As it happened: Jonas Vingegaard celebrates Tour de France victory as Meeus wins Champs Elysees sprint

Bonjour and welcome to the Cyclingnews live coverage of the 21st and final stage of  the 2023 Tour de France.

After Saturday's stage in the east of France, the riders have travelled to Paris by team bus for today's final stage.

The start of the 115km final stage starts inside the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome that will host the track events of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The teams are currently signing on and ready to celebrate in Paris.

After a still emotional Thibaut Pinot, KOM winner Giulio Ciccone leads Lidl-Trek on stage. He is covered in polka-dot from head to toe.

We're 20 minutes from the start of stage 21. 

Jonas Vingegaard is on stage with his  Jumbo-Visma teammates.

We will surely soon see him toasting his victory in the early kilometres. 

Tadej Pogacar has also signed on. He is in the white jersey and won stage 20.

After heavy rain in Paris, the sun is coming out as the riders prepare to roll out.

Jonas Vingegaard has a special yellow bike today

Thibaut Pinot got a special cheer inside the velodrome.

1 minute to the roll out. 

C'est Parti! for the 21st and final stage of the 2023 Tour de France. 

The riders face a 3km neutralised sector. 

We're not expecting attacks from the very start today.

We spoke too soon! 

Victor Campenaerts shows why he won the Super Prix de la Combativité. He surges away for a bit of fun and recognition.

Campenaerts has eased to to wait for the peloton. 

There is an informal order of celebrations and photo opportunities to respect.

There was a relaxed atmosphere at the start, with Pinot ands his teammates enjoying the free goodes from the publicity caravan. 

There was a more personal Tour de France moment for Tadej Pogacar and  his partner Urška Žigart.

This was the moment Jonas Vingegaard entered the velodrome to sign-on.

Jonas Vingegaard congratulated Thibaut Pinot on his attack on stage 20 and his career.

The stage is a final day at the Tour de France for Pinot and for a few other riders, including Peter Sagan. He celebrates winning the green jersey seven times. 

The four jersey wearers are now on the front of the peloton.

Jasper Philipsen, Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard and Giulio Ciccone show off their jerseys.

Here is the moment.

As you may have seen, the Tour de France Femmes began earlier today. 

We have a full stage report and photo gallery, with news and reaction coming soon from Women's Editor Kirsten Frattini and Lukas Knöfler, who are on the race for Cyclingnews.

 Tour de France Femmes: Lotte Kopecky goes solo to win stage 1

95km to go

The riders are to east of Paris and will now gradually ride towards the centre of Paris.

Riders from different nations have been posing for photographs on the front of the peloton. The speed stays slow.

Of course it will speed up to 60km/h when the riders reach the famous Champs Elysees.

It's time for Alpecin-Deceuninck to take their bow, with Jasper Philipsen in the  middle of the shot  in the green jersey.   

85km to go

The riders hit the Champs Elysees with 56km to race. 

They cover 8 full laps of the 6.8km circuit, riding up the Champs Elysees to the Arc du Triomphe and back down to the Louvre. 

The riders are about to pass Versailles but there is only one king of the Tour de France today.

The riders will see the new finish layout on the Champs Elysees. 

The finish line is now 700 metres from the last corner and the Place de la Concorde.

That could change the way the sprint unfolds and the lead outs in the final kilometres. 

In 2022, Jasper Philipsen won ahead of Dylan Groenewegen and Alexander Kristoff;

All three are in contention this year and we'll soon see if anyone can beat Philipsen in the biggest sprint of the Tour de France. 

75km to go

Jonas Vingegaard and Jumbo-Visma also posed for photographs and celebrated with a glass of champagne.

Jumbo-Visma celebrate on the ride to Paris. Tghe only rider missing was Wout Van Aert, woh left during the third week to be with his wife as she gave birth to their second child.

The riders climb the Côte du Pavé des Gardes, the only categorised climb of the stage. 

Naturally Ciccone takes it, joking with teammate Mads Pedersen. 

65km to go

Here we go, the riders are along the Seine river and enters the city of Paris. 

They can see the Tour Eiffel now.   

The pace and urgency is rising  now. It's almost time to race.

The roads are dry but the skies are cloudy, there is a risk of rain. 

Jumbo-Visma are on the front now, ready to lead onto the Champs Elysees as per tradition. 

They're wearing a special kit today to celebrate overall victory and victory in the team classification. 

Early Vingegaard confirmed that he will also ride the Vuelta a Espana with Primoz Roglic, as Jumbo-Visma go for a first ever Grand Tour grand slam.

Click below for the full story.

Jonas Vingegaard to ride Vuelta a España as Jumbo-Visma target Grand Tour grand slam

Send the bill to the Tour de France.

