The Tour de France is made by its surroundings; a celebration of the nation’s scenery as well as a celebration of elite bike-racing.
We may one day remember this race as the midpoint of Tadej Pogačar’s dominance, for Valentin Paret-Peintre’s win on Mont Ventoux, but for many fans, their abiding memory will be the Tour as a slice of a French summer.
These fragments and snapshots are powerful things — here, then, is the story of the race’s 21 stages in pictures.
Stage one, Saturday, July 5: Lille to Lille | Winner: Jasper Philipsen 
(Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Reduced bunch? Echelons played havoc on the Tour’s first stage. Given the company, Philipsen had to win — he rolled right out to the right side of the road, beating last year’s green jersey Biniam Girmay, and landing the considerable prize of the race’s first yellow jersey.
Stage two, Sunday, July 6: Lauwin-Planque to Boulogne-sur-Mer | Winner: Mathieu van der Poel
(Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
The start of stage two in Lauwin-Planque was a washout. The Tour is determined to visit smaller towns to keep its traditional rural heritage alive, but amid traffic chaos in the mud, the start had to be delayed. In many ways, the race is now outgrowing itself.
Stage three, Monday, July 7: Valenciennes to Dunkerque | Winner: Tim Merlier
(Anne-Christine Poujoulat / AFP via Getty Images)
There was a chicane and a curve in the final 500m of stage three in Dunkirk, with several directeur sportifs calling the finish unsafe. Emilien Jeanniere was vaulted into the crowd after being forced wide — he bravely rode on for another two days before abandoning.
Stage four, Tuesday, July 8: Amiens to Rouen | Winner: Tadej Pogacar
(Bernard Papon – Pool/Getty Images)
Jonas Vingegaard spent his offseason bulking up in a bid to match Pogačar’s explosiveness. The ramps leading into Rouen were the first true test of that work — in matching Pogacar, the GC race suddenly felt alive.
Stage five, Wednesday, July 9: Caen to Caen, 33km | Winner: Remco Evenepoel
(Jasper Jacobs/Belga Mag/AFP via Getty Images)
After taking two Olympic titles last summer, world champion Evenepoel, the ‘aero bullet’, is not averse to a little gold. Bike frame, computer, helmet — even the wheat fields of northern France complied with his wishes. The Belgian won the individual time trial again. It was the high point of a Tour he abandoned on stage 14.
Stage six, Thursday, July 10: Bayeux to Vire Normandie | Winner: Ben Healy
(Marco Bertorello/AFP via Getty Images)
It felt as if Quinn Simmons spent more time in the breakaway than out of it. The American champion is one of the most visible riders in the peloton thanks to his stars and stripes jersey, flowing hair, and horseshoe moustache — he was recognised with the Super Teammate award at the end of the race.
Stage seven, Friday, July 11: Saint-Malo to Mur-de-Bretagne| Winner: Tadej Pogacar
(Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Every year is an opportunity for France to dream. This year’s hero was Norman rider Kevin Vauquelin, who spent much of the race in the top five of the general classification. The future of his Arkea-B&B squad is under serious threat, but Vauquelin’s riding brought attention to their plight. He finished the race in seventh.
Stage eight, Saturday, July 12: Saint-Meen-le-Grand to Laval | Winner: Jonathan Milan
(Loic Venance/AFP via Getty Images)
Going, going… There were limited opportunities for sprinters in this year’s race — they were only granted chances on long transitional stages between different parts of France. In winning stage eight, eventual green jersey Milan became the first Italian to win a stage in 113 race days.
Stage nine, Sunday, July 13: Chinon to Chateauroux | Winner: Tim Merlier 
(Dario Belingheri / Getty Images)
Two men took on the might of the peloton — and almost succeeded. Jonas Rickaert vomited five times in his support of Van der Poel (thankfully not pictured), but their brave escape ended with capture just 750m from the line. Surprisingly, this flat stage was one of the best days’ racing of the Tour.
Stage 10, Monday, July 14: Ennezat to Le Mont-Dore Puy de Sancy | Winner: Simon Yates
(Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
I spent this stage in the Massif Central riding within Cofidis’ team car. It is a faintly terrifying experience, being flung around mountain passes far above the speed limit, the driver manoeuvring with one hand, handing gels out the window as he goes. Hitting the Circuit de Charade race track was a moment of calm — the run-off areas were sizable.
