography on the slopes of Luz-Ardiden. The crowds, the switchbacks, the battles, and a desperate ride from maillot jaune Thomas Voeckler made it a memorable day of racing, and a fitting first day in the mountains.

Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*

Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets

After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59

Join now for unlimited access

Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1