The first week of the Tour de France is never a week, usually taking in nine stages, but it may well have felt particularly long given the heatwave that has engulfed the race pretty much since the start in Barcelona last Saturday.
Temperatures have risen high into the 30s Celsius and stayed there as the peloton has rolled over the Pyrenees and into the southern French furnace, placing extraordinary demands on the riders.
And it's not as if the racing has slowed down. Even in the heat, we've had aggressive, high-stakes action on most days, so Monday's first rest day was well earned.
As the peloton pauses and nervously opens their weather apps for week two, we take a look back at the exertions of the opening week of the 2026 Tour, told through the riders' faces captured by our photographers.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Tadej Pogačar hunches over his handlebars looking completely spent after a massive solo win on stage 6 over the Col du Tourmalet
Marco Frigo pours a bottle of water on his face - a common sight at this year's Tour (Image credit: Getty Images)
Marco Frigo pours a bottle of water on his face - a common sight at this year's Tour
Not so common are blocks of ice this big, but Jonas Abrahamsen did eventually squeeze this in (Image credit: Getty Images)
Not so common are blocks of ice this big, but Jonas Abrahamsen did eventually squeeze this in
It was a miserable and short-lived Tour for the unlucky Arnaud De Lie, who got sick again ahead of the start and abandoned on stage 4 (Image credit: Getty Images)
It was a miserable and short-lived Tour for the unlucky Arnaud De Lie, who got sick again ahead of the start and abandoned on stage 4
Jonas Vingegaard suffers on the Col du Tourmalet – the day his hopes were dashed (Image credit: Getty Images)
Jonas Vingegaard suffers on the Col du Tourmalet – the day his hopes were dashed
Olav Kooij proves Decathlon CMA CGM are not all about the young Paul Seixas with his win on stage 5 (Image credit: Getty Images)
Olav Kooij proves Decathlon CMA CGM are not all about the young Paul Seixas with his win on stage 5
Mathieu van der Poel feels the heat, but warmed into the race and took out a fine win on stage 9 (Image credit: Getty Images)
Mathieu van der Poel feels the heat, but warmed into the race and took out a fine win on stage 9
Quinn Simmons is not too hot to keep his moustache – he played a key role in Mads Pedersen's breakaway victory on stage 4 (Image credit: Getty Images)
Quinn Simmons is not too hot to keep his moustache – he played a key role in Mads Pedersen's breakaway victory on stage 4
Breakaway start Baptiste Veistroffer wears a cool expression – probably because that bucket hat is full of ice cubes (Image credit: Getty Images)
Breakaway start Baptiste Veistroffer wears a cool expression – probably because that bucket hat is full of ice cubes
As well as the heat, the body doesn't want to be using energy to heal wounds, but that's the reality for Jasper Stuyven (Image credit: Getty Images)
As well as the heat, the body doesn't want to be using energy to heal wounds, but that's the reality for Jasper Stuyven
Ice lollies are performance nutrition too in these conditions (Image credit: Getty Images)
Ice lollies are performance nutrition too in these conditions
Tim Merlier collapses on a random set of stairs after his second stage win (Image credit: Getty Images)
Tim Merlier collapses on a random set of stairs after his second stage win
Amid reports of illnesses, we've seen a few riders masking up as a precautious – 19-year-old rising star Paul Seixas was among them (Image credit: Getty Images)
Amid reports of illnesses, we've seen a few riders masking up as a precautious – 19-year-old rising star Paul Seixas was among them
Jonas Vingegaard looks blankly into the middle-distance after a day spent in the yellow jersey on stage 2 (Image credit: Getty Images)
Jonas Vingegaard looks blankly into the middle-distance after a day spent in the yellow jersey on stage 2
Torstein Traaen wore the yellow jersey but that stint - and his race as a whole - was short-lived due to a crash on the descent of the Tourmalet (Image credit: Getty Images)
Torstein Traaen wore the yellow jersey but that stint - and his race as a whole - was short-lived due to a crash on the descent of the Tourmalet
Remco Evenepoel gives a questioning look – his race so far has been dominated by the questions he posed of his teammate Florian Lipowitz, and the leadership tensions that are bubbling away (Image credit: Getty Images)
Remco Evenepoel gives a questioning look – his race so far has been dominated by the questions he posed of his teammate Florian Lipowitz, and the leadership tensions that are bubbling away
Another bottle of water goes over the head (Image credit: Getty Images)
Another bottle of water goes over the head
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Matilda is an NCTJ-qualified journalist based in the UK who joined Cyclingnews in March 2025. Prior to that, she worked as the Racing News Editor at GCN, and extensively as a freelancer contributing to Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly, Velo, Rouleur, Escape Collective, Red Bull and more. She has reported on the ground at all of the biggest events on the calendar, including the men's and women's Tours de France, the Giro d'Italia, the Vuelta a Espana, the Spring Classics and the World Championships. She has particular experience and expertise in women's cycling, and women's sport in general. She is a graduate of modern languages and sports journalism.
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