Tour de Fans
A German fan calling himself, El Diablo, or devil jumps for joy as Norway’s Thor Hushovd, center, maintains his overall lead during the seventh stage of the Tour de France on July 8, 2011.
The rigor of the Tour de France makes it a dramatic sporting event for audience members, but this is only helped by a cast of colorful characters that line the race route throughout France.
On one stretch, a group of fans dressed as Neanderthals jumped in the air in character to cheer on the cyclists that zoomed past.
Meanwhile, diehard supporters dressed as Santa Claus ran alongside smurfs as they collectively entertained the cyclists and fans behind them.
Fans even took advantage of the landscape surrounding the road by balancing atop huge haystacks to better see the bikers speed along. In other parts of the vast farmlands, men played the accordion in front of larger-than-life wooden cut-outs of men.
Back on the roadside, a cast of characters including Christian friars and Medieval crusaders waved their swords and tree sticks, revving up the crowds as the wary cyclists presumably were lifted in spirits.
More Photos From the Tour de France: Planet Pic – Tour de France: Now and Before