Tour de France on Mont Ventoux: Photography Through History

Mont Ventoux first appeared in the Tour de France in 1951, when the race climbed the mountain but didn't finish at the summit. The early photography from these stages captures the raw essence of cycling's golden age:

• Grainy black and white images showing riders on heavy steel bikes
• Minimal crowd control with spectators often running alongside riders
• Dramatic facial expressions capturing the extreme effort required

These historic images, while technically simple compared to today's standards, have a timeless quality that perfectly documents cycling's heroic era on the mountain.

Perhaps the most somber photographic legacy of Mont Ventoux comes from the 1967 Tour, when British rider Tom Simpson collapsed and died near the summit. The photographs from this tragic day have become some of cycling's most poignant images:

• Simpson struggling on his bike in his final moments
• Medical staff attempting resuscitation by the roadside
• His abandoned bicycle against the barren landscape

These haunting images forever changed how the mountain was perceived and photographed, adding a layer of reverence to visual coverage of Mont Ventoux stages.

As television coverage of the Tour expanded in the 1970s and 1980s, Mont Ventoux stages became prime opportunities for dramatic photography:

• Helicopter shots revealing the mountain's distinctive white peak rising from green forests
• Telephoto lenses capturing the isolation of riders against the lunar landscape
• The emerging use of color film bringing the visual drama to life

This period saw iconic duels between legends like Eddy Merckx, Bernard Thévenet, and Raymond Poulidor, all captured in increasingly sophisticated photography that emphasized the mountain's mythical status.

The 2000 Tour de France featured one of the most photographed moments in Mont Ventoux history when Lance Armstrong appeared to gift the stage win to Marco Pantani. The images from this controversial day showcase how cycling photography had evolved:

• Crystal-clear close-ups capturing every expression and emotion
• Dramatic compositions emphasizing the battle between these contrasting figures
• Multiple camera angles documenting every moment of the duel

Though Armstrong's Tour victories were later stripped due to doping, the photographs remain powerful documents of this era in the sport's history.

The 2016 Tour created one of the most unusual photographic sequences in Mont Ventoux history when Chris Froome was forced to run up the mountain after a crash. This bizarre moment demonstrates how modern photography captures every aspect of the race:

• High-frame-rate sequences showing the entire incident unfold
• Images instantly transmitted worldwide via digital channels
• Social media amplifying the most dramatic shots
• Drone photography providing new perspectives of the mountain

This incident produced some of the most memorable cycling images of the digital era, showing how Mont Ventoux continues to generate iconic photographic moments.