The riders have crossed Pont Neuf and now ride 'through' the Louvre museum in central France.

The riders pass the team buses and through the chicane of Place de la Concorde. 

The barriers are narrower this year.  

55km to go

The rider face eight lap of the 6.8km circuit.

As the riders climb the Champs Elysees there are the first attacks. 

The speed is high and so the riders swoop around the Arc du Triomphe.

Race on!

Pascal Eenkhoorn is the first to try a real attack. More try their hand too. 

50km to go

The riders emerge from the tunnel near the Louvre and the attacks are caught. 

Tadej Pogacar attacks! 

7 laps to go!

Nathan Van Hooydonck of Jumbo sits on Pogacar, just as Jumbo-Visma have done all Tour.

Pogacar reaches the Arc du Triomphe with a 10-second lead.

Pogacar loves to race. 

Oops.. Matteo Trentin needs a bike change after losing his saddle.

40km to go

The sprint teams are having to work hard to chase Pogacar.

He and Van Hooydonck are still clear, the gap is 10 seconds.

More riders are trying to join Pogacar and Van Hooydonck.

Pogacar asks Van Hooydonck to do a turn but he refuses, so Pogacar shakes his head in disappointment.

Behind Alpecin are trying to organise the chase, they fear an organised, numerous attack. 

There now eight riders on the attack. 

Bettiol and Kwiatkowski are in the attack.

35km to go

The speed is up to 60km/h and so the laps fly by. 

Pogacar leads the attackers over the line again. Her is trying to split the group with Bettiol and Skelmose.

They climb again on the cobbles of the Champs Elysees.

But it's quickly Gruppo Compatto once again.

30km to go

Several riders are struck by punctures and so face a chase to finish in the peloton.

More attacks!

Simon Clarke and Frederik Frison go now. 

On the downhill of the Champs Elysees, Nelson  Oliviera (Movistar) joins them.

The trio lead by 10 seconds and so Pogacar jumps after them. 

Four laps to race and the sprinters' teams seem to be letting the attackers blow off some steam.

So far Alpecin, Jayco have placed one rider on the front.

They can perhaps close down a three-rider attack easier than a bigger move. 

25km to go

Clarke, Frison and Oliveira lead by 10 seconds but Julian Alaphilippe leads the chase.

Jonas Vingegaard is tucked safely in the peloton to avoid any problems and crashes. 

He's 25km from celebrating overall victory.  

20km to go

Three laps to race!

The trio lead by 20 seconds. Could they do it?

This is nice to see, Dries Devenyns of Soudal makes an attack. He just turned 40 and is riding his last Tour. 

Now Giulio Ciccone starts to work for Lidl-Trek and their sprinters Mads Pedersen.

12 seconds. The gap is falling. 

Jai Hindley has a chain problem and needs a bike change.

The Australian is away but will have to chase to defend his seventh on GC. 

15km to go

Clarke, Frison and Oliveira still lead by 15 seconds. 

So  Intermarche help with the chase.

Clarke, Frison and Oliveira extend their lead to 20 seconds.

Hindley has dived through the team cars and is back into the peloton.

Two laps to go! 

Clarke, Frison and Oliveira still lead by 20 seconds. 

Stefan Kung also needs a bike change. 

As the riders climb up the Champs Elysees, the peloton is losing in on the attack. 

It's starting to rain in Paris.

10km

The trio are caught by a new attack. 

Even Julian Alaphilippe tries to go across and pass them.

Judges have decided to take the stage times with one lap to go. There will be no time bonuses or points awarded at the finish.

More attacks. 

Alpecin marks the move. 

6.8km to go

Ding, ding, ding. 

One lap to go! 

Omar Fraile launches an attack. 

Campenaerts is there too. 

Israel take over in the peloton.

Sagan moves up near  the front.

Riders are trying to smash open the peloton but it's a huge task.

At the Arc de Triomphe the pelton is all together. 

It's sprint time!

Bettiol goes again! 

3km to go

They're racing at over 60km/h!

Vingegaard and his teammates have eased up. 

He has won the Tour de France. 

It's all about the sprint win now. 

1km to go

It's sprint time.

Jayco and Alpecin lead the peloton but Pogacar is in the mix.

Here we go! 

Photo finish! 

Four riders were spread across the road! 

Philipsen could only come late and so he may have lost it. 

It looks like Jordi Meeus of Bora got it!

Meanwhile Jonas Vingegaard crosses the line with his teammates to win the 2023 Tour de France.

Jordi Meeus cannot believe he has won the sprint.

