Your ultimate guide to the routes for all the time trials at the 2024 Zrich Worlds

Residents say they should be allowed to decorate the hangars tastefully with mural-like artwork and to reduce the size of the enormous chevrons used to alert motorists to the storage units

For the first time in nearly six months, Mathieu van der Poel celebratedwinning a bike race on Tuesday afternoon in Luxembourg. With the 2024 World Championships looming, the confidence boosting victory could be perfectly timed too."It's great to win the first stage. It's been a while since I could...

Greenway will open up views rarely seen and give safe access to Dublin Ports ferry terminal.Dublin Ports Tolka Estuary Greenway is now open to the public along the northern perimeter of the port. It opens up a part of Dublin that was previously not accessible to the public, with views of the Clontarf seafront and Bull Island, as well as Howth Head in the distance.Access to the greenway is via Eastpoint Business Park using its entrance on the Alfie Byrne Road.Dublin Port confirmed to IrishCycle.com this afternoon that the greenway is now open to the public, and the company is planning an official launch event next week.The cycle path on the Alfie Byrne Road is part of the coastal route along the northern part of Dublin Bay and is connected to the new East Wall Road cycle path. It also connects to a small section of the Tolka Greenway in Fairview Park, which, in turn, links to the nearly finished Clontarf to City Centre project.The Clontarf route links the new greenway to the Royal Canal Greenway and onwards to the Grand Canal Route, providing access to the southside and the city centre.In the longer term, there is a plan to link the Tolka Estuary Greenway directly to the Docklands as part of Dublin Ports Liffey Tolka Project.When the Tolka Estuary Greenway project was under construction, Dublin Port described the new greenway as a celebration of an area of the Port that has never been accessed by the public before, and it is a key element of Dublin Ports ambitious Tolka-Estuary Project.The section of the greenway that has now opened is phase one of the project, and it ends at access to the ferry terminal area. As previously reported, Phase 2, which is dependent on further sea defence works, will continue onto the eastern edge of the port. The full length of the greenway will be over 3km, and whats opened today is estimated to be just over 2km in one direction.East Point Business Part posted a video preview of the route last week:

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CyclistWho are the favourites for the mens and womens World Championships Time-Trials?With Grand Tours and Classics out of the way, which means its time to fight for the rainbow jersey. Now back to its usual September slot, the World Championships return to Switzerland this year. To open up the Worlds, the mens and womens time-trials will take place on Sunday 22nd September in Zrich. The premise for these events is simple. Each rider sets off around the course individually. The fastest rider to cover the course wins and, therefore, gets to wear the coveted rainbow jersey for a years worth of time-trials. In the past weve seen Tony Martin and Fabian Cancellara dominate the mens discipline and a collective of Dutchwomen dominate the womens races. Last year, Belgiums Remco Evenepoel took the mens title and Chloe Dygert of the USA took home the gold in the womens race.Is the reign of Evenepoel and Dygert over? Lets see who could stop them from spending another year in the rainbow bands.Womens individual time-trialZurich 2024The elite women will go first on Sunday, starting from 12:00CEST. They will tackle a 29.9km long course from Gossau to Zrich. Interestingly, this is the shortest World Championships time-trial for the women since 2018. It is also a 10km decrease on the route of last years time-trial in Scotland. Along the way, the women will have to negotiate the Uetikon am See climb (2.4km at 4.9%) within the first half of the race. After this cruel test in the TT bike, the riders will plunge to Lake Zrich for 10km of flatland to the finish line.Chloe Dygert, USAA.S.O./Thomas Maheux27-year-old American Chloe Dygert is one of the strongest time-trialists in the womens peloton. She has two rainbow jerseys to her name already despite her fair share of bad luck over the past couple of years. That includes the Olympic time-trial where she struggled in the slippery conditions around the French capital.At