Champs-Élysées stage in the Tour de France

Champs-Élysées stage in the Tour de France

Final stage on the Champs-Élysées in 2015
Venue	Champs-Élysées
Location	Paris, France
Also known as	Final stage of the Tour de France
Type	Cycling stage race
Organised by	Amaury Sport Organisation
Inaugural winner	Walter Godefroot (1975)
Won most times	Mark Cavendish (4)
Route	Enter Paris then, six-to-eight times: Rue de Rivoli Place de la Concorde Up the Champs-Élysées Arc de Triomphe Down the Champs-Élysées les Tuileries and the Louvre Place de la Concorde Up the Champs-Élysées

The Champs-Élysées stage in the Tour de France is the final stage of the Tour de France, that, since 1975, has concluded on the Champs-Élysées, an emblematic street of the city of Paris. As the final stage of the best recognised bike race in the world, winning it is considered very prestigious.^[1]

The stage typically starts on the outskirts of Paris, and teams agree on a truce for the opening portion of the race, with cyclists taking the opportunity to have a moment of tranquility, laughing, and celebrating the achievement of finishing the Tour de France. The rider leading the general classification - whose lead is by custom not contested on the final stage, though usually it is by that point unassailable - poses for photographs, often taking a glass of champagne on the way.^[2][3]

The second part of the race is more hotly contested. This consists of between six and ten laps of a circuit of the Champs-Élysées, a wide partly-cobblestoned road. Riders try to break away from the peloton to secure victory, though as of 2020 such attempts have only resulted in a victory on six occasions (and on only three since 1979). On the other occasions (except 1989, when the final stage was a time-trial), the winner has come from a mass sprint and has therefore typically been a specialist sprinter. At times this means that the final stage has settled the points classification, which is usually won by a sprinter.^[1]

The course was also used for the first three editions of La Course by Le Tour de France, a women's one-day race held since 2014. In these years the race was held in a kermesse-style circuit racing format. A return to the Champs-Élysées was planned for La Course in 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic it was moved to Nice.^[4][5]

History[]

In the first Tour of 1903, the finish was at Ville-d'Avray. From 1904 to 1967 it was at the Parc des Princes track and from 1968 to 1974, during the heyday of Eddy Merckx, at the Vélodrome de Vincennes.^[6][7]

In 1974, Félix Lévitan, co-director of the Tour, and reporter Yves Mourousi suggested a finish on the Champs-Élysées. Mourousi directly contacted French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing to obtain permission.^[8][9] The first stage took place in 1975: this was a Paris-Paris stage of 25 laps (163.5 kilometres (101.6 mi)). The Belgian Walter Godefroot won the sprint and Bernard Thévenet received the yellow jersey from the hands of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. In 1977, French Alain Meslet became the first rider to win alone.

Since 1978, the final stage has generally started from outside the city, with only the final part of the stage following the core route. The number of laps has varied between six and ten. Major innovations have generally been avoided, with the notable exception of the 1989 stage which operated as a time-trial. In 2013, in celebration of the 100th Tour de France the stage was shifted to a late afternoon start, finishing in the evening, also entering the Champs Elysées via the courtyards of the Louvre Palace, passing directly by the Louvre Pyramid, and utilizing the traffic circle around the Arc de Triomphe rather than making a u-turn short of it; these changes have as of 2020 been retained in subsequent years.^[10] In 2015, bad weather caused the Tour organisers to declare the overall classification neutralised upon entry to the Champs-Élysées, 70 kilometres (43 mi) before the stage finished.^[11]

Arrivals[]

Cobblestones in parts of the Champs-Élysées final stage, photographed in the 2015 Tour

Cyclists entering the Rue de Rivoli in 2007

Due to the high profile of the last day as well as its setting, the stage is prestigious. The overall Tour placings are typically settled before the final stage, so the racing is often for the glory of finishing the Tour and, at times, to settle the points classification. The leader of the Tour de France is, by convention, not challenged for their lead on this final day. Traditionally, the stage starts with champagne served by the race leader's team, on-the-road photo opportunities and joking around.^[12]

