Tour de France stage 21 Live - Sprint showdown on the Champs-Elysees

Bonjour and welcome to the Cyclingnews live coverage of stage 21 of the 2022 Tour de France

On a historic day which saw the rebooted Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift conclude around half an hour ago with a win for Team DSM's Lorena Wiebes, the men will shortly begin the final stage of their journey around France.

Of course, it's a largely processional stage, which will see the winning teams and riders enjoy moments of celebration, before they hit the circuit around Paris which they will complete 8 times, before the expected bunch sprint finish.

It's been an unforgettable three weeks of racing. I'll be looking back at a few of the highlights throughout the afternoon, assuming we don't have a surprise breakaway attack.

Jonas Vingegaard and his Jumbo-Visma team will be celebrating this afternoon, as they finish what has been an incredible Tour for them as a team. They have secured the yellow jersey, the green jersey through Wout Van Aert, along with the polka dot jersey which also belongs to Jonas Vingegaard.

The Dutch team have won 6 stages so far, and with Van Aert looking to add to his already record-breaking points tally, there's every chance they could make it 7 today.

The stage starts today in the Paris La Défense Arena, which is situated in Nanterre, a suburb west of the city centre. The crowds have already gathered in the arena as they wait for the neutralised stage start, which we are expecting any moment now.

Wout Van Aert won't have things all his own way today though. Plenty of other sprinters will be very keen to get something out of today, in a Tour that has had very few opportunities for the fast men.

Fabio Jakobsen (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl), Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal), Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Dylan Groenewegen (Team BikeExchange-Jayco), Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo), Danny Van Poppel (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Alberto Dainese (Team DSM) are some of the big names who will hope to contest for the final stage win later on this afternoon.

The riders roll out of the Paris La Défense Arena, head out for a short neutralised start, before passing the Arena once again at kilometre zero.

They then face a 115.6km ride to determine the final stage winner of this year's Tour de France.

Tadej Pogacar looks happy and relaxed as he rides alongside his remaining UAE Team Emirates team mates. The team have been short-handed for most of the race, and just half of their 8-man team remain.

Jonas Vingegaard and Pogacar share a conversation as they head for kilometre zero. The rivalry between these two incredible athletes has led to the most exciting battle for the yellow jersey for a number of years.

So for those who dream of something different on this final stage, how likely are we to have a breakaway win today? 

The answer is: not really. There are far too many teams looking to contend a bunch sprint, in a Tour that's featured very few opportunities for the pure sprinters. 

It's not unheard of for a breakaway rider to win on the Champs, though - the last time it happened was in 2005, Alexandre Vinokourov the successful baroudeur on that occasion.

Peter Sagan (TotalEnergies) stops for a bike change. He looks relaxed - he hasn't had the best of Tours, and will be keen to try and redress that balance today in Paris.

The riders are off, and Tadej Pogacar launches an attack - Wout Van Aert and Jonas Vingegaard are straight on his wheel. There are smiles exchanged and the three set off in the first break of the day. Great to see.

The first part of the race usually sees the ceremonial stuff - champagne, photographs and celebrations, before the more serious business gets underway when they reach the finishing circuit. 

The three musketeers take it easy as they wait for the rest of the peloton to catch them up. They really have delivered incredible entertainment these three weeks, so it's wonderful to see them riding together.

Wout Van Aert signals for Simon Geschke to come and join the parade of jersey wearers and he obliges. Sadly for the Cofidis rider, he won't get to keep the jersey, as it rightfully belongs to Jonas Vingegaard. He had a good run in the polka dots before losing them on stage 19.

Jonas Vingegaard spoke before the stage. 'I think Wout has been the strongest rider in this race, it's been a pleasure to have him by my side these past three weeks.'

'We had three incredible weeks, the whole team has been so strong. I'm really proud of how the whole team rode.'

Wout Van Aert reflected on his favourite moment: 'The way we destroyed everyone on the two hardest stages I will remember forever.'