the Tour de France Femmes last month, Dygert finished in second during Stage 3s short time-trial around Rotterdam. Later on into the race, she rode a strong Tour in support of her Canyon-Sram teammate Kasia Niewiadoma, particularly on the chaotic flat stages. This turn in form seems to have been stretched out into the post-Tour period with a runners-up spot at the Classic Lorient Agglomration. Dygert should be able to eat into her losses from the climb during the flat second part of the race. Shes the best flat time-trialist in the world on paper, but this climb may throw the whole race on its head. Equally, Dygerts looming cloud of bad luck may also look to change the races course of action.Rating:4/5Demi Vollering, NetherlandsA.S.O./Charly LopezThis might be the best chance that Demi Vollering will ever get to claim a time-trial rainbow jersey. As the new titan of womens cycling, Vollering would be a worthy candidate for the rainbow jersey.Vollering hasnt competed in many time-trials this year, but she has won two of the three tests she has competed in. The Tour de France Femmes runner-up claimed a shock time-trial win on Stage 3 of that race, edging out all of the rivals on this list. She also claimed a win at the Tour de Suisse earlier this year.Vollering seems to be in strong form at the moment. After her turbulent Tour, she bounced back with a stage win and a second place overall at the Tour de Romandie earlier this month. These GC results will most likely spillover into strong time-trial legs. With roughly 350m of elevation gain on the womens profile, the Dutchwoman will have a major edge over her competitors. Rating: 4/5Grace Brown, AustraliaTim de Waele/Getty ImagesAustralias Grace Brown has been enjoying one of her best seasons to date. She claimed Lige-Bastogne-Lige in April, an Australian time-trial title in January and an overall victory at the Bretagne Ladies Tour in May. However, all of these were eclipsed by her Olympic gold in Paris last month. She took the title in emphatic fashion, with a winning margin of one and a half minutes over a mightily strong time-trial field.It goes without saying that Browns time-trial legs have been in fine form this year. Along with her Olympic and national titles, she won a time-trial at the Bretagne Ladies Tour and finished runner-up in the Giros opening stage.This will be Browns last World Championships having announced her retirement earlier this year. If she becomes World Champion, she might only have one chance to wear the jersey at the Simac Ladies Tour before bowing out of the peloton.Rating:3/5Ellen van Dijk, NetherlandsGetty ImagesAt the age of 37, Ellen van Dijk is easily the most experienced rider on this list. The Dutch rider has won seven international time-trial gold medals with three rainbow jerseys and a whopping four European titles against the clock. Needless to say, you cant write Van Dijk off.The three-time winner of this race has been slowing down a little in the past season. A disappointing performance at the Olympics and during the Tour de Frances only time-trial were bitter results for the Dutchwoman. However, she does have three time-trial wins to her name this year.Shes also picked up some form again in recent weeks. Last week, Van Dijk finished as runner-up in the European Championships behind the surprise winner Lotte Kopecky. Van Dijk has it in her to hang on over the hills, but she might be pipped by her more versatile teammate Vollering.Rating: 2/5Juliette Labous, FranceA.S.O./Thomas MaheuxJuliette Labous has the chance to become the first French rider to win the time-trial crown in 23 years. More achievably, she could become just the third French rider to win a medal against the clock in the womens discipline. The hilly route will suit Labous over the more thoroughbred time-trialists like Dygert. Labous is a Grand Tour podium finisher with strong climbing capabilities. She recently showed this with a top ten overall at both the Tour de France Femmes and the Tour de Romandie Fminin.Earlier in the season, the 25-year-old Team DSM rider landed herself in the top ten of time-trials at the Giro and Tour de Suisse. This was topped, however, by a fourth place in the Paris Olympics last month, just a hairs width from the final podium. History is stacked against the Frenchwoman, though. Labous hasnt won a time-trial since 2020. Will this be her Tobias Foss moment?Rating: 2/5Anna Henderson, Great BritainCORVOSA lot of things fell into place for Anna Henderson to take