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

[Unchained]

Step on my dog and I’ll chop your head off

Right behind you if you should fail!! My dogs are directly connected to my soul.. Often to my bicycle!!

 

[Unchained]

I am admittedly somewhat bitter that we did not get to see a proper green jersey battle. I had hoped to see Phillipsen, MvdP, WvA, in the mix, as well as a better performance from Girmay. Hence my sour mood regarding pure sprinters. And I'm not even a Phillipsen fan.
Also, yes, I wanted Mads Pedersen at the Tour. I'll let it go now.

I have strong opinions about who's qualified for the job, I think all races should tighten up on time limits.. If you can't climb at all.. Stay home. Pedersen has too many qualities to list but suffering, training through his deficiencies makes me love the guy..what he has done might have diminished his top speed.. So what.. van der Poel can't do everything but Mads-Mat school of trying to be great is admirable.. Milan has the jersey with multiple **** in my opinion.

 

[dobrien]

Just watched the stage and found it fantastic. I actually think going forward they should always neutralize the final laps and keep the circuit. This route is asking for massive crashes on the last day if time gaps count and at the end you would probably not see any gc riders in the battle for the stage since it wouldn't be worth the risk.

I even kinda liked the unintended side effect of most people finishing on their own a few minutes later. You can actually watch all the guys you just followed for three weeks cross the finish line and see their emotions as they finish the Tour. It gave me a very nice sense of closure. Even if you keep the new circuit but don't neutralize it you would lose all of that.

+1000000 on this, especially the bolded. I mean, it was a spectacular finale, great race, but I also found myself so enjoying watching people coming across in dribs and drabs. So many stories in a GT, I love the whole "Hey, there's Vauquelin, there's Quinn, there's Geraint in his last Tour..." etc. thing was really cool. The sense of closure was incredibly satisfying and something completely lost when everyone comes thundering across all at once. I for one would love this finale every year, in just this format. Great post.

 

[RobertCrawley]

Wow I see it completely different.. Even down to his tactics against Pogacar,
today you see Visma breakaway duo work together but also create situation were Pog has to work to further his chances, if he wanted to win, needed to work, if he wanted to ride in a paced, small safer group, in the rain.. He needed to work
.. After he worked small physical flaw exposed, he is attacked, Wout gets the stage. It happened multiple times in this TDF, it's not if Pogacar was to work it's what other riders do immediately before and after he is busy doing something!! Arensman showed twice, you have to be patient against Pogacar, wait for opportunity and exploit it.
Clown coach from Visma had Vingegaard riding on fire from start to finish, nothing surgical, nothing calculated, just raw force all day every day.
Vingegaard was never on his knees and instead of using instincts that had him winning as a child to a top professional, he subscribed to a silly strategy of being on 100% of the time as a team and individual rider..
He was in excellent form.. You can't get anywhere without a plan.. Vingegaard personally has zero to be ashamed of, he didn't pick the team race strategy.

Jonas said he had two bad days and that was the difference.

 

[RobertCrawley]

I am admittedly somewhat bitter that we did not get to see a proper green jersey battle. I had hoped to see Phillipsen, MvdP, WvA, in the mix, as well as a better performance from Girmay. Hence my sour mood regarding pure sprinters. And I'm not even a Phillipsen fan.
Also, yes, I wanted Mads Pedersen at the Tour. I'll let it go now.

Bini is too nice. He needs to watch replays of Cav's bruising style in the finish and take notes.

 

[houtdffan]

well, we likely won't be seeing this climb on the final stage every year

Tour de France may not always finish in Paris, says race director Prudhomme - ProCyclingUK.com

Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme has hinted that future editions of the race may not always conclude on the Champs-Élysées, following the success of the 2024 finish in Nice. The one-off Grand Arrivée on the Côte d’Azur last year, introduced due to the logistical demands of the Paris...

procyclinguk.com

Because we WILL NOT see a Paris finish every year going forward

 

[Pantani_lives]

I just realized that Lipowitz and Simmons actually gained nine seconds in the GC, and the top 3 also got bonus seconds. In this case it didn't matter, but there might be future situations where freezing the time has weird consequences for the GC.

 

[search]

I just realized that Lipowitz and Simmons actually gained nine seconds in the GC, and the top 3 also got bonus seconds. In this case it didn't matter, but there might be future situations where freezing the time has weird consequences for the GC.

yeah, this is something which is always ignored in the whole "just take the time early" discussion, also for the sprint stages. It shifts the GC battle elsewhere, where it makes no sense at all.