Stage 11, Wednesday, July 16: Toulouse to Toulouse | Winner: Jonas Abrahamsen
(Christophe Petit Tesson / AFP via Getty Images)
This is what a first Grand Tour stage win means. Uno-X are not on the WorldTour, but they proved they could mix it with the big boys after Abrahamsen outsprinted Mauro Schmid in Toulouse. Tobias Halland Johannessen completed an impressive Tour for the Norwegian outfit by finishing sixth on GC.
Stage 12, Thursday, July 17: Auch to Hautacam | Winner: Tadej Pogacar
(Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
One man alone. In what amounted to the decisive stage of the race, Pogačar attacked at the base of the Hautacam, achieving almost instant separation from Vingegaard. Having lost time here in previous Tours, his focus meant he appeared almost unaware of the fevered atmosphere around him.
Stage 13, Friday, July 18: Loudenvielle to Peyragudes | Winner: Tadej Pogacar
(Loic Venance/AFP via Getty Images)
Vingegaard spent the previous day with his face contorted in pain, but there was a forcefulness to his ride on stage 13’s mountain time trial in Peyragudes. The Dane showed his true level in finishing second to Pogačar, delivering Evenepoel one of the toughest days of the Belgian’s career, overcoming a two-minute deficit in the stage’s final metres.
Stage 14, Saturday, July 19: Pau to Luchon-Superbagneres | Winner: Thymen Arensman
(Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Pogačar’s attacks brought the sunshine to much of the Tour’s first two weeks, but his exhaustion was visible by the end. Arensman stayed away from him twice — on stage 14 and stage 19 — to win a pair of mountain victories.
Stage 15, Sunday, July 20: Muret to Carcassonne | Winner: Tim Wellens
(Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Don’t let your eyes deceive you. Julian Alaphilippe may have thought he had won the stage, but both Wellens and Victor Campenaerts were some distance up the road. Wout van Aert looks on in bemusement. The Frenchman had broken his radio and dislocated his shoulder in an earlier crash.
Stage 16, Tuesday, July 22: Montpellier to Mont Ventoux | Winner: Valentin Paret-Peintre
(Marco Bertorello/AFP via Getty Images)
France appeared doomed to a rare Tour without a home win — for Paret-Peintre to deliver it on the lunar summit of Mont Ventoux, arguably the most iconic climb in French cycling, provided a rousing coda to the race.
Stage 17, Wednesday, July 23: Bollene to Valence | Winner: Jonathan Milan
(Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
The security services have been on high alert throughout the race — when an amateur rider attempted to cross the line himself shortly before the race arrived, he was taken down hard by officials as a potential safety concern. The man was later given an eight-month suspended prison sentence.
Stage 18, Thursday, July 24: Vif to Courchevel to Col de la Loze | Winner: Ben O’Connor
(Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Stage 18 was one of the biggest days of climbing in the Tour’s history, but what goes up must come down. The descent from the Col du Glandon is steep, winding and irregular, with Visma Lease-a-Bike hitting it hard as they desperately tried to unsettle Pogačar.
Stage 19, Friday, July 25: Albertville to La Plagne | Winner: Thymen Arensman
The cow stage. Stage 19 was shortened after a mass cull of a cattle herd affected by nodular dermatitis, and fears that the Tour caravan could spread the illness throughout France. It meant the final mountain stage was just 95km long, producing a strangely muted finale as the GC favourites watched each other and almost gave away the victory to Arensman.
Stage 20, Saturday, July 26: Nantua to Pontarlier | Winner: Kaden Groves
(Loic Venance / AFP via Getty Images)
A sunlit ride towards Paris? Not a bit of it. The final days of the Tour brought storms, and only Groves survived them cleanly, avoiding a crash in the breakaway before separating himself from a group of far superior climbers on the road towards Pontarlier. A tactically perfect race from the Australian.
Stage 21, Sunday, July 27: Mantes-la-Ville to Paris | Winner: Wout van Aert
(Alex Broadway/ Getty Images)
The inclusion of Montmartre on the ceremonial 21st stage proved controversial, but after rain led to the GC battle being neutralised, Pogačar had the freedom to attack on the rainy cobbles himself. Van Aert won the day in a classic, but Montmartre may be here to stay.
(Top photo: Tim de Waele via Getty Images)