Mass falls, wayward motorbikes, mountainside hordes and the unrelenting duel for supremacy between Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar all marked the Tour de France's second week.
With Pogacar trailing Vingegaard by just 10 seconds, AFP Sport takes a look at the main talking points after a pulsating week of action in the world's greatest bike race.
- The dangers of cycling -
Although he crashed out of the Tour de France in such agonising fashion last week, British sprinter Mark Cavendish waited several days before making his first public comments about his broken collarbone and broken dreams, saying his fall on stage eight was "part of the beauty and brutality of cycling".
With the death of Gino Maeder during June's Tour de Suisse fresh in the memories of professional cyclists, Saturday's stage 14 as the Tour de France climbed and descended a string of Alps, had more than a few riders taking a deep breath.
On the day, rain, which made even flat roads treacherous, was the main culprit, as five riders said goodbye to the Tour with broken bones or concussion.
Young gun Carlos Rodriguez won the stage with a flying downhill finale.
"My BMX past gave me the win today. My descending skills are one of my strong points," said the 22-year-old.
On Sunday, a spectator stepped into the road and took out half the peloton. Those caught up were all able to remount, albeit shaken.
Race leader Jonas Vingegaard was asked about the risks of high-speed downhill finishes.
"It's as dangerous as you make it. If you go too hard it's dangerous, if you don't, it's not," he said.
The final word goes to Maeder's teammate Pello Bilbao.
"I was afraid of course on some of the downhill sections," Bilbao said after winning the hot and hilly stage 10. "But Gino's death has changed me, not just in cycling but in all aspects of my life."
"In the end I realised you cannot live in fear. This realisation has changed the way I live."
- Six seconds -
Pogacar's late attack on Vingegaard in the mountains on stage 14 was foiled by a motorbike carrying a photographer that failed to match the acceleration and blocked a path already narrowed by hordes of fans at absolute fever-pitch.
At stake were six seconds, three more for one rider, three less for the other.
Pogacar was the loser but refused to criticise.
"It is what it is," he said. "The guy couldn't move because of the fans."
Vingegaard said he did not know if the motorbike had changed anything.
"Talking about what might have been is useless," he said.
The photographer offered a full apology.
"I cannot defend the indefensible, I should have moved forward."
Others have noted the lack of policemen on the climbs and the lack of barriers on the final 500m when the stakes are highest.
The motorbike moment could prove a defining moment of the Tour if the two leaders arrive in Paris still separated by a handful of seconds.
dmc/pb