 

[Cookster15]

Congrats to Wout van Aert and Tadej Pogačar.

Hopefully ASO keep this kind of course for the final stage. I think I saw Pogi and Matteo Jorgenson hugging each other after the finish?

Jonas and Visma tried hard but Pogacar was on a different level and never seriously challenged.

 

[will-10]

I just realized that Lipowitz and Simmons actually gained nine seconds in the GC, and the top 3 also got bonus seconds. In this case it didn't matter, but there might be future situations where freezing the time has weird consequences for the GC.

True, in fairness everyone knew where the GC times were being taken, so if it was ever close enough to matter, Lipowitz would've have gone anywhere without whoever needed to cover the move.

 

[Sciatic]

+1000000 on this, especially the bolded. I mean, it was a spectacular finale, great race, but I also found myself so enjoying watching people coming across in dribs and drabs. So many stories in a GT, I love the whole "Hey, there's Vauquelin, there's Quinn, there's Geraint in his last Tour..." etc. thing was really cool. The sense of closure was incredibly satisfying and something completely lost when everyone comes thundering across all at once. I for one would love this finale every year, in just this format. Great post.

I loved that as well. And the crowds along the Montmartre climb were amazing. There are a number of Facebook/Instagram videos clips of the race from folks in apartments directly over the race course. Gives an even more impressive sense of what it was like there.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

This is a great picture, all three seem genuinely happy

 

[red_flanders]

Been thinking about it still...amazing stage.

There was obviously WAY more on the line in '89. Not sure that will ever be equalled. But it was an ITT. The suspense only started when it became clear Fignon wasn't on a good day. '89 was exciting from start to finish, with day-1 Delgado drama, crazy new tech, lead changes, a GREAT course, rampant nationalism, and amazing character studies. Greatest Tour ever.

But this was the best last stage ever. Way more entertaining.

 

[Red Rick]

It was just literally a crit for a stage win. It's cool but it doesn't beat Vino's win for me.

 

[Oldman]

Everybody raced again him? He did nothing all day and he got to be in the perfect wheel at 300m to go. That's literally the opposite of "everyone races against you"

I'd guess that's what you saw.
Absent a leadout, which he seldom had; his best tactic and lay low until it was time to surf the other teams. Anytime he moved prior to the last lap he had company so that would feel like people racing against you.
The...
"and he got to be in the perfect wheel at 300m to go" pretty much sums up the best way to win an uphill WCRR sprint. It's not like someone dragged him to it and pointed...."here, take this wheel."
He did that alot and then there was the US win. He just crushed everyone on the uphill and descending. Everyone knew something was coming there as well.

 

[proffate]

I would argue the typical mid tier domestique is a better cyclist than the average sprinter, but the nature of the sport means they don't get to win.

I guess your conception of what the sport should be and what it actually is are different. But that's just a you problem.

Also the average sprinter doesn't get to win jack. Being a sprinter means you're far above average (at producing max power after some hours in the saddle) in the first place. And even then, how many stages did Pavel Bittner, the best sprinter on his entire team, get to win?

 

[Sciatic]

I don’t think most of saw what was going on at back end of the peloton going over Montmartre

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[RobertCrawley]

Wouteke!

Team car and Wout: Thanks for believing in me.

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[red_flanders]

I don’t think most of saw what was going on at back end of the peloton going over Montmartre

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I mean...how do you go back to the same boring circuit after this?! Amazing.

 

[YellowSocks]

Nobody has opened a thread to share their experience (or adventures) on the roads of the Tour, so I’ll drop my little tale here, as I attended this last stage.

I had already attended the Olympics road race and wouldn’t have missed this one. We arrived 3 hours before the riders and were very well placed at the top of rue Lepic, in the second row but behind a small lady (at least smaller than me) with children so with a perfect view on the road. The atmosphere was cheerful, I would say a little less noisy than at the Olympics road race (no Belgian crowds this time), we chatted with our neighbours and the time passed relatively quickly (partly under the rain but we were prepared for it).

I chose to be in the ‘no radio’ team, while some were following the race on their phones, as I knew I would watch a replay back home anyway. Full surprise mode.

