The thirteenth stage of the 2014 Tour de France will live long in the memory of any who witnessed it.
It reached its climax on the brutal 18km drag to the summit of the Monte Chamrousse, a cruel ascent that served as a launch pad for a host of stinging attacks.
None was more deadly than that of race leader, Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), who crushed his rivals with a two-pronged assault, leaving Movistar’s Alejandro Valverde and Thibaut Pinot (FDJ.fr) to bicker, before catching and riding away from Rafal Majka (Tinkoff-Saxo) and Leopold Konig (NetApp-Endura).
When the tale of the 101st Tour is told, Nibali’s performance on the thirteenth stage is likely to command the narrative, but a picture, they say, paints a thousand words. Enjoy this photographic essay from Stefano Sirotti.
