Tour de France 2018: Stage 21

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Stage 20: Dumoulin wins time trial as Thomas cements overall victory
Geraint Thomas bursts from his bubble before Tour de France procession into Paris

Chris Froome still believes that Giro-Tour double is possible

Dumoulin: Thomas was the absolute strongest over the last three weeks

Bonjour! It's the final day of the Tour de France, and we're on our way to Paris. 

Geraint Thomas has really already won the race, but today will see the I's dotted and the T's crossed, not to mention a final hurrah for the sprinters - or whoever's left of them - on the hallowed Champs Elysées. 

Thomas is late to the start, but he does eventually line up alongside the wearers of the other jerseys - Peter Sagan in green as winner of the points classification, Julian Alaphilippe in the polka-dots for king of the mountains, Pierre Latour in white as best young rider, and then for good measure we also have Sylvain Chavanel, the veteran Frenchman who is about to complete a record 18th Tour de France. 

The riders roll out and this final stage is officially underway

The riders reach kilometre-zero. There's not even a joke attack as the peloton ambles along having a chit chat. It'll be like this for much of the stage, with the champagne on ice back in the Team Sky car.

As expected, Geraint Thomas has been kitted out with a special-edition yellow bike for this final stage

In fact, Team Sky have gone overboard today in celebration of their sixth Tour de France title in seven years. There are custom kits and yellow bottles for all Thomas' teammates, and an garish Ford sports car with an even more garish '6' screaming out of the side. Here they all are.

The champagne is out. Thomas and his teammates drift back to the team car - a more modest Mondeo or something - to grab a flute of bubbly and pose for the classic photos. 

Alaphilippe there on a special polka-dot bike. Quick-Step have also applied red polka-dot stickers to their team car

Thomas finishes his champagne and gives his empty glass to Froome to dispose of. How the mighty have fallen. 

Provided Thomas stays upright, he'll be crowned Tour de France champion in around three hours' time. He had shielded himself from the possibility for much of the race, preaching the 'day-by-day' mantra, but when it was all virtually wrapped up in yesterday's time trial the bubble burst and the emotion came flooding out. Here's Daniel Benson's piece from yesterday evening. 

Geraint Thomas bursts from his bubble before Tour de France procession into Paris

More photos now as Thomas grabs a Welsh flag. He drafts teammate and compatriot Luke Rowe for a joint snap. 

97km remaining from 116km

Luke Rowe and Michal Kwiatkowski hit the front of the peloton and raise the pace slightly. The celebrations, it seems, are over, and people want to get to Paris before sunset. 

The riders hit a gentle downhill section and mess around on their top tubes. 

When the race does hit the Champs Elysées, Peter Sagan should be in the mix for the stage win. Other than him, Arnaud Démare (FDJ) is arguably the strongest 'pure sprinter' left in the race after most of them missed the time cuts somewhere in the mountains. Alexander Kristoff (UAE) will be in the mix, as will Christophe Laporte (Cofidis) and John Degenkolb (Trek-Segafredo). 

Then again, with so few top-tier sprinters, could we see a rare breakaway triumph on the Champs?

Speaking of which... Pat Malach has written this feature on Jeff Pierce and his solo victory on the Champs in 1987. In the second half of the piece, Pierce gives his first-person blow-by-blow account of that successful attack, and it's a great read. 

Triumph on the Champs-Elysees: Jeff Pierce recalls his solo '87 win in Paris

Chris Froome heads up to Christian Prudhomme in the race director's car and the two have a brief conversation. Prudhomme places his hand on Froome's. The same Prudhomme who banned Froome from racing the Tour a week before the Grand Départ and a couple of days before his salbutamol case was suddenly settled. The air, it seems, has been cleared. 

Dan Martin didn't finish in the top three but, true to his character, he barely stopped attacking at this Tour de France, and for that he will visit the podium in Paris this evening to collect the award for the 'most combative' rider. Here's the full story and Martin's reaction.

Dan Martin makes Tour de France podium with 'super combative' prize

56km remaining from 116km

Here they are... the riders hit Paris.

As the peloton comes down the Rue de Rivoli and towards the Champs Elysées, Chavanel is allowed off the front on his own to take it all in in what is his last Tour de France.

And now, with the champagne digested, the racing begins...

Chavanel is brought back and we have six riders on the attack

The six riders in the break are:

Taylor Phinney (EF-Drapac)

Michael Schar (BMC)

Silvan Dillier (AG2R La Mondiale)

Nils Politt (Katusha-Alpecin)

Guillaume Van Keirsbluck (Wanty Groupe Gobert)

Damien Guadin (Direct Energie)

A Cofidis rider is trying to get across now but doesn't make it. The French team have Christophe Laporte for the likely bunch sprint.

FDJ take control of the peloton for Arnaud Demare, who won in Pau on Thursday. 

The riders head slightly uphill and into a light headwind on their way up to the Arc de Triomphe. We're on the second of eight laps of the famous Champs Elysées.

Sagan's Bora team now head to the front to assist FDJ in keeping this breakaway under control.

The riders head right around the Arc de Triomphe and then downhill back towards the Place de la Concorde. They jink right to head along the river Seine before a sharp left takes them through a tunnel under the Tuileries gardens. Another sharp left takes them back onto the Rue de Rivoli and then they come onto the cobbles back through Concorde and onto the Champs once more, up towards the Arc. The finish line is about a third of the way up. 

36km remaining from 116km

The six leaders have 30 seconds on the peloton with just over five laps remaining.

The gap remains stable as the escapees cross the finish line. Five to go. 