'Our team spirit in general, we enjoyed every day, every minute. It was super special to experience.'

136 riders start the day - three riders did not start the race, Michael Woods and Guillaume Boivin from Israel PremierTech, with covid-19 and stomach issues respectively, and Gorka Izagirre (Movistar) who decided to abandon the race and head home for a race there instead.

The maillot jaune heads up the peloton. The pace is extremely relaxed, as expected at this early stage of the final stage.

110km to go

It's a hot, sunny day in Paris, in what has been a hot, sunny Tour overall. The heat has had an impact on many of the riders over the course of the three weeks. 

Mads Pedersen rides up alongside his countryman Vingegaard and the two share a few words. The Danes not only hosted an incredible Grand Depart, they have had a spectacular Tour overall, taking the yellow jersey and 4 stage wins along the way (Pedersen, Cort and two for Vingegaard).

Phillippe Gilbert now leads the procession, riding alongside Van Aert. It’s the Belgian veteran’s final Tour de France.

The crowds are out in force and line the roads of suburban Paris as the procession continues at a stately pace.

The chilled pace is a stark contrast to what has been the fastest Tour de France in history. 

Luke Rowe (Ineos Grenadiers) stops to apply some sunscreen to his legs. 

The racing will begin at around 80km to go, following the only categorised climb of the day. The single point available for that climb will make no difference to the overall mountains competition, however.

105km to go

On the equivalent stage last year, Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) claimed the single KOM point. Quite the irony as a rider known more for his skills on the flat, but this year he showed his versatility on stage 17, turning himself inside out in a last-ditch attempt for Tadej Pogacar to close the time gap to Vingegaard.

The riders soak up the atmosphere as they travel through the tree-lined streets of the Parisienne suburbs.

Luke Rowe and Bauke Mollema take over at the front of the bunch.

100km to go - it's going to be interesting to see who fancies a tilt in the break today. With so many sprinters' teams who will be looking to control the pace, it's likely to be an unsuccessful jaunt.

100km to go

Tadej Pogacar, Wout Van Aert and Jonas Vingegaard ride at the front together at the start of today's final stage. (Image credit: Getty images)

The five remaining riders of the winning team, Jumbo Visma take to the front of the peloton to celebrate. They display the numbers of their missing team mates - Primoz Roglic, Steven Kruijswijk and Nathan Van Hooydonck.

The relaxed pace continues as the peloton heads through the French countryside just outside of Paris.

Still all smiles at the front of the bunch, as Jonas Vingegaard chats to Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost). Powless had a good race, spending some time in the top 10 on GC. Assuming all goes as expected today, he will finish in 13th spot.

Ineos Grenadiers drop off the back of the peloton to have photographs taken, as the winners of the team classification. They finish with two riders in the top ten.

Meanwhile at the front of the race, the Danish riders take a turn ahead of the rest - Vingegaard, Pedersen and Bjerg and joined by Andreas Kron (Lotto Soudal), Mikkel Honore (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) and Chris Juul Jensen (Team BikeExchange-Jayco).

They will once again be a formidable force at the World Championships in Australia.

It won't be long now until the race will get underway. 

Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert ride together at the back of the bunch now.

One of the highlights of the Tour was a gritty stage win from Michael Matthews on stage 14 into Mende. Matthews has today announced a contract extension at Team BikeExchange-Jayco.

Team Jumbo-Visma celebrate a first Tour de France win for the team. Their goal prior to the Tour, to target both the yellow and green jerseys, was criticised by many for being too ambitious. They are the first team to achieve this feat since 1997, when Jan Ullrich and Erik Zabel were the victors.

Philippe Gilbert enjoys another turn at the front of the bunch, as his final Tour de France comes to a close.

85km to go

For what must be the first time so far this Tour, the race is actually behind schedule.