the silver medal last month in the Olympic time-trial. After many close calls in time-trials, Hertfordshire-born Henderson moved up a notch with this podium finish. She finished in fourth place at the World Championships last year before a silver medal at the European Championships last autumn. She has a real knack for international time-trials, and she is likely to be flying the British flag in the top ten on Sunday.Henderson is another rider who can weather the hilly storm. Shes no GC rider, but she has it in her to stay near the top of the standings after the halfway marker. Could she bring a time-trial rainbow jersey to her new home, Lidl-Trek?Brodie Chapman, AustraliaLuc Claessen/Getty ImagesAustralia come into the womens time-trial with two cards to play. Lidl-Treks Brodie Chapman has upped her game in 2024. She is the top-ranked time-trialist in the pack according to the website Procyclingstats. Despite taking more to gravel in 2024 than the time-trials, the Australian road champion has some solid results against the clock this year. She made the podium in the Giro prologue in early July and she came close to a win in June at the Thringen Ladies Tour.Chapman will be making her time-trialling debut at the World Championships this year. This is surprising given her strong results in this discipline. She also missed the Olympics last month, so it will be a surprise to see how she goes in Zrich.Rating:1/5 Related Posts The best photos from the mens Olympic Road Race Paris 2024 The best photos from the womens Olympic Road Race Paris 2024 UCI Road World Championships 2024: Routes, how to watch and all you need to know Mens individual time-trialZurich 2024The mens course is slightly longer than the womens at 46.1km in length with one major difficulty halfway through the route in the form of the Uetikon am See climb. This ramp lasts 2.4km at 4.9% average gradient. The toughest slopes in this test will be 8.5% during the middle sector of the climb. From there, the race follows the banks fo Lake Zrich all the way back to the finish line. Its similar in length to the parcours of last years race in Stirling, but the climb will be the toughest seen in a World Championships time-trial since 2018. Take note, the race starts at 14:45 CEST.Remco Evenepoel, BelgiumA.S.O./Billy CeustersThe reigning champion Remco Evenepoel enjoyed 13 months in the rainbow jersey, a month more than usual. He is, however, in very good stead to extend that rainbow stint for another year if he wins again on Sunday.Evenepoel has a stellar record in time-trials this year with four wins out of six against the clock. This includes his A-list victory in Gevrey-Chambertin earlier this year at the Tour de France. Of course, he claimed the Olympic title last month in rainy Paris. In doing so, he defeated an all-star field that included his compatriot Wout van Aert who is not competing at the World Championships this year Pippo Ganna, Josh Tarling among other rouleur stars. He continued this gold streak with a win the following week in the road race which was essentially a glorified time-trial effort. Remco disappointed many with his lacklustre Tour of Britain. However, Remco is Remco and he is likely to be back to his best by the time he rolls out of the start house in Zrich on Sunday. Victor Campanaerts completes the Belgian lineup, a rider who himself has finished on the podium at the World Championships in the past.Rating:5/5Stefan Kng, SwitzerlandUnipublic / CxclingThe Swiss can never be counted out of a time-trial. On home roads, Kng will be the frontman for a potential Swiss gold in the mens race.Already a two-time podium finisher in the World Championship time-trial events in the past, Kng will be looking to move onto the top step of the podium like he has done several times in the European Championships.King Kng finally won a Grand Tour stage last month with a victory against the clock in Madrid. The field lacked a real depth in time-trialling, but this turn of form must be noted. His climbing legs at the Vuelta were also impressive, to say the least. In this hilly course, Kng might surprise some.Rating:3/5Primo Rogli, SloveniaUnipublic / CxclingFresh from a Vuelta victory, Slovenias Primo Rogli enters the ring as a contender for gold in Zrich.Based on his previous World Championships performances, theres not much evidence of Rogli finishing on the podium. However, he is a former Olympic gold medalist in the discipline. This year already, Rogli has finished in the top three