Stage 21 Mantes-la-Ville - Paris (132.3km)
From classic final stage to classics-style final stage?
After an absence of a year due to the 2024 Summer Olympics, the Tour de France traditionally returns to the French capital Paris for its final stage. The love between the ASO and the iconic finish on the Champs-Élysées remains intact, after starting in Mantes-la-Ville. This suburb of Paris is mainly known for two famous musical instrument manufacturers. Buffet-Crampon makes world-famous clarinets, while Selmer does the same for saxophones. After the yellow jersey wearer raises a glass of champagne and two leg-breakers, we arrive via the world-famous Louvre museum at the traditional course to and from the Arc de Triomphe. But this year, appearances are deceptive.
The ASO wants to include Montmartre in the route in the last few laps. Three times even, if it's up to race director Christian Prudhomme. The cobbled climb - the Butte Montmartre - was part of the Olympic road race course in 2024. This cobbled climb toward the Sacré-Cœur is one kilometer long and has an average gradient of 6.5%. We saw attacks here from Mathieu van der Poel, but the Dutchman found it not hard enough after the race to make a difference. Ultimately, it was Remco Evenepoel who soloed to the gold in the men's race. The big question in this test case is whether Montmartre can avert the normal scenario of a mass sprint on the Champs-Élysées and we get a battle. It would be a breath of fresh air, because that eternal stress for that last mass sprint is worth nothing.
Due to light rainfall, slippery roads were expected on the Champs-Élysées and the cobblestones leading to Montmartre. As a result, the race organizers and the UCI jury decided to record the general classification times at the fourth passage of the finish line, with 50 kilometers remaining. Only after that did the laps over the Butte Montmartre begin.
| Date | Sunday 27 July |
| Start |  Mantes-la-Ville |
| Finish | Paris |
| Distance | 132.3 km |
| Elevation gain | 1100 m |
| Start time | 16:10 |
| Expected finish | 19:26-19:45 |
Stage 21 Mantes-la-Ville - Paris (132.3km)
From classic final stage to classics-style final stage?
After an absence of a year due to the 2024 Summer Olympics, the Tour de France traditionally returns to the French capital Paris for its final stage. The love between the ASO and the iconic finish on the Champs-Élysées remains intact, after starting in Mantes-la-Ville. This suburb of Paris is mainly known for two famous musical instrument manufacturers. Buffet-Crampon makes world-famous clarinets, while Selmer does the same for saxophones. After the yellow jersey wearer raises a glass of champagne and two leg-breakers, we arrive via the world-famous Louvre museum at the traditional course to and from the Arc de Triomphe. But this year, appearances are deceptive.
The ASO wants to include Montmartre in the route in the last few laps. Three times even, if it's up to race director Christian Prudhomme. The cobbled climb - the Butte Montmartre - was part of the Olympic road race course in 2024. This cobbled climb toward the Sacré-Cœur is one kilometer long and has an average gradient of 6.5%. We saw attacks here from Mathieu van der Poel, but the Dutchman found it not hard enough after the race to make a difference. Ultimately, it was Remco Evenepoel who soloed to the gold in the men's race. The big question in this test case is whether Montmartre can avert the normal scenario of a mass sprint on the Champs-Élysées and we get a battle. It would be a breath of fresh air, because that eternal stress for that last mass sprint is worth nothing.