Tour de France 2015 Stage 21 Sevres - Paris *contains unmasked spoilers*

Darkglasses

Final stage, at long long last

With Froome's lead over minute, there is no chance whatsoever of a GC battle tomorrow. The stage will be largely a procession and chance for photo ops, before the race heats up during the 10 laps of the Parisian city centre for the final sprinters' battle. The green jersey is also wrapped up by Peter Sagan, so it will be all about the big bragging rights of winning on the Champs Elysees.

Andre Greipel has looked the best flat-out sprinter throughout this tour, and has already picked up a hat-trick of sprint wins. That said, nobody knows winning on the Champs Elysees like Cav does. The real question on my mind is whether Sagan can finally pick up his deserved stage win, although the odds are quite heavily against him now.

Oddschecker: Greipel 11/8, Cavendish 9/4, Sagan 6/1, Kristoff 7/1, Degenkolb 11/1

Eamonnator

Thanks very much to you and the others, who posted the previews for the last three weeks.
Very informative.

Darkglasses

Cavendish

Eamonnator wrote: »

Thanks very much to you and the others, who posted the previews for the last three weeks.
Very informative.

Yeah thanks to everyone who made them after I had to step back. Been a pleasure chatting with ye as always. Really makes the Tour an awful lot more fun for me.

pajor

Degenkolb

Darkglasses wrote: »

Yeah thanks to everyone who made them after I had to step back. Been a pleasure chatting with ye as always. Really makes the Tour an awful lot more fun for me.

I don't frequent this forum much as I'm a lazy bollocks and can't really afford a proper bike.. But these threads definitely add something to to following any of the big races.

Arrow in the Knee

Demare

We could do with a poll Darkglasses.

I would like a breakaway:rolleyes: to win just for the craic.

Darkglasses

Cavendish

Arrow in the Knee wrote: »

We could do with a poll Darkglasses.

You're welcome, as always

StevieGriff

Demare

Few punt put on Sagan for the craic. He might have better legs than Cav and Greipel after the Alps...or so I hope haha

stecleary

Cavendish

I'm guessing Greipel but would love Segan to do it.

Kavrocks

No Degenkolb for the poll?

Arrow in the Knee

Demare

Kavrocks wrote: »

No Degenkolb for the poll?

Do you really think he has any chance of winning?

Kavrocks

Arrow in the Knee wrote: »

Do you really think he has any chance of winning?

More chance than Demare and Kristoff!

Arrow in the Knee

Demare

Kavrocks wrote: »

More chance than Demare and Kristoff!

Your right there

Darkglasses

Cavendish

Kavrocks wrote: »

No Degenkolb for the poll?

Added, just ask.

dastardly00

I was over in Paris a couple of months ago. The Champs-Elysees leading up to the Arc de Triomphe is anything but flat!!

It would great if Sagan could win, but I don't think he has the overall speed compared to Greipel and Cav.

dastardly00

https://twitter.com/TeamSky/status/625043279818694656

Icepick

Demare

rain coming to Paris

DominoDub

Wet cobblestones on the Champs Elysees :eek:

ThisRegard

Cavendish

Heart says Sagan, head says Greipel.

Melodeon

Kristoff

Police open fire on car at Tour de France

:eek::eek::eek:

Someone crashed a car into the barriers at Place de la Concorde and drove off after the police opened fire on them:
http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/police-open-fire-on-car-at-tour-de-france-688224.html

Tour organisers say it won't effect the running of the stage.

Inquitus

Kristoff

Pissing rain and miserable in Paris at the moment, same here in Dublin!

mhiggy09

Demare

Watching la course atm and there has been a massive crash. Its been raining all morning. Could be dangerous for the tour later. Froomes tour still isn't won yet!

g0g

Demare

Out of curiosity, with all this talk of the etiquette with the Tour...

