The mountain passes of the Pyrenees have played host to a myriad of Maillot Jaune battles over the history of the Tour de France.
This year saw Tadej Pogačar tear up the Pla d’Adet to tighten his grip on yellow before moving even closer to a third Tour win on the Plateau de Beille 24 hours later. With Jonas Vingegaard looking like he was turning the tide on his rival earlier in the week, Pogačar showed that he was the strongest in the mountains of the Pyrenees on stages 14 and 15.
The Pyrenees provided a visually striking backdrop to the drama that unfolded on the road. The jagged peaks and lush valleys were the perfect accompaniment to a weekend of power and pain for the peloton.
Cyclingnews has curated the best of the images from ASO photographers and SWpix.com, capturing the highs and lows of the weekend’s action.
The peloton roll out of Pau on a frantic stage 14
Vistas like this were a feature of the weekend’s action
World champion Mathieu van der Poel was active in the breakaway
Geraint Thomas among a group of dropped riders at the top of the Col du Tourmalet
Tim Wellens on a descent
American champion Sean Quinn leads the breakaway
Yellow Jersey Tadej Pogačar was expertly piloted by his team-mates
Louis Meintjes on the front
Silvan Dillier cuts a lonely figure against the striking backdrop
The Pyrenees belonged to UAE Team Emirates
Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard in the group of favourites
Pogačar satisfied after his day’s work on Saturday
A friendly face off before the hostilities began on stage 15
Race Director Christian Prudhomme prepares to get the racing started
There was no time to enjoy the scenery on a blistering weekend – at least not for the riders
Oier Lazkano was a regular feature in the weekend’s breakaways
The peloton take on a winding descent
Mark Cavendish faced a tough battle against the time cut on stage 15
It was close, but Cavendish made it through the Pyrenees
These legs, belonging to Pavel Sivakov, just completed almost 5000 metres of climbing in the Pyrenees
Vingegaard holds his child after losing time on Plateau de Beille
Tadej Pogačar is closing in on a third yellow jersey
