The second last stage being even further from Paris than last year in Marseille, it'll be late afternoon again when the riders hit the Champs-Elysées after 6pm and the traditional walk in the park that includes the necessary Champagne pictures.
Since the 100th edition in 2013, the curtain comes down just before sunset. This year, the start is located in Houilles in the Yvelines province that has been hosting the inaugural stage of Paris-Nice for 10 years. It's a relief for the riders to see the Eiffel Tower from far out. It means the suffering comes close to an end.
A bunch gallop is always expected on the world's most prestigious avenue. However, attacks are also a valuable ingredient of the conclusive stage. The last time it wasn't a sprint was in 2005 when Alexandre Vinokourov counter-attacked behind Bradley McGee. From the currently active riders, Daniele Bennati (2007), Mark Cavendish (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012), Marcel Kittel (2013, 2014), André Greipel (2015, 2016) and Dylan Groenewegen (2017) know the special feeling of winning in Paris.
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Pan-Am Cyclocross Championships: Mia Aseltine and Henry Coote win U23 titles in Washington
USA dominates the U23 races with Alyssa Sarkisov taking silver in U23 women’s race, and Marcis Shelto takes junior silver for men -
Pan-Am Cyclocross Championships: Andrew Strohmeyer solos to elite men’s title
Eric Brunner takes second, Jules Van Kempen third in Washington, DC -
Pan-Am Cyclocross Championships: Lizzy Gunsalus edges Maghalie Rochette for elite women's title
Defending champion Sidney McGill takes bronze -
UEC European Cyclocross Championships: Inge van der Heijden leads Dutch sweep ahead of Lucinda Brand and Aniek van Alphen at elite women’s race
Van der Heijden led from start to finish on sandy Middelkerke course
