You're looking at the Liquigas Team, who have just been presented to the crowds in Monaco and are riding away from the podium, throwing toys at the audience. You can see one in Franco Pellizotti's hand in the small photo. Yesterday, this courageous man won the red
'combativity' jersey, which is awarded at each stage by a committee.
Yes I didn't know there was anything other than the Yellow Jersey but in fact there are other coloured jerseys too.
Personally I've never had any interest in the
Tour de France before it came to Monaco. I'd read about doping, of course, I loved to see Lance Armstrong on the podium in Paris but that was about it. Now I'm a daily addict. First of all, whether you are interested in cycling or not, turn on the television - French or Eurosport - or whatever you get, because the feed is the same - if you want to see France in all its glory, you'll see it here. You get amazing helicopter shots of monasteries on the top of inaccessible mountains, you see rivers and villages as you've never seen them before - alongside a potted history. You get restaurant recommendations, what to do, where to go - but of course that's during the less exciting parts of the ride.
Yesterday's stage was 160 kilometres in the
Pyrénées, with two high peaks to climb, one at over 2000 feet and a long and very dangerous fast descent to the Finish. After 12 ks four riders pushed ahead, but later, just two remained and one is the guy you see here. For much of the ride they were around 4.5 minutes ahead of the peloton, but a few kilometres before the finish line, the peloton started to catch up with the two leading riders until there was only 45 seconds in it but they kept going - goodness knows how? And then at the end, there was a final crazy lunge by the two of them. Pellizotto was 2nd and the winner was the other guy, Frenchman, Pierrick Féderigo, who won by about a wheel length. So it's no surprise to know that Pellizotto took the Combativity jersey. I was exhausted just watching...
Today is a rest day when the riders are flown to their next starting point.
Another sculpture in the Artistes dans la Rue series commemorating the start of the Tour de France in Monaco. This time by Bruno Mendonça. We are in Square Gastaud, which is tucked away behind the port. It's a WiFi point so you see people sitting on the benches using their laptops. Not a bad place to read your emails.
This pretty little art shop is to be found in a back street near to the port. I think these cards have been designed, specially for the Tour, by celebrities.
No, not some awful accident on the Tour de France, but one of the 'Artistes dans la Rue' series celebrating the Tour starting in Monaco. (Don't know the name of this piece or the artist as the info wasn't displayed).
You're looking at the Liquigas Team, who have just been presented to the crowds in Monaco and are riding away from the podium, throwing toys at the audience. You can see one in Franco Pellizotti's hand in the small photo. Yesterday, this courageous man won the red 'combativity' jersey, which is awarded at each stage by a committee.
Utter concentration to get it right. This guy works for the Astana team. You see one of Lance Armstrong's bikes behind him - advertising his Livestrong Foundation. Lance rides of course in the Astana colours although it's in his contract to wear a helmet advertising his cancer foundation.
This is Mark Cavendish who rides for the Columbia team. He's already won two of the 'stages' so far in the Tour de France and being a sprinter, he's known as the faster rider in the world.
You don't really expect to bump into the devil at the Tour de France, do you? It seems this particular devil is there every year and he had quite a following. In fact in the lower photograph he's been interviewed for a newspaper.
The television crews in Monaco and now out on the road as the Tour crosses France towards Perpignan.
The Publicity Caravan travels with the tour. The sponsor of each team, throws cheap goodies to the crowd.
Seven times winner of the Tour de France, the Texan Lance Armstrong retired four years ago. Now he's back! At 37, people wonder if it's a mistake but he looked pretty fit to me. When he appeared on the podium, the crowd went wild.
Yesterday evening, Monaco welcomed the Tour de France. Each team (there are 20) lined up on the podium in front of the port and each cyclist was individually introduced to the public. Then the leader in each team was interviewed - here you see the Cervélo team from Switzerland and the Spaniard, Carlos Sastre, who won the Tour de France in 2008.
Le Cycliste by Louis Dollé is part of the Artistes dans la Rue exhibition in Monaco to welcome the Tour de France.
An 'empty' cycling jersey or maillot for today's 'Theme Day.'
This sculpture , which is near to Monaco's market, represents one of the mountains the cyclists will have to conquer in this year's Tour de France. Mont Ventoux is a climb of over 1000 metres and a 167 kilometres run. The red and white stone at the base has N7 written on it, the number of the road. Afficionados of the Tour will remember when Richard Virenque reached the summit of Mont Ventoux in 2002 - one of the Tour's great moments. 
