Once underway, they\u2019ll complete seven laps of the Champs-\u00c9lys\u00e9es circuit before tackling three finishing loops, each featuring the C\u00f4te de la Butte Montmartre. It\u2019s going to sting some already tired legs.<\/p>\n
Montmartre<\/p>\n
The nasty cobbled climb 1.1 km at 5.9 per cent and for the boys in France go up a final time just over 10 km from the finish. That\u2019s quite a bit further from the line than last year\u2019s edition, leaving more room for attacks. Or, for a chase.<\/p>\n
The debut of the Montmartre finale last year completely changed the character of the final stage. Instead of a routine bunch sprint, the repeated climbs split the race and rewarded aggressive riders.<\/p>\n
Plus, it was awesome to watch, even if the pure sprinters didn\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n
Mathieu van der Poel starts among the favourites. The Dutch star has the explosive power and bike-handling skills needed for this type of finish, while Alpecin can also play the Jasper Philipsen card if the race comes back together. More likely, though, this is a day tailor-made for Van der Poel. His longtime rival Wout van Aert produced a brilliant victory here last year, but he isn\u2019t racing in 2026, as we all know.<\/p>\n
Will Pogi go for it?<\/p>\n
Yellow jersey Tadej Poga\u010dar is another obvious contender. Even with the yellow jersey all but secured, the Slovenian rarely passes up an opportunity to win, and he\u2019s repeatedly shown he can match the best Classics riders on short, steep climbs. He hinted that if he feels good, he\u2019ll give it a go.<\/p>\n
Remember, Poga\u010dar already has 26 Tour stage wins. And if you think about it, realistically, he could have 29. He gifted one to Isaac Del Toro, effectively handed another to Remco Evenepoel, and didn\u2019t chase yesterday\u2019s stage either. Instead he stayed with his Mexican teammate to help secure a podium finish. Given his ride on Alpe d\u2019Huez, when he made four minutes back in 14 km, surely he could have done something similar on the small side of the mountain, and caught Richard Carapaz (again.)<\/p>\n
As you recall, Mark Cavendish still owns the all-time Tour record with 35 stage victories, but the world champion is now only nine away. At his current pace, a few more Tours could see him surpass that number. Which is, well, crazy. Cav joked once about Pogi beating the record\u2026it was funny then.<\/p>\n
Other favourites<\/p>\n
Mads Pedersen, Remco Evenepoel, Tom Pidcock and Quinn Simmons could all be in the mix as well. Imagine Simmons winning? (An American in Paris, as it were.) Here\u2019s an idea, if this is Julian Alaphilippe\u2019s last Tour\u2026a win on Sunday would be spectacular.<\/p>\n
You can tune into the last day of racing at the Tour de France on FloBikes.com<\/a> at 9:55 a.m. EDT. Canadian Cycling Magazine will have a full report after, too. Don\u2019t forget, the Tour de France Femmes starts next week too! The start lists are being confirmed but expect a large Canadian contingent.<\/p>\n
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