Never will a Tour de France rest day have been so gratefully received by the peloton as the first of this year’s race.
Ten brutal days have seen crashes galore, three former champions bow out injured and the general classification get blown to pieces on a series of enthralling stages.
It leaves Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) as favourite to add the Tour de France to a palmares already boasting success at the Vuelta a Espana and Giro d’Italia after a stunning ride on La Planche des Belles Filles.
The Shark soloed to his second stage victory of this year’s race and back into the yellow jersey to evoke memories of the climbing masterclasses he handed out at last year’s Giro.
And UCI WorldTour photographer Stefano Sirotti was on hand to capture his success. Relive the stage in the photo gallery below.
