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

By Matias Grez, CNN
Updated 1:43 PM EDT, Wed July 19, 2017
Pawel Poljanski posted a photo of his legs on Instagram.
Pawel Poljanski posted a photo of his legs on Instagram.
PHOTO: Instagram

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Poljański posts photo of legs after Tour de France's 16th stage

(CNN) —  

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.

READ: Tour de France – The history of the La Caravane Du Tour

“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.

READ: Tour de France – Maillot à pois rouge

Against the backdrop of the Arc de Triomphe, Britain
Photos: Tour de France 2017: Best photos
Against the backdrop of the Arc de Triomphe, Britain's Chris Froome rides to his fourth Tour de France win.
PHOTO: ASO/Bruno BADE
Froome toasts a member of his team during the last stage of the Tour de France race.
Photos: Tour de France 2017: Best photos
Froome toasts a member of his team during the last stage of the Tour de France race.
PHOTO: Benoit Tessier/AP
"Each time I
Photos: Tour de France 2017: Best photos
"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.
PHOTO: PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP/Getty Images
"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
Photos: Tour de France 2017: Best photos
"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.
PHOTO: Chris Graythen/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
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.
Photos: Tour de France 2017: Best photos
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.
PHOTO: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images
France
Photos: Tour de France 2017: Best photos
France's Thomas Boudat rides in the rain in a breakaway during the second stage of the 104th edition of the Tour de France.
PHOTO: LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP/Getty Images
Great Britain
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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.
PHOTO: PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP/Getty Images
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
Photos: Tour de France 2017: Best photos
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.
PHOTO: YOAN VALAT/EPA
Cavendish is interviewed by the media following treatment to his shoulder. The Briton was ruled out after scans showed a broken shoulder blade.
Photos: Tour de France 2017: Best photos
Cavendish is interviewed by the media following treatment to his shoulder. The Briton was ruled out after scans showed a broken shoulder blade.
PHOTO: Tim de Waele/Corbis Sport/Getty Images
The pack rides past a sunflower field during the 207.5 km fourth stage of the Tour between Mondorf-les-Bains and Vittel.
Photos: Tour de France 2017: Best photos
The pack rides past a sunflower field during the 207.5 km fourth stage of the Tour between Mondorf-les-Bains and Vittel.
PHOTO: LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP/Getty Images
The pack, including Thomas (C) wearing the overall leader
Photos: Tour de France 2017: Best photos
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.
PHOTO: PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP/Getty Images
The fifth stage the Tour was the last time Thomas wore the yellow jersey. The 31-year-old, one of Froome
Photos: Tour de France 2017: Best photos
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."
PHOTO: LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP/Getty Images
Kittel celebrates winning stage six of the Tour de France between Vesoul and Troyes (216km), his second victory of 2017.
Photos: Tour de France 2017: Best photos
Kittel celebrates winning stage six of the Tour de France between Vesoul and Troyes (216km), his second victory of 2017.
PHOTO: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
The riders take in the picturesque eighth stage of the Tour between Dole and Station des Rousses. Lilian Calmejane delighted the home fans by recording a second French victory of this year
Photos: Tour de France 2017: Best photos
The riders take in the picturesque eighth stage of the Tour between Dole and Station des Rousses. Lilian Calmejane delighted the home fans by recording a second French victory of this year's Tour.
PHOTO: Tim De Waele/Corbis/Getty Images
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.
Photos: Tour de France 2017: Best photos
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.
PHOTO: PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP/Getty Images
The peloton jostles during the 213.5 km seventh stage.
Photos: Tour de France 2017: Best photos
The peloton jostles during the 213.5 km seventh stage.
PHOTO: PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP/Getty Images
Calmejane remarkably still won the eighth stage despite coming off his bike with a bout of cramp.
Photos: Tour de France 2017: Best photos
Calmejane remarkably still won the eighth stage despite coming off his bike with a bout of cramp.
PHOTO: Tim De Waele/Corbis/Getty Images
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.
Photos: Tour de France 2017: Best photos
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.
PHOTO: PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP/Getty Images
The pack rides in the rain during the ninth stage between Nantua and Chambery.
Photos: Tour de France 2017: Best photos
The pack rides in the rain during the ninth stage between Nantua and Chambery.
PHOTO: PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP/Getty Images
The peloton rides past an emergency helicopter during stage nine.
Photos: Tour de France 2017: Best photos
The peloton rides past an emergency helicopter during stage nine.
PHOTO: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images
Team Astana
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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.
PHOTO: Chris Graythen/Getty Images
The pack of riders in action during the nine stage of the Tour de France.
Photos: Tour de France 2017: Best photos
The pack of riders in action during the nine stage of the Tour de France.
PHOTO: YOAN VALAT/EPA

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.