of two Grand Tour time-trials. One of these came at the aforementioned stage won by Remco Evenepoel at the Tour. Better than that, Rogli won a time-trial at the Itzulia Basque Country earlier this year.Its also important to point out here that Tadej Pogaar will not ride the time-trial this weekend. He is instead focussing on winning the gold medal in the road race the following weekend.Rating:2/5Mattia Cattaneo, Italy Dario Belingheri/Getty ImagesIll be honest. If anyone is going to pull off a shock win, its Mattia Cattaneo. He recently podiumed the European Championships, but on a hilly route, Cattaneo will gain an advantage over his more pure-bred rouleur competitors.The Italian has been in good form of late and he has a strong record in one-day time-trial races. Along with his podium finish last weekend, Cattaneo has a strong record in the competitive Italian national championships and he managed to sneak onto the podium on Stage 21s time-trial at the Vuelta. With no Pippo Ganna on the startlist, keep your eyes peeled for Cattaneo in the maglia azzura of Italy.Rating: 2/5Brandon McNulty, USAKeystone-SDA Sport/Tour de RomandieBrandon McNulty has been knocking at the door of a major time-trial medal for a while. Last year, McNulty just missed out on the podium in fourth place. Since then, though, he has stepped up his game. He has claimed three UCI WorldTour level time-trials at the UAE Tour, Tour de Romandie and the Vuelta a Espaa. Hes also added the star-spangled jersey of American champion to his collection.The American, however, suffered a heavy crash towards the end of the Vuelta. This affected his fitness at the race greatly, falling down to a 113th place finish during Stage 21s time-trial.Rating:2/5Stefan Bissegger, SwitzerlandA.S.O./Charly LopezAnother rider on home roads, Stefan Bissegger is a man to watch out for. Unpredictable in his nature, Bissegger can sometimes scoop up a big result in top-flight time-trials. A former European champion, Bissegger has been rather quiet in 2024. That said, he finished sixth in the Olympics time-trial and third at a recent time-trial at the Renewi Tour. Hes a decent climber capable of hanging on over the Uetikon am See test. Hes also got a good record on home roads having taken a mountain stage of the Tour de Suisse and the national time-trial title in the past.Rating:2/5Josh Tarling, Great BritainA.S.O./Billy CeustersThe British team will be headed by youngster Josh Tarling. After a bronze medal last year and a near miss at the Olympic Games in Paris, Tarling will be hoping to edge ever closer to that rainbow jersey.The route doesnt suit Tarling very well, on the other hand. With a hefty climb, hell have a lot of time to make up on the flat to rival the likes of Remco Evenepoel. I dont quite think hes there yet to beat Evenepoel on a flat time-trial, let alone one with a ramp halfway through the course.The Ineos Grenadiers rider pulled out of the Vuelta after a disappointing first week of racing. He also recently missed the European Championships due to British Cyclings hiatus from the event in Limburg last week. Therefore, we dont really have an idea of where the Welshmans form is at. Were not convinced 2024 will be his time, but there are plenty of chances to come for British cyclings new golden boy.Rating: 1/5Cyclist predictionA.S.O./Charly LopezSorry for being boring, but its my belief that we are going to see Remco Evenepoel in the rainbow bands for another year. Hes Remco after all, hell bounce back after getting dropped over the Yorkshire Moors. That was all smoke and mirrors so people talk about Stefan Kng instead. That said, we may well see a Swiss rider on the podium dont ask me who while the bronze medal will (likely) go to Mattia Cattaneo.In the womens time-trial, Im going to back Chloe Dygert. Shes a machine against the clock and the lack of Marlen Reusser should be relished by the American. Shell be closely fought to the line by Demi Vollering who Ill predict for silver and there will be a surprise cameo from Lotte Kopecky in third.In short, theres no change at the top.The post Who are the favourites for the mens and womens World Championships Time-Trials? appeared first on Cyclist.

Mathieu van der Poel has taken his first victory since Paris-Roubaix on the opening stage of the 2024 Tour de Luxembourg, moving into the leader's jersey as a result.Four riders got themselves into the break of the day, the most notable being Mattia Bais ofTeam Polti Kometa. Although there were sti...

