Tour de France Tour de France 2025 Stage 21: Mantes-la-Ville – Paris (132.3k)

[RedheadDane]

Oh my, I've comitted a horrible crime by... Feeling like this is a really, really unhappy marriage between the classic parade stage and a normal stage...

It's not a normal stage. It's the parade stage; just with a slightly different route.

 

[E_F_]

I really don't understand why this would be any different than a parade stage, apart from maybe giving some others riders giving a shot except the top 2-3 sprinters

Maybe. Probably.

 

[Lequack]

Would be funny to see a top GC gruppetto riding up Monmartre

It will happen.

 

[E_F_]

It's not a normal stage. It's the parade stage; just with a slightly different route.

I guess I'm learning that now, lmao. I honestly thought the ASO had intended to have a normal stage, but I guess not and/or the riders decided against it. Was this always common knowledge among fans? Did all the riders expect or agree to this?

 

[Tim Cahill]

Pogacar was riding at the front today and on La Plange because he’s fed up and just wants it to end. I think we all feel that way to be fair, this tour really could’ve been an Email.

 

[RedheadDane]

I guess I'm learning that now, lmao. I honestly thought the ASO had intended to have a normal stage, but I guess not and/or the riders decided against it. Was this always common knowledge among fans? Did all the riders expect or agree to this?

They've been racing for almost 3 weeks.
Let them have their fun, their photos, and their general chilling.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

GC times will be taken 50 km from the line due to weather conditions. Nothing will stop Teddy from going hard now.

 

[E_F_]

They've been racing for almost 3 weeks.
Let them have their fun, their photos, and their general chilling.

I don't even disagree necessarily! Seeing them do that on a hilly parcours with decent chances for the breakaway is just weird - and a bit farcical.

 

[E_F_]

GC times will be taken 50 km from the line due to weather conditions. Nothing will stop Teddy from going hard now.

Except perhaps a complete lack of morale? Hopefully that's changed. I'd rather dislike him for being greedy than being bored. lol.

 

[Lequack]

 

[Unchained]

Would be funny to see a top GC gruppetto riding up Monmartre

Another good decision, almost too late after different Tour stages have lunatics sprinting from out of nowhere for a scrap leftover UCI point.. Yesterday almost taking out race leaders ..Insane that ASO and UCI have not adjusted reality.. Racers traditionally think that they can just relax and roll across after top @10 or so have finished, not now, new reality is almost everyone thinks,knows they are out of contention but some fred gets up and drills a Milan like sprint for 19th or 31st place.. Crazy dangerous situation that needs immediate correction.

 

[yaco]

I suspect that the brutalness of this edition of the TDF, will see some riders struggle to return to their level for the remainder of 2025.

 

[Sciatic]

I guess I'm learning that now, lmao. I honestly thought the ASO had intended to have a normal stage, but I guess not and/or the riders decided against it. Was this always common knowledge among fans? Did all the riders expect or agree to this?

The parade stage always had hard riding with breakaways and sprint teams driving the pace once they reached the circuit on les Champs. I didn't see this as any different except the riders likely to compete for the win would be different.

 

[E_F_]

The parade stage always had hard riding with breakaways and sprint teams driving the pace once they reached the circuit on les Champs. I didn't see this as any different except the riders likely to compete for the win would be different.

Fair enough!

 

[Samu Cuenca]

He's looked a little bit like a virus infected cow in the last week, but he can hold his head up high after this race. It will be interesting to follow his progression at a bigger team.

 

[RobertCrawley]

Gustave Eiffel was not the designer of the Eiffel Tower, as it turns out.

 

[Rackham]

The obvious answer to the problem is to make Montmartre + Champs an ITT on the final day. Something like a 25km individual time trial around Paris. It would prevent weather related neutralizations (like as happened) or riders just flat out refusing to race (which has also happened) and basically allow for one final GC day in a pretty contained and safe manner.

 

[RedheadDane]

A relative?

 

[Rou]

Will Roglic go for it?

 

[QueenStagiaire]

GC times will be taken 50 km from the line due to weather conditions. Nothing will stop Teddy from going hard now.

Except that they probably wouldn‘t like him breaking some bones and being a DNF.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Ineos really really needs a new jersey design.

 

[Brullnux]

Oh my, I've comitted a horrible crime by... Feeling like this is a really, really unhappy marriage between the classic parade stage and a normal stage... I had no idea what to expect! I'm just commenting on what I think about how it turned out.

edit: Can I just add that it doesn't help to have the GC times neutralised - I think a straight forward bunch sprint is likely to work best for a classic parade stage with no GC implications.

I also didn't really know what to expect – I think ASO wanted a more active race, maybe dreaming of a tight GC for the podium or win, but seems that riders didn't want that at all and preferred the parade stage. Sort of makes sense, given the gaps in GC and fatigue, but it's a shame.

 

[E_F_]

The obvious answer to the problem is to make Montmartre + Champs an ITT on the final day. Something like a 25km individual time trial around Paris. It would prevent weather related neutralizations (like as happened) or riders just flat out refusing to race (which has also happened) and basically allow for one final GC day in a pretty contained and safe manner.

I don't think having the top GC contenders TTing on the slippery chauseé pavers would be all that safe...

 

[Sciatic]

The obvious answer to the problem is to make Montmartre + Champs an ITT on the final day. Something like a 25km individual time trial around Paris. It would prevent weather related neutralizations (like as happened) or riders just flat out refusing to race (which has also happened) and basically allow for one final GC day in a pretty contained and safe manner.

I know TV/streaming eyeballs is what sustains sports financially. But the gazillion people gathered along the course in the rain today suggests this current Stage 21 format still has meaning and purpose.

 

[RedheadDane]

Jonas attacking.

No... not that one.
Not that one either.