As the riders approach Paris, the racing heats up as the sprinters and their teams begin the real racing of the day. When the riders reach central Paris, they enter the Champs-Élysées riding up the Rue de Rivoli, on to the Place de la Concorde and then swing right on to the Champs-Élysées itself. The riders ride now a total of eight laps (including around the Arc de Triomphe, down the Champs-Élysées, round les Tuileries and the Louvre and across the Place de la Concorde back to the Champs-Élysées). In past Tours, the riders would complete ten laps before the Tour was over.

When a rider has reached a significant milestone over the course of the concluding Tour, it is customary for the peloton to let him enter the Champs-Elysées section of the stage in first place. Such an honor was bestowed upon American George Hincapie in 2012, in recognition of his final and record setting 17th Tour de France.

While a number of riders will try to pull away from the peloton on the Champs-Elysées, chances of success are slim and these attempts are often seen as one last opportunity for teams to showcase their colors. It is extremely hard for a small group to resist the push of chasing sprinter's teams on the stage's flat circuit, even more so than in a linear race, and the overwhelming majority have ended in a mass sprint.

In early years, breakaway wins did not appear uncommon. A surprising three straight occurred between 1977 and 1979. However, with the advent of modern racing tactics, the feat has become very rare, lending an increasingly valued place in Tour lore to the few who have achieved it. Those are Frenchmen Alain Meslet (1977), Bernard Hinault (1979) and Eddy Seigneur (1994), Dutchman Gerrie Knetemann (1978), American Jeff Pierce (1987), and Kazakhstani Alexander Vinokourov (2005).

General classification[]

Although generally uncontested, there have been two occasions on which the last stage saw attacks on the leading position in the general classification. In 1979, Joop Zoetemelk was 3:07 behind Bernard Hinault before the final stage. Zoetemelk attacked on the last stage, hoping to win enough time to claim the victory. Hinault chased Zoetemelk, and beat him for the stage victory.^[13]

In 1989, Greg LeMond beat Laurent Fignon by 58 seconds over a 24 km time trial from Versailles. In doing so, he closed a 50-second gap to win the 1989 Tour de France by eight seconds. It was the first (and only) time trial final stage on the Champs-Élysées. The 1964, 1965 and 1967 Tours finished with time trials to the Parc des Princes, and the 1968 to 1971 stages had time trials to the Vélodrome de Vincennes (Cipale).

In 2005, Lance Armstrong had a comfortable lead in the general classification, but behind him Alexander Vinokourov and Levi Leipheimer were only two seconds apart, on fifth and sixth place. Vinokourov succeeded in a breakaway during the last kilometre and, because of his stage win and bonus seconds, overtook Leipheimer for fifth position overall.^[14] As of 2020, this is the last time the stage was not decided in a bunch sprint.^[12]

Points classification[]

In some years, the points classification was decided on that last stage.

In 1984, Frank Hoste had been leading the points classification for most of the race, but Sean Kelly had taken over the lead on the penultimate stage, with a difference of 4 points. Hoste ended third in the last stage against Kelly fifth, which made Hoste the winner by 4 points.

In the final stages of the 1987 Tour de France, the lead in the points classification switched between Jean-Paul van Poppel and Stephen Roche. Before the final stage, Roche was leading by 17 points, but during the last stage Van Poppel won back 16 points by intermediate sprints. Van Poppel's ninth place in the stage was then enough to win the points classification by 16 points.

In 1991, Djamolidine Abdoujaparov clipped his wheels on barriers. With less than 100m left he tumbled head-over-heels in a spectacular crash. After he regained consciousness, he was helped across the line to clinch the sprinters' competition.^[15]

In 2001, Stuart O'Grady had been leading the points classification for most of the race, but Erik Zabel overtook him at the final moment.^[16]

In 2003, the green jersey was settled by a close finish between Baden Cooke and Robbie McEwen finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively, that resulted in Cooke finished with 216 points to McEwen's 214.