Wout van Aert has signed a contract with Visma-Lease A Bike for eternity. Hes not alone as Chris Froome and Michael Woods are said to have retirement contracts meaning they can ride for their team as long as they wish. These are just some examples among several of long term contracts and theyre becoming increasingly common.As a concept its great to see longer deals for the stability and security they can signify. But, and theres always a but, the longer the contract, the more it gets broken. Soon we could see a new transfer market for riders as deals are broken and teams trade talent.To start with all neo-pros have to get two year contracts, the idea being that they need time to settle into the job and two seasons to prove their worth. Plenty start with longer deals with teams keen to attract and retain them. Here a smaller but relevant story out today is that of 17 year old Paul Seixas signing going from Decathlon-Ag2r La Mondiales junior team to the World Tour, skipping their U23 squad. Yes Seixas is very talented and has impressed but theres possibly a defensive component here. The team may quietly prefer to see him do a year in the U23s but they dont want to lose him to another pro squad who could dangle a big salary (remember they lost Matteo Jorgenson this way as he preferred to sign with Movistar rather than wait). Seixas is one of many neo-pros starting on a three year deal, longer than the regulatory minimum. Its been part of a trend towards longer contracts, anecdotally at least as duration isnt always published.One year deals, the minimum possible, are becoming rarer. One reason is if a rider moves teams then a single season probably isnt enough to show what theyve got. Teams sign riders earlier and earlier these days, gone are the days when the Tour de France rest day was a jobs fair. A lot of contracts for next year are written between March and May, plenty before. Yes theres a UCI rule about not signing before August 1 but pre-contracts are the way around. A rider on a one-year contract, or another with one year remaining, needs results early in the season to bump their value and capitalise on it; theyll lose bargaining power if not signed by the summer.Indeed core riders, the kind who are expected to start World Tour classics and do the Tour de France are signed up earlier and earlier. Its been common to field riders at the Tour de France who are staying with the team the following year. Some have been known to say to riders sign this renewal or you wont ride the Tour. In way this has turned a one year deal into a de facto 18 month deal, a two year into 30 months and so on.In the last few years weve had de jure longer contracts. Think of Egan Bernal at Ineos with a five year deal in January 2022 (weeks before his horror cash), more recently Carlos Rodriguez there on a four year deal. Many key riders are signed up until the end of 2028, think Jonas Vingegaard, Juan Ayuso or Mathieu van der Poel (not coincidentally the end of the three year World Tour cycle when big changes could be due; but thats another story). See the Womens World Tour too with Lotte Kopecky and Lorena Wiebes. Its usually star riders, but not always as stalwarts like Luke Rowe for Ineos or Rudy Molard chez Groupama-FDJ have been locked-in too. At IPT Sylvan Adams has been excited about Derek Gee to the point of signing him up until 2028.The Big Contract is Tadej Pogaar, the announcement of his renewal/extension with UAE is due. His existing one is interesting alone for the reported break clause of 100 million, as in if a team wants to hire him theyd have to pay UAE this sum. But if for some reason he had become really unhappy on the team, or even if he just wanted to move, it would probably go to arbitration. Clause, schmlause.Forever?Van Aerts news has a bit of spin given it is touted to be for eternity, which is long a time. Particularly for a team that was trying an emergency merger this time last year. A contract is as good as the house. Yes pro cycling teams are increasingly becoming durable franchises; but they are remain brittle. As said here before theres still no news on Lotto finding a replacement for Dstny; and if Evenepoel departs Soudal-Quickstep do the sponsors stay and pay? Inevitably for career contracts Van Aert was beaten by Mathieu van der Poel, the Dutchmans 10 year deal with Canyon bikes was announced earlier this spring.Chop n changeArguably the time to lock a rider into a long term contract is when theyre young and on the up. However Visma-LAB have several examples to show a contract isnt cast in concrete. See Cian Uijtdebroeks who changed teams over the winter after a brief saga, quitting Bora with a year left on his contract. Meanwhile in the opposite direction went Primo Rogli who was also under contract, until suddenly he wasnt. Staying with Visma-LAB we should see Johannes Staune-Mittet unveiled as a Decathlon-Ag2r rider in the coming days despite the Norwegian having signed a contract with the Dutch squad until the end of 2026. You probably get the picture by now, a contract isnt always what the headline says and having cited Visma, theyre not unique. Think of DSM and all the riders who have suddenly left before the end of their contract. Releases happen, especially if money greases the wheels.Small print + T&CsWe only see the headlines of duration and maybe the salary or an estimate appears in the media too. But contracts worth millions a year run to many pages and there can be all sorts of terms, conditions and more. That long deal could be conditional on achieving results, at least payments and bonuses can be.Duration riskIt might sound obvious that the longer the deal the more likely it is go in the shredder. A one year deal that turns sour probably only has a few months left to run and both sides can put it down to experience; a five year deal that becomes toxic needs to be confronted.Its this duration that allows for divergence. At the time of signing employer and employee are by definition satisfied with each other. The further things get from the day, the greater the chance of one side being frustrated with the other. A rider whose performance goes up a level might ask for more in return; by contrast if the same rider sustains result-altering injuries do the team keep on paying at the old rate or try to agree a settlement? And so on for many more scenarios, think of the criticism dished out to Julian Alaphilippe by his own employer at times.ConclusionThe longer the contract, the more likely it is to be modified or even broken. What well see next is the knock-on effect with a larger secondary market of contracts where teams can trade riders, for a fee of course. A contract may only be valid for as long as both sides want it to be so.The UCIs regulation of this is only just beginning, some rules were tightened after Uijtdebroekss case but this was just a tidy-up exercise rather than defining the market rules like we see in other sports, notably soccer. Plus as much as the UCI sets the rules for the sport, it cant get too far into employment regulation as this is a matter for the civil courts. For now it can only rely on joint agreements which like long term contracts can always be torn up.The post The Paradox of Long Contracts first appeared on The Inner Ring.

