Evenepoel won the opening time trial of the Tour but suffered in the Pyrenees. After struggling during Friday's uphill race against the clock to Peyragudes, he had managed to keep third place in the general classification, more than seven minutes behind race leader Tadej Pogačar.

Another branding effort is the Tour de France logo. Ubiquitous in July as it is painted on the road, placed on the TV captions and available on merchandise. Look closely and the O is the rear wheel, the R is rider with the yellow front wheel which evokes the “torrid sun of July” according to design agency Saguez which created it.