Tour de France stage 21 LIVE: Shortened stage around Montmartre and Champs-Élysées brings race to a close
Initiated by the 2024 Olympics, the circuit featuring the cobbled climb of Butte Montmartre returns for the second consecutive year to close out the Tour de France in Paris
Small mechanical for Abel Balderstone (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA). Technically their debut at the race but the sponsor did race in 1987 and 1988.
The usual photos are being taken for the jerseys and their teams.
Pogačar is, of course, decked out in yellow.
Around the Arc de Triomphe for the first time as the jerseys still lead the way. We are technically racing bit it does appear the riders will just roll round this first lap at least.
88.7km to go
Racing begins but the first lap does appear to be relaxed as the riders roll off the start/finish line. All the jerseys lined up together in front of the peloton with huge cheers coming from the massive crowds.
It is pretty gusty out on course with wind gusts said to possible be up to 30mph at times. Definitely a chance for echelons if a team really goes for it.
Interestingly, Quinn Simmons has been named best teammate of the Tour de France after his work for Mads Pedersen, Juan Ayuso and Mattias Skjelmose.
The stage is set, the roads are mercifully dry and the riders are rolling to the start with Pogačar getting his saddle height adjusted and Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) adjusting his power meter.
Cannondale have made a fantastic polka dot bike for Carapaz who wins the mountains jersey for the second time in his career.
Colnago have made two special bikes for Pogačar and Del Toro with a full yellow and white frames done for them.
Lidl-Trek will very likely take the team standings as they lead UAE Team Emirates-XRG by 36'57", but that can disappear very easily. Lidl-Trek will be going for Mads Pedersen to win in green while UAE will be aiming for another win for Tadej Pogačar in yellow.
Pogačar and the rest of his UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad have gone full yellow for the final stage in Paris. Also the number five is plastered everywhere they can fit it.
Tadej Pogačar will be joining a very elite group of riders with five Tour de France overall victories to their names.
Eddy Merckx
Jacques Anquetil
Bernard Hinault
Miguel Indurain
An incredible disaster would have to happen to prevent the Slovenian from joining them.
The crowds are already absolutely gigantic in Montmartre with the summit of the climb by the Sacré-Cœur playing host to massive numbers of people with rain clouds looming overhead.
Remarkably, only 11 riders remained inside an hour of Pogačar with Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) being the last of them at +56'37" with the last placed rider in GC, Cees Bol in 158th, being at +6:22'08" down on Pogačar after a brutal three weeks.
The jerseys have been pretty much decided. Anything can happy on this tricky course around Paris, but the jerseys are expected to be as followed:
Yellow GC - Tadej Pogačar (UAX)
Green Points - Mads Pedersen (LTK)
Polka-dots KOM - Richard Carapaz (EFE)
White Youth - Isaac Del Toro (UAX)
With the podium looking like this:
1. Tadej Pogačar (UAX) 72:53'22"
2. Remco Evenepoel (RBH) +6'26"
3. Isaac Del Toro (UAX) +9'42"
For more in depth information including the official statement by the race organisers, take a look at our news piece...
>>> Final stage of 2026 Tour de France shortened due to exceptional circumstances caused by wildfires
Take a look at our preview of the stage with the new profile and what that may mean for the riders...
>>> Tour de France 2026 stage 21 preview – A shortened day of racing in Paris to crown the final victors
Bonjour and welcome to the final stage of the Tour de France 2026! A shortened day due to police being relocated to southern France to battle the huge wildfires down there. So the riders have 88.7km of racing starting and finishing on the Champs Elysees with three laps of the amazing Montmartre circuit.
It was an unusual start to the day with the riders having their team presentation in Thoiry, where the stage was originally meant to begin from at 14:40 local time with all the riders and race officials heading into Paris by bus and car with the stage starting at 17:50 local time. Roughly 50 minutes from now.
