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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