Then came the helicopter, teams and organisers’ cars, motorbikes, and finally the loud noise climbing rue Lepic announcing the riders, but you didn’t know which one would app… JULIAAAAAAN!!! I didn’t get a chance to identify which reddish jersey rider he was with as I immediately spotted a yellow arrow hurtling towards me – in fact, that was Pogi chasing Julian (Oh nooooooo…). Personal note: Pogi chasing is freaking scary.

I wasn’t expecting a real race. We had both, real race at the front, and at the back riders struggling in the last meters of the climb or determined to make the most of it by encouraging the public to make even more noise. It was both impressive (what you really see is the determination, the sheer will expressed through the legs) and moving to see each one so close, trying to identify as many as possible (at least we had three chances). Pogacar’s Mona Lisa face, Vingegaard sheltered in the peloton (so immaculate, looking slightly frightened and… so tiny), Milan climbing like a draught horse on a monstruous gear, Geraint, Kevin, the Yates, Healy, Roglic, Campy… And Wout attacking right under my nose (again chased by this obstinate yellow arrow)! It felt like an all-star wonderful finale.

I know the riders didn’t want this stage. I tried to make a lot of noise (luckily I wasn’t alone ahah) to make it a great celebration moment, hoping they would enjoy it despite the fatigue, the risk, the cobbles, the climb, the rain, the lack of a final sprint. (I do wonder if the noise didn’t make things worse for that fragile little bird in the polka dot jersey).

I missed you crazy Belgians fans, but I guess next time you’ll be there, as rue Lepic seems to have become a Belgian stronghold.

And I missed the riders who couldn’t make it to this final stage.

 

[HashRouge]

Nobody has opened a thread to share their experience (or adventures) on the roads of the Tour, so I’ll drop my little tale here, as I attended this last stage.

I had already attended the Olympics road race and wouldn’t have missed this one. We arrived 3 hours before the riders and were very well placed at the top of rue Lepic, in the second row but behind a small lady (at least smaller than me) with children so with a perfect view on the road. The atmosphere was cheerful, I would say a little less noisy than at the Olympics road race (no Belgian crowds this time), we chatted with our neighbours and the time passed relatively quickly (partly under the rain but we were prepared for it).

I chose to be in the ‘no radio’ team, while some were following the race on their phones, as I knew I would watch a replay back home anyway. Full surprise mode.

Then came the helicopter, teams and organisers’ cars, motorbikes, and finally the loud noise climbing rue Lepic announcing the riders, but you didn’t know which one would app… JULIAAAAAAN!!! I didn’t get a chance to identify which reddish jersey rider he was with as I immediately spotted a yellow arrow hurtling towards me – in fact, that was Pogi chasing Julian (Oh nooooooo…). Personal note: Pogi chasing is freaking scary.

I wasn’t expecting a real race. We had both, real race at the front, and at the back riders struggling in the last meters of the climb or determined to make the most of it by encouraging the public to make even more noise. It was both impressive (what you really see is the determination, the sheer will expressed through the legs) and moving to see each one so close, trying to identify as many as possible (at least we had three chances). Pogacar’s Mona Lisa face, Vingegaard sheltered in the peloton (so immaculate, looking slightly frightened and… so tiny), Pedersen climbing like a draught horse on a monstruous gear, Geraint, Kevin, the Yates, Healy, Roglic, Campy… And Wout attacking right under my nose (again chased by this obstinate yellow arrow)! It felt like an all-star wonderful finale.

I know the riders didn’t want this stage. I tried to make a lot of noise (luckily I wasn’t alone ahah) to make it a great celebration moment, hoping they would enjoy it despite the fatigue, the risk, the cobbles, the climb, the rain, the lack of a final sprint. (I do wonder if the noise didn’t make things worse for that fragile little bird in the polka dot jersey).

I missed you crazy Belgians fans, but I guess next time you’ll be there, as rue Lepic seems to have become a Belgian stronghold.

And I missed the riders who couldn’t make it to this final stage.

It was pretty rowdy where we were. We had fans holding a singing completion, with each side of the road trying to be louder than the other; people on balconies letting down baskets for the E. Leclerc guys to put hats and t-shirts in; some bloke skiing down Rue Lepic (yes, on actual skis); some guy in Decathlon kit giving out caps to the crowd and then getting dragged away by the gendarmes (no idea why!); a woman holding her cat up at her balcony window to the roars of the crowd; and a group of very excited Belgians in full body paint shrieking their joy when Wout dropped Pog on the last climb, and just imagine when they found out he won!