We've covered just over 30km of today's 115.6, and shortly the peloton will take on the day's only categorised climb, before descending towards the finishing circuit. They will take on the circuit 8 times before the final sprint down the Champs-Élysées.

Time for the obligatory tipple, and the Jumbo Visma riders enjoy a glass of champagne before hostilities commence on this final stage.

80km to go

The peloton pass the Palace of Versailles, and the pace picks up as it's almost time for the real racing to begin. Who will be the first to go on the attack?

Jonas Vingegaard smiles, waves to the camera and blows a kiss. He has had an incredible Tour de France with two stage wins. He took victory on stage 11, putting on an incredible display of dominance on the Col du Granon to take the yellow jersey. 8 stages later and he won atop the Hautacam, wearing the jersey. 

The six remaining Danish riders lead the peloton, on what has been a truly memorable Tour for their nation. (Image credit: Getty images)

The sprinters' teams take to the front of the bunch as the peloton head towards the Paris circuit.

75km to go

The riders tackle the category 4 climb at a relaxed pace. Simon Geschke is encouraged to come to front of the bunch, as he currently wears the polka dot jersey.

Geschke leads up the climb, which is just over 1km in length, with some steep steep sections of up to 13%. Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo) who also challenged for the KOM jersey also looks interested, although Geschke is allowed to ride clear of the rest to take the single point.

The rest of the peloton block the road as Geschke crests the climb and takes the single point. 

Tadej Pogacar speaking before the stage: 'I can be really happy with this Tour de France. For sure we wanted to win, but also the second place and three stage wins is something to be proud of. I am looking for new challenges.'

'Stage wins are always incredible in the Tour. It's something I cannot describe. For me, that's why it's so beautiful.'

The bunch descend down into Paris, with Jumbo-Visma back at the front. 

Not long to go until the procession becomes a race - the peloton will soon cross the line for the first time. Look out for the likes of Lotto Soudal, Alpecin-Deceuninck, QuickStep-AlphaVinyl and Team BikeExchange-Jayco taking control at the front of the bunch.

It's been a really tough edition of the Tour de France - some of the riders will go on to La Vuelta a Espana, which begins on 19th August in Utrecht. All three Grand Tours in 2022 have started in different nations to their home nation.

Team Jumbo-Visma celebrate a job well done. The Dutch team have had their ups and downs, suffering their fair share of bad luck along the way, but ultimately their team performance was second to none. (Image credit: Getty images)

The crowds are out in force in Paris as the riders head towards the racing circuit. They will get underway any moment now.

The peloton takes their final opportunity to soak up the ambience, and accept the crowd's appreciation for three weeks of incredible racing.

We're around 5km away from the first passage of the finish line - expect to see the maillot jaune cross the line first, before the pace picks up significantly.

60km to go

Jumbo-Visma spearhead the peloton as cheers ring out on a sunny early evening in Paris.

The riders safely tackle the road furniture as they head towards crunch time.

This time last year, Wout Van Aert won on the Champs-Élysées, taking his third stage win of the Tour. Jasper Philipsen was second - he took his first Tour stage win this year, on stage 15 in Carcassonne. 

The pace kicks up as Jumbo-Visma lead the peloton towards the Champs-Élysées.

And we are almost underway - the Arc de Triomphe looms on the horizon as the peloton enters the Champs-Élysées.

55km to go

The racing begins and the first attacks come from Jonas Rutsch (EF Education-EasyPost).

Jan Tratnik (Bahrain-Victorious) attacks solo and gains a small gap.

The sprinters' teams are unlikely to allow many riders to get away today. 

The riders pass around the Arc de Triomphe for the first time. They are lined out as the pace increases.

An attack from AG2R-Citroen's Benoit Cosnefroy. They've had a difficult Tour, losing Ben O'Connor, their big GC hope, to a hip injury.

Cosnefroy has company, with Nils Politt (Bora-Hansgrohe) and a rider from Israel Premier-Tech joining him.

