About the project

Allez le Tour – a Tour de France Photography Project. More than 20 years of analogue photography by Nicola Mesken

Progress Over the Years

More about the project: Exhibitions · Press & Media · Book

2005

First year at Tour de France

The first year at the Tour de France started as a personal project and resulted in a publication in the STERN – which for me was an incredible achievement, as I had just finnished my training as a photographer.

2005-2014

Consistency is key

I returned to Tour de France over the next 10 years, as I knew, that analog photography was becoming more and more abandonned and I wanted to keep it alive for myself as I nice contrast to digital work – which had taken over my worklife by now. But I kept loyal to my Tour de France Photography Project.

2014

First book – Digitalisation

Self editing was becoming a thing and I had collected 10 years of material. I brought out a first edition – very limited as still self publishing was something incredibly expensive.

2017

First time showing big!

2017 was the Grand Depart in Düsseldorf. I sent my expose and the first draft of the book to the NRW Forum where I had my first and very important exhibition among exhibits of Robert Capa, Andreas Gursky and others. A big leap for ALLEZ LE TOUR! Check out how it went here.

I worked with translators to bring out the book into 4 languages and a lot of research went into where to print and how to ship everything, to still make a version that would be affordable to the public and visitors.

2019

More exhibitions – Brussels

I had found my goal for this year and travelled to Brussels. Roaming the city I found the perfect place to exhibit for 2019. Les Halles Saint Gery, open to public and a beautiful building in the heart of Brussels was the place to be. A lot of work, sweat and love went into this exhibition – by all people involved. 8.000 visitors were counted by the end of this exhibition. Of cousre the book was updated for this event and showed now 14 years of Tour de France Photography Project.

2021

Presenting in my hometown

The pandemic had us all pinned down but I was able to continue my project of the Tour de France. When everything went back to normal, I was so happy to get invited to my hometown in NRW to present my work there as well one summer.

2021 – 2025

Collecting more material

Right now I am in the process of selecting more material that will be in the next edition of the book and quite some of it is already in the process of digitilising. This is a process I really enjoy, but it does take a lot of time as well and has to be done next to all other work – so sometimes it’s challenging to prioritize. But I do hope to get the Tour de France Photography Project ready soon, as the next Grand Depart is in Barcelona.

Our Story

You can expect a great book, which will show you what life alongside Tour de France is really about.

Expect a great book, which will show you what life alongside Tour de France is really about.

280 pages

with photographs and fun facts

2.5 kg of Tour History

For analog photography lovers

Over 8.000 visitors in Brussels

Best present for cycling fans

Our Location

The photographer

Nicola Mesken

Photographer

I was born in 1972 in Münsterland, North Rhine-Westphalia, and photography has been my way of understanding the world for two decades now. In 2005, I moved to Barcelona, a city whose light, rhythm, and contradictions continue to shape both my life and my work.

I work as a freelance photographer, specialising in portrait and product photography, and since opening my own photo studio in Barcelona in 2014, I’ve had the privilege of working closely with people, faces, and stories. Photography, to me, is about time – taking it, giving it space, and allowing something real to surface. In an increasingly fast and image-saturated world, I value attention and craft.

Alongside my commissioned work, I have been developing my long-term personal project “ ALLEZ LE TOUR! since 2005. It began on the roadside of the Tour de France and has grown into an ongoing visual archive of everything that happens just outside the frame of the race itself. I photograph exclusively on black-and-white 35mm analogue film – a conscious decision to slow down, to trust experience, and to stay connected to the physical act of photography.

ALLEZ LE TOUR! is not about winners or jerseys. It is about anticipation, boredom, devotion, chance encounters, and the strange poetry of waiting.

Over the years, the project has been shown in exhibitions in Brussels and Düsseldorf, and it continues to evolve with every new edition of my book ALLEZ LE TOUR! and with each new journey along the race route.

There is a special excitement in knowing that the Tour de France will celebrate its Grand Départ in Barcelona in 2026 – a city that has been my home for two decades and a place where my professional and personal worlds meet. For me, this feels like a quiet full circle.

This website is both an archive and a living project. Here, you can explore the work, purchase the book, and acquire prints – tangible objects in a time when images are mostly fleeting. My photography is driven by love for the medium, respect for its traditions, and a desire to question speed, spectacle, and perfection. I believe photographs should breathe, endure, and reward those who take the time to look.