Bora and FDJ continue to manage the gap. They've both put their climbers on the front in a bid to save their bigger riders for the lead-out later on. 

27km remaining from 116km

The six leaders cross the line with four laps to go now, and the gap has grown to 45 seconds. 

Mechanical for Phinney. He's getting some help from the neutral service car. 

And now Phinney's team car comes up to him. It looks like something's wrong with his seat tube, and he's getting some rolling repairs. 

After all that, Phinney stops and the mechanic jumps out of the car. A new bike is needed. It's a quick change but he's going to have to chase hard to get back on to the break.

20km remaining from 116km

Phinney is back on as they go through the finish line once again. Three laps and just over 20km to go.

Peter Sagan moves up now with a good few teammates ahead of him. 

Cofidis have now put three men up towards the front, right in the middle of the Bora train.

Cofidis hit the front now. What can Laporte do today? He was second to Demare on Thursday. 

13km remaining from 116km

2 laps to go!

13.5km to go and our six leaders have 20 seconds over the peloton.

The escapees are digging in and holding their advantage here as the road tilts uphill towards the Arc.

Attacks from the peloton. Julian Alaphilippe sets off in the polka-dots, with a Fortuneo rider for company. 

A slight lull in pace allowed the Frenchman to attack and he's up and around the Arc and back onto the downhill.

Team Sky are up right behind FDJ's only rider on the front.

Alaphilippe is caught.

The six breakaway riders come past Concorde with a lead of 10 seconds. 

Sagan and his team are looking strong. The world champion crashed heavily in the Pyrenees and was well below full strength in Pau. How has he recovered?

Trek are making their presence felt for the first time now. They're working for John Degenkolb.

8km remaining from 116km

Up out of the tunnel and Politt attacks the break.

Politt heads back up the Champs Elysées and he can hear the bell. The other five riders are slipping back.

7km remaining from 116km

Last lap!

Politt has six seconds over the peloton.

Phinney, Van Keirsbulck and Schar dig in but can't deny the inevitable. They're caught now.

It's just Politt left out in front. 6km to go. 

Politt is in the smooth gutter on the right-hand side of the road, but Bora are powering up the left-hand side.

5km remaining from 116km

Politt is caught. All together.

Trek hit the front with one rider but behind him there are three Bora jerseys in front of Sagan.

Up around the Arc de Triomphe for the final time.

Bahrain are moving up now.

Thomas is safe towards the front of the bunch.

Bahrain will be working for Sonny Colbrelli

Gorka Izaguirre leads down the Champs for Bahrain

FDJ try to reassert themselves now, moving up on the right.

Kristoff and his UAE teammates are tracking FDJ.

2km remaining from 116km

Through the Place de la Concorde and onto the banks of the Seine... 2.5 to go!

A flyer from Marco Marcato (UAE)...

The attack sparks counter-attacks. Yves Lampaert is tracking it with Daniel Oss.

FDJ, panicking surely, hit the front as they turn to the tunnel.

Oss and Lampaert have a small gap...

Onto the Rue de Rivoli and Oss peels off. Lampaert goes it alone

1km to go!

Big gap for Lampaert!

Too late to close this down? It looks like it...

Lampaert leads onto the Champs but the gap is coming down fast...

He's not going to do it.

Degenkolb goes!

Kristoff comes back but here comes Demare...

Kristoff gets it!

Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) wins stage 21 of the Tour de France

Geraint Thomas sits up and rolls across the line. He has officially won the Tour de France.

Degenkolb sas second there, Demare third. It looked like Laporte fourth.

Boasson Hagen was in fact fourth. Laporte fifth, Richeze sixth, Colbrelli sixth, Sagan seventh.

Big win for Kristoff

1 Alexander Kristoff (Nor) UAE Team Emirates 02:46:36
2 John Degenkolb (Ger) Trek-Segafredo
3 Arnaud Demare (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
4 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Dimension Data
5 Christophe Laporte (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
6 Maximiliano Richeze (Arg) Quick-Step Floors
7 Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
8 Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe
9 Andrea Pasqualon (Ita) Wanty-Groupe Gobert
10 Jasper De Buyst (Bel) Lotto Soudal

Final general classification after stage 21

1 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky 83:17:13
2 Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Sunweb 00:01:51
3 Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky 00:02:24
4 Primoz Roglic (Slo) LottoNL-Jumbo 00:03:22
5 Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo 00:06:08
6 Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 00:06:57
7 Mikel Landa (Spa) Movistar Team 00:07:37
8 Daniel Martin (Irl) UAE Team Emirates 00:09:05
9 Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Katusha-Alpecin 00:12:37
10 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team 00:14:18

Kristoff speaks

"It's a dream come true. I've dreamt about this victory for many years. I've been close many times before butnevermanaged to beat the faster guys like Cavendish, Greipel, or Kittel, but today they're not here, they're out after the mountains, and today I was the fastest, so I'm super happy. 

"I was a bit far back after the tunnel but I was with [Roberto] Ferrari then Trek did a really good lead-out from behind and I managed to get John's wheel. I started in a good position and passed John, and it was still far out but I saw nobody and in the last 20 metres I was sure I was going to win. I'm so happy I managed to do it."

Here's Thomas

"It's unbelievable. It's going to take a while to sink in. Normally that stage is really hard but today I just seemed to float around it. I had goosebumps going around there. The support from the Welsh, British flags... it's unreal. It's the Tour de France. To ride around wearing this [yellow jersey] is a dream. With the boys, that's the main thing for the whole three weeks, we stuck together through some tough times, stayed strong."