There's a rider from TotalEnergies trying to join the three that nurse a slender gap over the bunch.

The rider from Israel PremierTech is Krists Neilands.

It's far from over as the peloton aren't willing to let this group get away. Plenty more riders interested in being part of this move.

50km to go

We are treated to a display from the Patrouille de France - the French equivalent of the Red Arrows - as the bunch comes back together once again.

The peloton snakes down the Champs-Élysées - it's a breath-taking sight. 

The riders pass the Arc de Triomphe for the second time.

Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-EasyPost) is next to attack, along with Cosnefroy once again.

45km to go

Bissegger has had a lean time of it at this year's Tour, struggling on both time trials, his specialist discipline. He crashed twice on the opening day in Copenhagen, and was forced to stop racing in yesterday's stage due to a mechanical.

Correction - the AG2R rider is actually Stan Dewulf this time, not Cosnefroy. Along with Bissegger, a couple of other riders are trying to form a viable breakaway group.

The other two riders are Tratnik and Mathieu Burgaudeau (TotalEnergies).

The sprinters' teams try to take control on the front of the bunch.

Two more riders, one from Ineos Grenadiers and one from B&B Hotels-KTM, try to bridge across to the lead group of four.

Dani Martinez (Ineos Grenadiers) manages to make the jump across and now the breakaway comprises five men - the gap is 8 seconds to the bunch.

The intermediate sprint comes and goes, and Wout Van Aert does not attempt to contest it. In fact, he's the last man to cross the line. Quite the contrast with the other 20 stages of this Tour de France, where he's animated the race on a daily basis.

40km to go

The group of five maintain a small gap, but it's a fine margin, just 7 seconds at the moment.

Mattia Cattaneo (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) has a mechanical issue.

The gap is still only a few seconds. There's every chance the break won't ever make it away today, with so many teams looking to force the bunch sprint.

Matteo Jorgensen (Movistar) joins the breakaway - they are now 6-men strong.

Three laps down, five to go. 

The breakaway still hold a fragile lead of only 7 seconds over the rest.

35km to go

There are more attempts as riders break free of the bunch - as this break grows, their chances of being allowed to escape diminish.

There are 9 riders now in the breakaway group, but Lotto Soudal drag the peloton back to them. They will be desperate for some success from today following a barren Tour so far. 

It all comes back together again. Then three more riders break loose - they are Maximilian Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe), and two riders from EF Education-EasyPost - Owain Doull and Jonas Rutsch.

More attacks incoming from the chasing peloton.

30km to go

The three are joined by two from Groupama-FDJ - Olivier le Gac and Antoine Duchesne.

This 5-man group have a bigger gap than any attempt has enjoyed so far - now up to 14 seconds. Despite a strong GC performance from David Gaudu, Groupama are another team who are without a stage win so far this Tour.

Four laps to go - we are halfway through the racing portion of today's stage.

It looks as though this will be the day's break - the group are working well together and have amassed a 23 second lead.

Lotto Soudal, BikeExchange and QuickStep lead the chase.

Two riders from EF, Two from Groupama and one from Bora-Hansgrohe make up our break of 5, and they are working very hard to maintain a gap, although they've lost a few seconds - the peloton are currently 16 seconds behind.

A bike change for Edvald Boassen-Hagen following a mechanical.

Still just 16 seconds separate this 5-man break from the chasing pack.

Interesting although unconfirmed fact for the day: if Caleb Ewan wins today, he would be the first Lanterne Rouge ever to win on the Champs-Élysées. The Australian currently sits dead last in the GC standings and wears the red lantern on his number.

20km to go

The break is down to four, as Owain Doull drops off the pace. 

The break has just 14 seconds lead over the peloton now. There are 18km remaining. If the race was running behind time earlier, they are doing everything within their power to make up that time now.

