Shocking Tour de France photo shows price of endurance

A Tour de France cyclist has shocked fans and followers by posting a photo of his legs on Instagram, after finishing stage 16 of the race.

The photo shows the full length of the athlete’s bare legs scorched red by the sun and covered in large, protruding veins with the simple title: “After sixteen stages I think my legs look a little tired”.

The photo garnered much attention from Instagram followers, who showed their amazement and concern. One read: “I look at this photo and feel like I should never complain about “fatigue” ever again.”

Mr Poljański came in 75th after 16 stages of the race. His nationality is Polish and he is a member of the Bora-Hansgrohe team, registered in Germany.

He is not the only cyclist to expose the gruelling effect the race can have on the body. Canadian pro rider Antoine Duchesne posted a similar photo of his legs prior to the 2017 Tour, although he was not selected to ride in the race.