10) Armstrong stripped off his Tour de France titles (2012)
Lance Armstrong was officially stripped of his seven Tour de France titles on October 22, 2012. On this date, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) ratified the findings of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) regarding systematic doping, and subsequently erased all of his competitive results dating back to 1998, while he was banned from the sport for life.
9) Miguel Indurain's incredible time trial (1994)
Miguel Indurain’s defining moment in the Tour de France was his legendary Stage 9 time trial in the 1994 Tour de France. On the 64-kilometre course from Perigueux to Bergerac, he famously chased down specialist Armstrong on the road, even though the American had started three minutes ahead of him, to underline his unmatched dominance in the race.
8) Richard Virenque winning on Bastille Day (2004)
Richard Virenque’s most famous Bastille Day victory took place on July 14, 2004, during Stage 10 of the Tour de France. The French fan favourite earned legendary status in his home country when he launched a courageous solo attack and won the 237-kilometre mountainous route from Limoges to Saint-Flour, which was the longest stage of that year's race.
7) Marco Pantani's attack on Galibier (1998)
Marco Pantani's most iconic Tour de France moment took place on 27 July 1998, during Stage 15 to Les Deux Alpes. While freezing rain was pouring down on the Col du Galibier, he left race leader Jan Ullrich behind and won the stage by nearly nine minutes, and seized the yellow jersey, cementing his 1998 overall Tour victory.
6) Fausto Coppi sharing a bottle with Bartali (1952)
Fausto Coppi's biggest moment in the Tour de France will be remembered by his dominant 1952 campaign, when he became the first rider to conquer the summit finish on Alpe d'Huez and famously shared a water bottle with his great rival Gino Bartali, cementing his status as the "Campionissimo". The iconic moment became a legendary symbol of knightly sportsmanship and fair play in cycling.
5) Tom Simpson collapses on Mont Ventoux (1967)
One of the darkest chapters in the history of the Tour de France was written when British cyclist Tom Simpson collapsed and died from heart failure on 13 July 1967, during the 13th stage of the Tour de France. Struggling from the intense heat, exhaustion, and stomach pain on the steep slopes of Mont Ventoux, his system fatally surrendered to a combination of alcohol and amphetamines.
4) Eddy Merckx cementing nickname as "The Cannibal (1969)
Eddy Merckx’s defining moment in the Tour de France was his legendary solo breakaway on Stage 17 of the 1969 Tour de France from Luchon to Mourenx. Even though he had already built up a commanding eight-minute lead, Merckx in characteristic fashion attacked no less than 130 kilometres from the finish line. He went on to climb four major Pyrenean peaks alone and won the stage nearly eight minutes ahead of the chasing group.
3) Michael Rasmussen pulled out of the race (2007)
Michael Rasmussen was sensationally pulled out of the 2007 Tour de France by his Rabobank team while he was still wearing the race leader's yellow jersey. Just hours after winning Stage 16, he was withdrawn and sacked by the Dutch team for lying to his superiors about his whereabouts during out-of-competition drug tests in June.
2) Chris Froome running up Mont Ventoux (2016)
In one of the most bizarre moments in the history of the race, the defending champion's bike was destroyed when he crashed into a stalled motorcycle. Rather than wait for a team car, Froome then famously chose to sprint up the steep, barren slopes of Mount Ventoux on foot, carrying his bike before he was finally handed a replacement.
1) Greg LeMond's eight-second victory (1989)
As the American Greg LeMond entered the final time trial stage, he was trailing France’s Laurent Fignon by 50 seconds. Using aero-bars for the first time, LeMond launched a superhuman effort, winning the stage and snatching the overall victory by a staggering 8 seconds, which went down in Tour history as the narrowest margin ever.