The tension increases as we head towards the closing stages of this final stage of the Tour de France. There are a great many contenders for today's bunch sprint, assuming it transpires as expected, and should be an explosive final.

The gap continues to hover at around 13 seconds, although it seems to be slipping away. The peloton are closing in.

15km to go

The four men in the break have just 10 seconds now and it seems their jaunt will shortly be at an end.

Two laps to go until we find out who will take the final stage of the 2022 Tour de France.

The gap drops below 10 seconds. The peloton have the now 3-man break in their sights.

Le Gac is the Groupama rider who has been reabsorbed into the peloton. Rutsch, Schachmann and Duchesne are the only riders who remain out front.

10km to go

We are closing in on the final stages, and Wout Van Aert is currently lurking quite far back in the peloton. It would be a surprise if he wasn't involved in the day's sprint proceedings.

Duchesne drops out of the break - it's just the two Germans, Schachmann and Rutsch, left - they will not be in front for much longer as the bunch bear down on them.

The riders enter the Champs-Élysées - the next time they ride down it, they will be sprinting for the stage victory. 

The leading pair are collected by the peloton as the bell rings - the peloton enters the final lap.

Geraint Thomas and Filippo Ganna take off from the bunch - this is great to see. Pogacar joins them. The race is on, and the sprinters teams are going to have to take this move seriously.

Ganna and Pogacar open up a small gap but they can't make it stick.

5km to go

Ganna continues to drive at the front, but he's leading the whole peloton now.

Ganna peels off and the sprinters' teams take over. 4.2km to go.

The pace is frantic as Nils Politt leads on behalf of Danny Van Poppel.

Politt is done, Lotto Soudal and Trek-Segafredo lead the charge.

The peloton is stretched out as they charge towards the Champs-Élysées for the final time.

3km to go

Alpecin-Deceuninck take over on the front of the bunch.

The sprint teams are shoulder to shoulder. 2.1km to go.

This is an electrifying finale to the Tour de France. 

BikeExchange are next to lead the charge.

Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis) and Stefan Bissegger try to break away but are reigned in. 

And we're on the Champs-Élysées. 700m to go.

BikeExchange lead.

Intermarche looking good with Alexander Kristoff.

Jasper Philipsen takes the win!

Philipsen opened up his sprint early and was too strong for the rest. He makes up for his heartbreak last year by winning his second stage of this Tour.

Philipsen raises his bike aloft.

Behind, Team Jumbo-Visma reassemble and punch the air, crossing the line together.

Jonas Vingegaard's girlfriend and daughter greet him as he crosses the line.

Wout Van Aert opts not to contest the sprint. He had the jersey in the bag some days ago, he's broken Peter Sagan's points record, so he chose to share the final moments with his team mates.

Let's look back at that sprint. Groenewegen launched first, with Philipsen in his wheel. Just behind them, Ewan and Kristoff jostled for position shoulder to shoulder and marked one another out. Philipsen won by a clear couple of bike lengths - a dominant victory.

Alexander Kristoff: 'We came out a little bit too far. We lost a bit of momentum, Caleb was maybe a bit angry with me but I felt it was fair and I went in a straight line. Caleb was maybe a bit boxed in but it was not my fault. I'm happy that I was up there today, it was a good effort but of course we were dreaming of a victory.'

Geraint Thomas on his third place: 'It means a huge amount really, especially with how last year ended, it probably the lowest point of my career to be honest, so to turn it around and be on the podium, I really enjoyed it.'

On the final stage: 'It never gets old. obviously winning is extra special but just to finish is always an achievement. It's the pinnacle of the sport, so to be here is always nice.'

Jasper Philipsen wins stage 21 of the Tour de France (image credit: Getty images).

Jasper Philipsen raises his bike aloft following his second stage win of this Tour de France, on the Champs-Élysées.

We have podium presentations to come. Both Jonas Vingegaard and Wout Van Aert are reunited with their families, who have colour-coordinated quite beautifully in yellow and green respectively.