What would happen if Froome crashed and injured himself? I presume if it's a mechanical problem then others would wait, but what if he fell and broke a bone or something? And no I'm not trying to tempt fate, just genuinely curious. Don't they do the photos of the jersey winners early in the day with champagne etc?

retalivity

I always thought that if I was riding in this stage in the tdf, I would gun it from the start in a breakaway and try to get onto and around the circuit so you would be a lap ahead when he peloton arrive. Then just roll along with them for the win! Think its seven mins a lap, so would need to absolutely batter away from the start

ThisRegard

Cavendish

And miss the obligatory glass of champagne in the peleton?

bazermc

Sagan

Chating with my dad this morning

He said "wasn't that a great battle between Chris broom and the Chilean fella"

Talib Fiasco

Would cap off a fine Tour if Sagan won here.

uphillonly

Cavendish

Greipel. Cav had Renshaw for all 4 wins & he's gone, although he did win his only stage this year without his leadout.

Women's La Course live on Eurosport now, a few crashes already on the wet roads.

g0g

Demare

Some amount of crashes in the ladies race, they're like skittles. Anyone seen forecast for later?

omri

g0g wrote: »

Some amount of crashes in the ladies race, they're like skittles. Anyone seen forecast for later?

Just watching that - they're dropping like flies, surface very slippy...

wanderer 22

Cavendish

omri wrote: »

Just watching that - they're dropping like flies, surface very slippy...

Carnage; they must all be on gatorskins

omri

colm18 wrote: »

Carnage; they must all be on gatorskins

Nah Armadillos most likely

Pudsy33

Degenkolb

If it's raining, the time is taken for the first time over the line on the Champs. Then they race on for the stage victory.

Inquitus

Kristoff

Pudsy33 wrote: »

If it's raining, the time is taken for the first time over the line on the Champs. Then they race on for the stage victory.

So if its raining they neutralise the GC completely after the first lap? Is that what that means?

Pudsy33

Degenkolb

Inquitus wrote: »

So if its raining they neutralise the GC completely after the first lap? Is that what that means?

Pretty much. Once the reach the line on the first lap of the finish circuit, those time gaps are the ones which count.

I think...

Edit: See here

Check out @ProCyclingStats's Tweet:

https://twitter.com/ProCyclingStats/status/625286904087465984?s=09

Undercover Elephant

Kristoff

Great to see Marianne Vos getting excited about her team mate. What a role model for your daughters.

pajor

Degenkolb

Classification to be decided after crossing the finish line the first time.

spock.

Bardet will receive the super combative award.

bazermc

Sagan

pajor wrote: »

Classification to be decided after crossing the finish line the first time.

But they still have to finish the stage??? . So a bit like the 3k rule on a flat stage.

Pudsy33

Degenkolb

pajor wrote: »

Classification to be decided after crossing the finish line the first time.

Brian Smith, the DS of MTN, is saying on Twitter that they in fact haven't decided for sure that they will enforce this rule yet.

neris

Degenkolb

id say kelly wont be missing carltons crappy jokes

spock.

I voted for Degenkolb. The rain should suit him.

godtabh

A classic there from Kelly

Inquitus

Kristoff

Kirby talking about shortening the course, is that feasible? this stage is certainly going to drag on way past slowest predictions.

godtabh

What was that thing they were showing on froomes bike beside the computer?

Inquitus

Kristoff

godtabh wrote: »

What was that thing they were showing on froomes bike beside the computer?

He has a Go Pro on today

Eamonnator

Is it OK, to say, that this stage is boring?

afatbollix

It's always a boring stage until they get to the circuit area where you will have break aways and the sprinters trying to catch them.

unichall

Eamonnator wrote: »

Is it OK, to say, that this stage is boring?

To help keep the boredom at bay I have a final stage tour trivia question. Google if you want but that's no fun.

Q: Has a yellow jersey winner ever won the final stage on the Champs Elysées?

Inquitus

Kristoff

unichall wrote: »

To help keep the boredom at bay I have a final stage tour trivia question. Google if you want but that's no fun.

Q: Has a yellow jersey winner ever won the final stage on the Champs Elysées?

Yes Hinault beat Zoetemelk

http://www.ina.fr/video/I00009820

retalivity

Greg lemond won a TT on it, if that counts...

godtabh

has the stage been shortened?