A slow shutter captures the Tour de France at full speed

The pack rides during the last stage of the France" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="12008" data-entity-type="event">Tour de France cycling race with start and finish in Paris, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) By Thibault Camus Published 1:56 PM MESZ, July 31, 2026 Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Paris (AP) — Thibault Camus is based in Paris, France, and has been working with The Associated Press since 2007. Here’s what he had to say about this extraordinary photo. This photo was taken during the final stage of the 21-stage France" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="12008" data-entity-type="event">Tour de France cycling race. These cyclists have traveled more than 3,000 kilometers. Due to the wildfires in southwestern France, the stage was shortened and the race took place only on the streets of Paris. The 2026 edition was the fastest France" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="12008" data-entity-type="event">Tour de France ever; this year, the rider at the bottom of the rankings was just as fast as the 2020 winner — which is why I wanted to show just how fast the riders were. In this photo, I’m standing on the Place de la Concorde, at the bottom of the Champs-Élysées. Cyclists ride very fast here, so I used a slow shutter speed to capture that. To create a greater sense of speed, I positioned myself on the inside of the curve; the bikes would be leaning, and cyclists always take bends on the inside. I positioned myself at ground level and used a wide-angle lens and a shutter speed of 1/30th of a second to capture this motion blur. Having covered several France" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="12008" data-entity-type="event">Tour de France races, I am still amazed by the speed and stamina these athletes displayed. The shutter speed creates the blur in this photo, but it also freezes certain parts of the image and shows how, on the cobbles, the athletes and their bikes shake in unison.