In terms of the final standings, nothing changes from this morning - Vingegaard takes yellow and polka dots, Van Aert green and Pogacar white.

Jonas Vingegaard and Wout Van Aert celebrate with their families. (image credit: Getty images)

Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma): 'It's still sinking in, it's going to be nice to celebrate with everybody. for me the most special is seeing all the staff that put in all the effort behind the scenes. We're so focused on every day and you lose that perspective. It's just nice to be with everybody and see the happiness from all different sides.

What's the secret to Jumbo-Visma's success? 'Having good culture on the team, being relaxed and happy, and joking, there was never any pressure or attention just good times every day.'

Jonas Vingegaard, this year's maillot jaune, raises his bike in celebration of his GC victory. (Image credit: Getty images)

Wonderful quote from Fred Wright (Bahrain-Victorious), who has animated a few stages this Tour: 'I've loved it. Even the mountains - it's suffering, but it's beautiful suffering.'

Jonas Vingegaard, the maillot jaune: 'It's just incredible. Now I finally won the Tour, now nothing can go wrong anymore, and now I'm sitting with daughter with me, and it's just incredible. It's the biggest cycling race of the year and the biggest one you can win and now I've done it and no-one can take this away from me.'

When did you feel you were going to win? 'I always had the feeling that at least I could fight for the win, but I think in the end hen I really started believing it was after Hautacam.'

On the Danish supporters: 'that was really incredible for me, so many Danes arrived here to see me ride in the yellow jersey. I appreciate it so much and I have to say thanks to every FDane who is here and who has been cheering for me for three weeks. It means everything to me.'

'Of course now I want to celebrate, and relax, but then I also want more, yes.'

Mads Pedersen: 'It was definitely one of the last options for me in this tour. I planned to go in for the first week but I was sick before, so to have this stage win was amazing.'

'It was a tough guy and pretty warm as well, I think it killed a lot of guys.'

'Cycling is the new national sport in Denmark, it's absolutely crazy. To see all these people on the road in Copenhagen we didn't expect that. If you ask in the peloton, people are still talking about it.'

Ineos Grenadiers accept the award for best team.

Wout Van Aert accepted the super combativity award for the hugely significant part he played in making this Tour one to remember.

Tadej Pogacar takes to the stage to accept the white jersey for the best young rider. He has been a fantastic competitor, fighting all the way, gracious in defeat.

The presentation for the yellow jersey is to follow - then there will be the customary photographs with the final podium, with Jonas Vingegaard 1st, Tadej Pogacar 2nd and Geraint Thomas 3rd.

Well, it seems as though three weeks of action has gotten to me too - of course, the presentation for the green and polka dot jerseys precede the final yellow jersey presentation.

Wout Van Aert takes to the stage with his son Georges, who waves to the crowd. 

Lorena Wiebes also took to the stage with a baby earlier to accept the first yellow jersey of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift - it wasn't her own baby though, but that of a friend. One to remember.

It's Jonas' turn. He beams with his daughter in his arms as he stands on the podium as winner of the Tour de France. For Jumbo-Visma, it's the realisation of many years preparation. 

Tadej Pogacar: 'It's a little bit different but not too much. I was still really happy to be here and really proud, with my three other team mates. I enjoyed it a lot today.'

On his rivalry with Vingegaard: 'Yeah I think we're going to have a really great next couple of years. I will for sure enjoy these years on the bike because I love the challenge.'

On his next races: 'I don't know, I'm so caught up in the moment I just don't know what I will do in three or four days time. I don't know what to expect.'

Jonas Vingegaard accepts the yellow jersey in his final presentation. (Image credit: Getty images)

Thank you so much for joining us, today and every other day for this year's Tour de France. I'm sure you'll agree it's been one to remember.

Join us again for the next 7 days as the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift continues. 

Au revoir for now.