He was well placed and came off Pedersen's wheel in sight of the line. He rode it perfectly, with a bike throw, while Philipsen was forced to come late and from behind.

Meeus waves a hand as he rides to the podium area. 

That's a great way for Bora-Hansgrohe to finish the Tour.

Vingegaard is also ready to be crowned winner. He lifts his bike in the air after kissing his partner and celebrating with his teammates.

The replay shows how Pogacar leads the sprint onto the Champs Elysees. 

Mathieu van der Poel leads Philipsen as Kristoff gets baulked near the barriers. 

Groenewegen went early and hit the front, forcing Philipsen to go along the barriers. 

Pedersen went down the middle but Meeus was on his wheel and came late with a perfect bike throw to the line.

Meeus was overjoyed to win.  

"I knew in the previous sprints that there was more possible than the result I showed so far. Today everything went perfect and I'm super happy to finish it off," he said.

"I felt quite good all day. The beginning was easy obviously but from the moment we went full gas my legs felt incredibly good. Then Marco Haller did a perfect job with positioning and he was also there." 

"I had the wheel of Pedersen and I could come out of the slipstream and catch it on the line," Meeus added, realising a dream had come true.

"For sure - it's my first Tour and it was a super nice experience so far. To take the win today is just an indescribable feeling."

This is the photo finish image.

It was close.

Jonas Vingegaard will soon climb on the podium and be crowned as the 2023 Tour winner. 

"It's a feeling of being proud and happy - we're winning it for the second time now. It's really amazing," he said. 

"Today with all the Danish people here was really amazing. I have to say thanks not only to my team and family but to the whole of Denmark. They support me and I'm really grateful for this.

"It's been a long journey but it also went by so fast. We race every day and one day takes the other. It's been a super hard race and a super good fight between me and Tadej. I enjoyed it all the way."

The racing is over but now it's time for the podium ceremony on the Champs Elysees.

Every rider and team has something to celebrate on the Champs Elysees. 

The stage is set for the podium ceremony.

Victor Campenaerts is the first on the podium as the Super Combative of the 2023 Tour de France. 

He was a late selection for the Tour but deserved his award. 

Next up Jumbo-Visma are celebrated for winning the best team prize.

They beat UAE Team Emirates by 7:13, with Bahrain Victorious third at 22:01.

Jordi Meeus is also celebrated as the stage winner.

Next up is Tadej Pogacar. He wins the best young riders white jersey for a fourth year. He is also second overall at 7:29 down on Vingegaard. 

It's Ciccone's moment next. He wins the polka-dot mountains jersey after a strong ride in the final week.

He is the first Italian to win the special jersey since Claudio Chiappucci in 1992. He scored 106 points, beating Felix Gall, who scored 92, and Vingegaard on 89 points.  

The podium ceremony is moving fast and Jasper Philipsen is next as he takes the green points jersey. He is the 21st Belgian rider to win it.

Philipsen won four stages and was second twice, scoring a total of 377 points, far more than Mads Pedersen on 258.

Jonas Vingegaard is next up as he is crowned as the overall Tour winner in the yellow jersey.

This is second consecutive victory and he has confirmed he will also ride the Vuelta and return to target the Tour de France in 2024.

Meanwhile at the team bus area, the other teams are celebrating  reaching Paris. 

Next is the final overall  podium, with Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogacar and Adam Yates. 

UAE Team Emirates take second and third but Vingegaard wins again.

The Danish national anthem rings out over Paris.

The 2023 Tour de France podium.

Vingegaard sportingly thanks his rivals for a great race.

Pogacar was his huge rival this year and surely will be again in the future.

The 2023 Tour de France podium: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard and Adam Yates

The 2023 Tour de France podium

The final podium call is for all four jersey winners: Jasper Philipsen, Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogacar and Giulio Ciccone. 

To read our final stage report and see our growing photo gallery of all the action in Paris, click below.

Jonas Vingegaard crowned Tour de France champion in Paris

The 2023 Tour de France is over but the Cyclingnews coverage continues with Barry Ryan and Sophie Smith working on post-race interviews and exclusive features. 

We'll have a special photo gallery on Monday and Philippa York's exclusive and incisive final race analysis. 

Then during the rest of the week, we'll also look back at the race and the protagonists. with news and interviews.  

Of course, the Tour de France Femmes has only just got going and we will have full live coverage of each stage,  reports, news and interviews from Kirsten Frattini and Lukas Knöfler in France.

This is the stage 1 report. 

Tour de France Femmes: Lotte Kopecky goes solo to win stage 1

It's been a privilege to bring you the full Cyclingnews coverage of the Tour de France yet again. But there so much more racing to come in 2023.

Merci et à bientôt!    Vive le Tour de France!