Tour de France Tour de France 2021, Stage 21: Chatou – Paris Champs-Élysées, 108.4 km

[Devil's Elbow]

Stage 21: Chatou – Paris Champs-Élysées, 108.4 km
One last sprint, as always. Champagne, celebrations, and Cavendish?

Map and profile

Route details
The obligatory final GPM, in this case the Côte des Grès, early on…

…and the equally obligatory poorly-televised final intermediate sprint once we’re onto the Champs-Élysées.

Final kilometers
No point in breaking this one down.

…and I’m finally done writing these. I don’t have as much time for the Vuelta, so I doubt I’ll be repeating these opening posts come August. That’s a matter for the thread planning topic, though.

 

[Leinster]

Ide Schelling will win this bike race.

 

[RedheadDane]

Time for a tobydawq-style profile!

,, some random attacks, Louvre?, more attacks? maybe..., sprint!, ,

(Yeah... no champagne emoji, so... they're having martinis!)

 

[kingjr]

Finishing straight will be 700 m this year, instead of the usual 250 or so. Wonder why that is.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Pogi showed a weakness today so any interesting GC action on Champs Elysees tomorrow? Vingegaard is too polite for that but I see Ineos & Carapaz exploding the race in an epic fashion! Expect the unexpected as Don Brailsford says.

 

[umpororachimo]

Wout.

 

[Eeslliw]

Anyone but Cav.

 

[cen]

So.. Mohoric from the break then?

 

[Amazinmets87]

Hopefully Cav breaks it. Would turn a 2.5 out of 10 Tour into a 4.5 or so.

 

[Amazinmets87]

Double post.

 

[Red Rick]

Anyone but Cav.

I will root against anyone but Cav.

 

[Red Rick]

Finishing straight will be 700 m this year, instead of the usual 250 or so. Wonder why that is.

They did road works on the final corner and apparently it's sharper/tighter now. And they tried giving a *** about safety for once.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Will anyone be given the first lap of the Champs as their retirement ride?

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Anyone but Cav.

Cav

 

[Leinster]

Will anyone be given the first lap of the Champs as their retirement ride?

Bala hasn’t officially called it yet, has he?

Greipel is still his team’s best shot of a stage win.

 

[Lequack]

Alan Peiper about Tadej

https://twitter.com/x/status/1416518446540632064

View: https://twitter.com/davidcrmelj/status/1416518446540632064?s=20

 

[Lequack]

Will anyone be given the first lap of the Champs as their retirement ride?

Lafavere saying Cav should retire while he's on top

"But what he has accomplished is particularly strong. Also because of the way in which and with the pleasure he conveys. It is really the time to end his career in Paris on Sunday. There is no better farewell at this age, there is also there's no better time to come."
That also seems to be the best scenario for Lefevere. "I totally agree with Sven, I've seen a number of examples of what not to do. Cavendish needs to realize that this will never come back."

Source:

Lefevere: "Ik wil Cavendish behoeden voor het jaar te veel" | sporza

Met 5 ritzeges, 1 dag gele trui voor Julian Alaphilippe en het groen voor Mark Cavendish is Deceuninck-Quick Step aan een dijk van een Tour bezig. In Vive le Vélo mocht ploegbaas Patrick Lefevere gisteravond nog eens de wonderlijke wederopstanding van Mark Cavendish toelichten. Maar het ging ook...

sporza.be

 

[JosefK]

I will root against anyone but Cav.

Merckx overheard earlier on the phone with the mechanic from Quickstep that Cav berated: "Okay, then. See what you can do. . . . Payment in Bitcoin."

 

[SHAD0W93]

Either Cav will win or he will have a mechanical and Matthews will win.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Will anyone be given the first lap of the Champs as their retirement ride?

Froome

 

[Cookster15]

I think most hope for Cav - including me. If he doesn't win it would be a hollow feeling.

 

[Jungle Cycle]

700m to finish, somebody else gets tangle up in Colbrelli's bars, caos in the lead out and Greipel wins..
Greipel+Cav retire in the same day and the Merckx's #34 is "safe"..
eternal pictures with the 3 and everybody is happy

 

[Leinster]

Either Cav will win or he will have a mechanical and Matthews will win.

In a flat sprint? If Cav, Philipsen, VanAert and Bol all crash out, Bling will still finish 3rd behind Cortina and Some Random Dane.

 

[SHAD0W93]

In a flat sprint? If Cav, Philipsen, VanAert and Bol all crash out, Bling will still finish 3rd behind Cortina and Some Random Dane.

Nope. If Cav has a mechanical than Quicksteps luck has run out and their own hubris came back to bite them. Which means Matthews wins the sprint and Green.

 

[RedheadDane]

In a flat sprint? If Cav, Philipsen, VanAert and Bol all crash out, Bling will still finish 3rd behind Cortina and Some Random Dane.

Does Cortina and the Random Dane necessarily have to be in that order?