Tour de France 2017: Polish rider Paweł Poljański reveals effects of grueling race

If you were in any doubt as to just how grueling the Tour de France really is, then look no further than Paweł Poljański’s legs.

The Polish cyclist, riding for German team Bora–Hansgrohe, posted a photo on social media after stage 16 to give fans an idea of the effect cycling’s most prestigious race has on an athletes’ bodies.

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Burned by the scorching sun and with veins bulging, Poljański’s photo lays bare the daily rigors endured by these fiercest of competitors.

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“After sixteen stages I think my legs look little tired,” the 27-year-old wrote on his Instagram account.

This year’s edition of the Tour de France sees 198 riders tackle a brutal 23-day, 21-stage, 3,540-kilometer route that takes in 23 mountain climbs and affords competitors just two rest days.

For the first time since 1992, all five of France’s mountain ranges – the Vosges, the Jura, the Pyrénées, the Massif central and the Alps – will feature, while three of the five mountain stages include altitude finishes.

The 104th Tour de France also sees the riders take in the sights of neighboring Germany, Belgium and Luxemburg and 34 French counties.

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Against the backdrop of the Arc de Triomphe, Britain's Chris Froome rides to his fourth Tour de France win.

Froome toasts a member of his team during the last stage of the Tour de France race.

"Each time I've won the Tour it's been so unique, so different, such a different battle to get to this moment," said Froome.

"This year I think will be remembered for certainly being the closest and most hard-fought battle," added Froome. The Briton controlled much of the Tour but on stage 12 Italy's Fabio Aru did take hold of the yellow jersey.

Marcel Kittel of Germany and the Quick-Step Floors team celebrates his victory in stage two of the 2017 Tour de France, a 203.5 kilometer ride from Dusseldorf to Liege. With five stage wins already this year, the 29-year-old is just two away from breaking into the top 10 riders with most stage wins in history.

France's Thomas Boudat rides in the rain in a breakaway during the second stage of the 104th edition of the Tour de France.

Great Britain's Geraint Thomas (C) wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey rides in the pack past supporters during the 212,5 km third stage. The Welshman won the leader's jersey after victory in the first stage and held onto it until the fifth, when teammate Chris Froome surged into the overall lead. However, Thomas had to withdraw from the race after breaking his collarbone on the tough Col de la Biche descent on stage nine.

Peter Sagan (2-L) of Slovakia flicks his elbow towards Team Dimension Data rider Mark Cavendish (L) during the final sprint of the fourth stage. Sagan was subsequently disqualified from the Tour, before making an unsuccessful appeal to CAS. Cavendish suffered an injured shoulder which ended his hopes of overtaking Eddy Merckx as the Tour's most prolific stage winner.

Cavendish is interviewed by the media following treatment to his shoulder. The Briton was ruled out after scans showed a broken shoulder blade.

The pack rides past a sunflower field during the 207.5 km fourth stage of the Tour between Mondorf-les-Bains and Vittel.

The pack, including Thomas (C) wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, rides during the 160.5 km fifth stage between Vittel and La Planche des Belles Filles.

The fifth stage the Tour was the last time Thomas wore the yellow jersey. The 31-year-old, one of Froome's key helpers in the mountains, was forced out of this year's race after breaking his collarbone on stage nine, calling it "a bitter pill to swallow."

Kittel celebrates winning stage six of the Tour de France between Vesoul and Troyes (216km), his second victory of 2017.

The riders take in the picturesque eighth stage of the Tour betweenDole and Station des Rousses. Lilian Calmejane delighted the home fans by recording a second French victory of this year's Tour.

A horse rider is pictured in front of the pack as a media helicopter flies overhead during the seventh stage between Troyes and Nuits-Saint-Georges.

The peloton jostles during the 213.5 km seventh stage.

Calmejane remarkably still won the eighth stage despite coming off his bike with a bout of cramp.

Richie Porte receives medical assistance after his horror crash during stage nine. The Aussie sustained a fractured right collarbone and pelvis on the descent of the Mont du Chat.

The pack rides in the rain during the ninth stage between Nantua and Chambery.

The peloton rides past an emergency helicopter during stage nine.

Team Astana's Alexey Lutsenko is helped from the bushes after crashing during stage nine from Nantua to Chambéry. The same corner claimed Lutsenko's teammate Bakhtiyar Kozhatayev as another victim, with Thomas suffering the same fate as the chasing pack arrived minutes later.

The pack of riders in action during the nine stage of the Tour de France.

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Going into Wednesday’s 17th stage, Poljański sits in 75th place in the overall classification, while his team is currently 18th out of 22.

The Tour de France concludes on Sunday.