Tour de France: Stage 10

After all the action of Stage 9, today's Bastille Day stage was a quiet one -- quite a relief from the drama, triumph, and heartache of the past week. Stages like this allow us to sit back and enjoy the scenery.

For me, the most beautiful moment of Stage 10 was the descent of the Col du Noyer, with its incredible series of switchbacks. When the riders enter the switchbacks, it's as if the Tour narrative changes from prose to poetry. So graceful, they are. They're the subject for my quick midnight painting/pastel...