25 July 2015 102nd Tour de France Stage 20 : Modane Valfrejus - Alpe d'Huez BAK Lars Ytting (DEN) Lotto - Soudal, at Col de la Croix de Fer Photo : Yuzuru SUNADA
The 2015 Tour de France will be remembered as a hard-fought edition of the race that felt like an entire season of racing packed into three weeks.
Baking hot sun, torrential rain, time trials, cobbles, hills and mountains all left their mark on the 2015 Tour - as did the opening week's crashes, which saw two leaders prematurely forced out of the race while in the yellow jersey.
As ever, the varied French scenery - this year augmented with a Grand Depart in the Netherlands and a stage in Belgium - meant that the race has a backdrop like no other sporting event. A constantly changing arena in which the toughest and most prestigious cycling event is played out.
Here we present a selection of images from Yuzuru Sunada, a renowned cycling photographer with over two decades of experience capturing the sport.
July 3. Welshman Geraint Thomas turns the tables on the press, snapping a photo of them during the pre-race Sky press conference in Utrecht.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 4, stage one. Edvald Boasson Hagen was part of MTN Qhubeka's inaugural line-up of riders, here taking part in the opening individual time trial.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 5, stage two. What the Dutch scenery lacked in hills it made up for in wind, which cut the race to pieces. Here, Armindo Fonseca leads the escape group.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 6, stage three. Fabian Cancellara struggles to finish the stage, even with assistance from Markel Irizar, after crashing heavily. The Swiss rider fractured two vertebrae and was forced to withdraw.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 6, stage three. The Orica-GreenEdge team suffered more than most during the crash on stage three in Belgium. Daryl Impey fractured his collarbone and was out of the race.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 6, stage three. Race director Christian Prudhomme called a halt to the stage after a mass crash.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 7, stage four. World champion Michal Kwiatkowski looks disappointed after taking on the Tour's cobbled stage to Cambrai. He would later withdraw from the race with illness.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 8, stage five. Slick roads and first-week nerves saw a number of crashes take place in the opening stages.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 8, Stage five. Wind causes the peloton to split into echelons
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 9, stage six. Race leader Tony Martin becomes the second yellow jersey to crash out of the race, sustaining a broken collarbone.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 10, stage seven. British sprinter Mark Cavendish was elated after taking the stage victory, hugging Etixx team-mates Michal Kwiatkowski and Julien Vermote. It would be Cav's only stage win of the race after he suffered with illness in the final week.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 11, stage eight. Eritrean Daniel Teklehaimanot of Tour debutants MTN-Qhubeka became a real star, with a large fan club ensuring he was cheered from the roadside.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 14, stage 10. Defending champion Vincenzo Nibali effectively lost the chance to win the race on the way to La Pierre-Saint-Martin. Chris Froome won the stage, and Nibali lost four minutes and 25 seconds.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 14, stage 10: Father and son. 1987 Tour winner Stephen Roche (left) chats to son Nicolas, who was be a key part of Sky's winning team.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 14, stage 10. King of the mountains Daniel Teklehaimanot or Eritrea talks to best young rider Nairo Quintana of Colombia.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 15, stage 11. Sky's Ian Stannard carries his own bags in the Pyrenees - though not during the race.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 15, stage 11. Peter Sagan (left, we think) walks off the stage after collecting the green jersey. He would claim his fourth consecutive green jersey in Paris, but this year did not get a stage win, finishing second on five occasions.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 15, stage 11. Tinkoff-Saxo's Specialized bikes are lined up ready for action
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 16, stage 12. The rain returned on stage 12 to Plateau de Beille. Here the group of overall contenders mark each other. Up ahead, Joaquim Rodriguez won the stage - his second of the race.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 16, stage 12. Rain-soaked finish line in Plateau de Beille as Jakob Fuglsang comes in.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 17, stage 13. You can't have a photographic round-up of the Tour without some sunflowers.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 17, stage 13. Robert Gesink appears at the door of the LottoNL-Jumbo bus. He would have a good race, placing sixth overall.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 18, stage 14. Having won the Giro d'Italia in May, Alberto Contador was attempting the Giro-Tour double. However, he was off his best form in the mountains and eventually finished fifth overall.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 18, stage 14. Chris Froome and Nairo Quintana engage in a sprint to the line in Mende.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 19, stage 15. A rare photograph showing the number of photographers and team cars that follow the race.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 20, stage 16. Peter Sagan enjoys a joke with Joaquim Rodriguez (left).
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 22, stage 17. Stunning scenery as the peloton navigates the Col d'Allos.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 22, stage 17. Simon Geschke celebrates an emotional stage victory in Pra Loup. The German took a solo victory and broke down in tears during a post-stage interview.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 23, stage 18. The escape group ascends the Col du Glandon. Romain Bardet would go solo from the escape to claim the stage win.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 24, stage 19. Defending Tour champion Vincenzo Nibali went on the attack to win stage 19, clawing back some time on his rivals. However, a badly-timed puncture the following day saw his hopes of salvaging a podium place dashed.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 24, stage 19. Stef Clement finds some greenery at the side of the road on the Col du Mollard.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 25, stage 20. Lars Bak descends the Col de la Croix de Fer to the admiration of a small group of roadside fans.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 25, stage 20. The penultimate stage of the Tour finished atop Alpe d'Huez, and fans from the Netherlands took up their usual residence on 'Dutch corner'.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 25, stage 20. As Chris Froome crossed the line on Alpe d'Huez he all but won the 2015 Tour de France, with only the following day's flat stage into Paris to tackle.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
July 26, stage 21. In addition to winning the yellow jersey, Chris Froome also won the King of the Mountains classification - the first Briton to do so since Robert Millar in 1984. This may also have been the first time that skiers have been spotted on the Champs Élysées.
(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)
Video: best of the 2015 Tour de France
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Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, n exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.