CyclistTour in focus: The trials and tribulations of a photographer at the Tour de FranceAs the most photographed, most photogenic sporting event on Earth, the Tour de France presents a unique challenge to photographers looking to capture a new take on mountains, roads and riders that have, for the most part, been seen many times before.Australian photographer Zac Williams has been documenting the worlds most famous cycling race since 2019 but despite his growing experience, getting where he needs to be isnt getting any easier. Related Posts Which bike brands, groupsets and wheels won the most at Grand Tours in 2024? Nine of the best moments from the Tour de France 2024 The 21 best photos from the Tour de France 2024 Who are Britains future Tour de France stars? Access and bureaucracy are a huge problem, Williams tells Cyclist. As a photographer Im not there to take down a rider or block a TV camera if I do it ruins my career so its a case of, Please Monsieur Gendarme, can I just shoot this one angle? Every year there are more rules and more people trying to enforce them, so that keeps you on your toes.Theres something of a power struggle between the race organisers, teams, riders and sponsors over how many media commitments will be fulfilled, despite it clearly being in the interest of the sport of cycling. And in this post-Covid world, some issues linger on with photographers proximity to the riders.The powers that be started to enforce masks on photographers when it was 40C in the south of France. I do get it, but Im not getting any closer than the drunk people on the side of the road setting off flares and screaming in the riders faces. Im just trying to show their personalities and who they are as people, which will hopefully allow potential fans to relate more easily to them and to the sport.With the advent of social media and diversified cycling content such as the Netflix series Tour de France: Unchained, it would seem we have more access to riders than ever, and Williams thinks we shouldnt take it for granted.The more I know about them as people, the more Im going to cheer for them. Tadej Pogaar has nailed it. Hes back-flipping into the pool on the rest day. Magnus Cort is showing us the awful hotel rooms he has to stay in, and Matteo Jorgensen was incredibly vulnerable and open after losing that devastating stage to Pogaar. You cant script that kind of raw human stuff and providing access is essential for the sports future.In order to make his own contribution to this coverage, Williams is happy to do a bit of roughing it over the course of the three weeks.I travel with a few of my colleagues and we camp. Its nice how simple it is compared to staying in hotels. At times it is diabolically hot or pouring with rain, but then you might get a sunset over the campsite. One time we were staying in a site outside of Nmes and there was a foam party with a DJ playing to loads of kids in rural France. Totally bizarre. Other times theres barely a tap.Proper planning preventsThe scale of the Tour de France is legendary so its very much a case of fail to prepare, prepare to fail. As Williams stresses, photographers must toe the line to stay on the right side of the authorities.You can drive in front of the race and behind the broom wagon, but if you get caught inside the convoy your accreditation goes in the bin and its game over. Its not worth the risk. Plus, our car was registered in the UK so the police disliked us before wed even opened our mouths. Overall, the Tour is just chaos. Its bigger than anything else. You forget how big it is. The number of vehicles and generators and trucks is wild.Planning is essential, especially for photographers who arent on official motos. They need to navigate their way around the course and are extremely limited in terms of where they can stop. As with anything, though, luck will occasionally trump hours of planning.On the last stage of the Tour I managed to get a shot of Pogaar hugging his photographer him just beaming, covered in sweat and a bottle of water pouring down his face. Hes looking straight down the barrel of my camera. That was dead lucky.You get lucky and unlucky every day with bits and pieces; you just have to keep putting yourself in the right situations and hope it comes off.Main image (top): Back in 2019, covering my first ever Tour de France, I shot Julian Alaphilippe at this exact same angle on the same descent of the Col du Galibier, and it was the first image I thought was up to scratch. This is the defining image of this years race because this was the day Tadej Pogaar