Winners[]

Winner of the last stage in the Tour de France

Year	Starting place	Distance		Stage winner
		km	mi
1975	Paris	163.4	102	Walter Godefroot (BEL)	[17]
1976	Paris	90.7	56	Gerben Karstens (NED)
1977	Paris	90.7	56	Alain Meslet (FRA)
1978	Saint-Germain-en-Laye	161.5	100	Gerrie Knetemann (NED)
1979	Le Perreux-sur-Marne	180.3	112	Bernard Hinault (FRA)
1980	Fontenay-sous-Bois	186.1	116	Pol Verschuere (BEL)
1981	Fontenay-sous-Bois	186.6	116	Freddy Maertens (BEL)
1982	Fontenay-sous-Bois	186.8	116	Bernard Hinault (FRA)
1983	Alfortville	195	121	Gilbert Glaus (SUI)
1984	Pantin	196.5	122	Eric Vanderaerden (BEL)
1985	Orléans	196	122	Rudy Matthijs (BEL)
1986	Cosne-sur-Loire	255	158	Guido Bontempi (ITA)
1987	Créteil	192	119	Jeff Pierce (USA)
1988	Nemours	172.5	107	Jean-Paul van Poppel (NED)
1989	Versailles	24.5	15 (ITT)	Greg LeMond (USA)
1990	Brétigny-sur-Orge	182	113	Johan Museeuw (BEL)
1991	Melun	178	111	Dimitri Konyshev (RUS)
1992	La Défense	141	88	Olaf Ludwig (GER)
1993	Viry-Châtillon	196.5	122	Djamolidine Abdoujaparov (UZB)
1994	Disneyland	175	109	Eddy Seigneur (FRA)
1995	Ste-Geneviève-des-Bois	155	96	Djamolidine Abdoujaparov (UZB)
1996	Palaiseau	147.5	92	Fabio Baldato (ITA)
1997	Disneyland	149.5	93	Nicola Minali (ITA)
1998	Melun	147.5	92	Tom Steels (BEL)
1999	Arpajon	143.5	89	Robbie McEwen (AUS)
2000	Paris	138	86	Stefano Zanini (ITA)
2001	Corbeil-Essonnes	160.5	100	Ján Svorada (CZE)
2002	Melun	144	89	Robbie McEwen (AUS)
2003	Ville-d'Avray	160	99	Jean-Patrick Nazon (FRA)
2004	Montereau	163	101	Tom Boonen (BEL)
2005	Corbeil-Essonnes	144.5	90	Alexander Vinokourov (KAZ)
2006	Antony–Parc de Sceaux	152	94	Thor Hushovd (NOR)
2007	Marcoussis	130	81	Daniele Bennati (ITA)
2008	Étampes	143	89	Gert Steegmans (BEL)
2009	Montereau-Fault-Yonne	160	99	Mark Cavendish (GBR)
2010	Longjumeau	102.5	64
2011	Créteil	95	59		[18][19][20]
2012	Rambouillet	120	75
2013	Versailles	133.5	83	Marcel Kittel (GER)	[21]
2014	Évry	136	85		[22]
2015	Sèvres	109.5	68	André Greipel (GER)	[23]
2016	Chantilly	113	70		[24]
2017	Montgeron	103	64	Dylan Groenewegen (NED)	[25]
2018	Houilles	116	72	Alexander Kristoff (NOR)	[26]
2019	Rambouillet	128	80	Caleb Ewan (AUS)	[27]
2020	Mantes-la-Jolie	122	76	Sam Bennett (IRL)	[1]
2021	Chatou	108.4	67	Wout van Aert (BEL)	[28]

References[]

External links[]

Media related to Champs-Élysées stage in the Tour de France at Wikimedia Commons