Tour De France 2025 Finale: Stage 21 Takes The Race Into Paris – Live

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This is nan last shape of nan last Tour for Geraint Thomas, a victor present successful 2018 and a fable of nan sport: Olympic champion connected nan track, a victor of 3 World Championships. Such a storied and versatile rider that is specified a celebrated rider for his understated charm.

Here is what Thomas had to opportunity earlier today’s stage.

It’s a substance of alleviation and joy. One past large day. To get to Paris is ever special. We’ll bask it pinch nan guys.

The Tour has been everything. I dreamt of competing successful this title and I’ve done it 14 times. I deliberation of each nan guys I’ve done it alongside. Even nan bad times, I still look backmost fondly because I cognize I bounced backmost from them.

The support I’ve had from Wales, from nan UK, has been amazing. I spot if from nan Dutch and nan French, nan Americans. That’s nan point that I emotion nan most.

And present is an question and reply we did pinch nan Welshman a mates of months ago.

This was our study from Saturday, the penultimate stage.

Much has besides been made of nan Tour’s determination to augment Sunday’s accepted processional laps of nan Champs-Élysées pinch 3 laps racing complete nan cobbled climbs successful Montmartre. “I don’t deliberation it’s a bully idea,” Vingegaard said. “Montmartre seemed very beautiful astatine nan Paris Olympics, pinch a awesome atmosphere.”

“But erstwhile nan riders arrived there, location were 50 successful nan peloton. Now location will beryllium 150 of america fighting for position connected a very constrictive climb. It’s going to adhd much accent than we’d like.”

Preamble

Tadej Pogacar has much than a four-minute lead going into nan last shape to Paris, and is simply a crash-free thrust distant from winning his 4th Tour. The Slovenian was nan dense favourite going into this title but has still been supreme. After gaining an early advantage, he has kept Jonas Vingegaard astatine bay, contempt everything nan Dane has thrown astatine his rival. Despite his triumph being astir sewn up, Pogacar remains wary of complacency. “Anything tin hap but I’m not promising I’ll spell for it,” said Pogacar aft Saturday’s penultimate stage. “We’ll effort to bask nan yellowish jersey successful Paris.” There is simply a batch of talk that Pogacar mightiness really onslaught today. Let’s see.

Vingegaard is 2nd (+4min24secs), Florian Lipowitz is 3rd (11min90secs), conscionable up of Scotland’s Oscar Onley, who conscionable misses retired connected nan podium. But what a capacity by nan 22-year-old. Big things await for Onley successful nan future.

Rain, cobbles and nan Côte de la Butte Montmartre. As last stages of nan Tour de France go, this 1 is surely connected nan trickier side, moreover pinch nan champagne glasses successful hand. The threat of rainfall overshadows nan decorativeness successful France’s superior and nan Tour’s head of racing, Thierry Gouvenou, acknowledged that nan Parisian cobbles tin beryllium treacherous erstwhile wet. “We cognize pinch nan slightest driblet of rain, Paris is simply a existent crystal rink,” he said earlier nan Tour. “We saw it successful nan Olympic Games clip trial. It tin move into a catastrophe.”

After a batch of talk astir neutralisation of nan stage, it looks barren successful Paris. If it does rain, past nan Tour is apt to “freeze” nan wide standings, to guarantee that nan wide classification is not affected by a last-day crash. “The shape will beryllium run, but nan clip will beryllium frozen,” Gouvenou said. So, arsenic ever, successful position of riders keeping their GC position, it is conscionable a lawsuit of them staying upright.