went into yellow and he stayed there for the rest of the race. It was personally important for me to get the opportunity to go back to the same spot.Zac WilliamsThis was at the end of Stage 3, which Biniam Girmay won. I love the extra mile this guys gone to to create a papier-mch hat depicting climbers spiralling around his head. He looked at me and didnt seem fazed you cant have that on your head and not expect to get attention.Zac WilliamsWhen Mark Cavendish got his record-breaking 35th Tour win on Stage 5, I just had a weird feeling he was going to do it. As soon as he came into view around the corner I knew he had it. Just incredible the highlight of the Tour for me and I felt very privileged to shoot it. And Jasper Philipsen is actually trying to congratulate him there, he just happens to be pulling a weird face.Zac WilliamsThe only nice section on the Stage 7 time-trial was in the Burgundy vineyards and it was just a few kilometres before the end so the riders were really in the red by this point. We were camping, so I got my camp chair out, sat there and just hoped for the best. In the end I was pleased with the variety I got, with the vines and Wout van Aert heading into them.Zac WilliamsThat gravel stage [Stage 9] was probably my favourite stage to shoot because you could really chase it like you do at Roubaix or Flanders. Geraint Thomas was in survival mode for most of the Tour and here hes clinging on in the bunch with a helicopter looming over him, which is always a nice little bonus for me. It feels like Christmas for a photographer.Zac WilliamsThis was Romain Bardets version of Pinot Corner: Bardet Bend. Its on the Pas de Peyrol [Stage 11] and its his backyard. Theres a big poster of him on top of the climb and his name is written all over the road all year round. The fans were pretty lubricated but the atmosphere was respectful: the perfect balance of a bit crazy and some good clean partying.Zac WilliamsThis is Biniam Girmay winning his third sprint [Stage 12]. The contrast between his raw delight and the universal disgruntlement behind him is perfect. He just seems like the most humble bloke supporting all the riders and encouraging his team so it was a pleasure to be on the line to get this one.Zac WilliamsThis is Ben Healy descending the Tourmalet on Stage 14. I included the ridge at the bottom to swap some dead space for a bit of texture and I think it draws the viewer in. It borders the image and gives a sense of the curve and gradient of the road, while the pink of EF Education-EasyPost is a great contrast to the stony and grassy hues.Zac WilliamsThis was a crosswinds stage that Philipsen won [Stage 13]. Id lined up this shot against a dilapidated wall and just as the riders arrived this little girl walks in front of my camera. I thought, Youve got to be kidding me. But when I was editing it ended up being a nice shot the yellow hat fully makes it. She did me a solid there.Zac WilliamsOn the Col de Noyer [Stage 17] this spot was like a natural amphitheatre. Remco Evenepoel is trying to close down Pogaar having just passed Jonas Vingegaard. As a non-motorbike photographer, its rare to see the riders attacking, but here Pogaar did and I saw the whole thing. Theres a bit of the Lance Armstrong-Jan Ullrich The Look atmosphere to this one.Zac WilliamsThis is pretty much the final showdown between Vingegaard and Pogaar [Col de la Couillole, Stage 20]. I hated that day. It was such hard work, this was not the best-looking climb and, as usual, the police were being so tough about where we could stand. But as a photographer you tend to remember the pain you had to go through to get the shot.Zac WilliamsI almost didnt make it to the podium because the gendarmes were at it again. Wed shot the TT finish line [Stage 21] but got stopped at a wall of bureaucracy trying to get into the podium area. Just as we were about to miss out, the big boss comes out and tells security to let us through. UAE throwing Pogaar in the air was cool and really bookended the energy and sense of achievement surrounding the final day.Zac WilliamsPersonally I think the finish in Nice couldve been handled better. A sprint stage on the Promenade des Anglais would have been wild a chance for Cav to say goodbye to a race hes defined in the 21st century. But they did sent out the French Red Arrows, which was cool. This article originally appeared in issue 156 of Cyclist magazine. Click here to subscribe Related Posts Which bike brands, groupsets and wheels won the most at Grand Tours in 2024? 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