 

[RedheadDane]

... some guy in Decathlon kit giving out caps to the crowd and then getting dragged away by the gendarmes (no idea why!);

Bad experience with people in that kit?

(Not the actual riders.)

 

[pmcg76]

I guess your conception of what the sport should be and what it actually is are different. But that's just a you problem.

Also the average sprinter doesn't get to win jack. Being a sprinter means you're far above average (at producing max power after some hours in the saddle) in the first place. And even then, how many stages did Pavel Bittner, the best sprinter on his entire team, get to win?

It's just a me problem, is it? The final stage in Paris is supposedly the most prestigious race for a sprinter to win, the Sprinters WC I seen it referred to frequently, yet after Sunday most people seem to be on board with seeing it dropped in favour of a stage like we saw Sunday, so it is clearly not just a me problem. I really don't think most fans would care if sprint stages were cut back to 2/3 per Grand Tour. Even Thierry Gouvenou said there was too many sprint stages last year.

Quentin Pacher, mano-a-mano versus Vingegaard, Ganna, MVDP, 30km out on a mountain stage, TT, puncher stage respectively. Who is winning?

Pacher mano-a-mano versus Merlier, 30km out of a typical flat stage with say a cat 4 about 15km from the finish. Would we be as sure that Merlier would win?

Now if it finishes in a bunch sprint, sure Merlier wins every time, but for that to happen, Merlier needs his team or others to guarantee the opportunity to sprint. Would Merlier have won into Chateauroux this year if the teams with weaker sprinters had not got involved in the chase when Trek looked done?

Yes, cycling has team elements, but sprinters are far more reliant on others for their opportunities than any other type of pro rider.

As for Pavel Bittner, I should have used the word typical rather than average as that was what I meant. Regardless, winning a stage at your first GT aged 21 is not too common either.

 

[YellowSocks]

It was pretty rowdy where we were. We had fans holding a singing completion, with each side of the road trying to be louder than the other; people on balconies letting down baskets for the E. Leclerc guys to put hats and t-shirts in; some bloke skiing down Rue Lepic (yes, on actual skis); some guy in Decathlon kit giving out caps to the crowd and then getting dragged away by the gendarmes (no idea why!); a woman holding her cat up at her balcony window to the roars of the crowd; and a group of very excited Belgians in full body paint shrieking their joy when Wout dropped Pog on the last climb, and just imagine when they found out he won!

A singing completion, with eachside of the road trying to be louder than the other: that's Bâbord-tribord (Port-starboard), a classic (noisy) game. I was also stuck in it (didn't really understand if I was in the port or the starboard group), and saw the baskets let down from the windows for the Leclerc guy. We must have been in the same zone. I also saw the skiing guy while I was taking the temperature of the neighbourhood further down the street around 1 p.m., but I missed the cat and the "very excited Belgians".
Yet I was almost disappointed by the volume compared to the Olympics, where the noise was so overwhelming I thought we should all have put noise-cancelling headphones on. I may have been saved by my hood this time.

 

[red_flanders]

Nobody has opened a thread to share their experience (or adventures) on the roads of the Tour, so I’ll drop my little tale here, as I attended this last stage.

I had already attended the Olympics road race and wouldn’t have missed this one. We arrived 3 hours before the riders and were very well placed at the top of rue Lepic, in the second row but behind a small lady (at least smaller than me) with children so with a perfect view on the road. The atmosphere was cheerful, I would say a little less noisy than at the Olympics road race (no Belgian crowds this time), we chatted with our neighbours and the time passed relatively quickly (partly under the rain but we were prepared for it).

I chose to be in the ‘no radio’ team, while some were following the race on their phones, as I knew I would watch a replay back home anyway. Full surprise mode.

Then came the helicopter, teams and organisers’ cars, motorbikes, and finally the loud noise climbing rue Lepic announcing the riders, but you didn’t know which one would app… JULIAAAAAAN!!! I didn’t get a chance to identify which reddish jersey rider he was with as I immediately spotted a yellow arrow hurtling towards me – in fact, that was Pogi chasing Julian (Oh nooooooo…). Personal note: Pogi chasing is freaking scary.

I wasn’t expecting a real race. We had both, real race at the front, and at the back riders struggling in the last meters of the climb or determined to make the most of it by encouraging the public to make even more noise. It was both impressive (what you really see is the determination, the sheer will expressed through the legs) and moving to see each one so close, trying to identify as many as possible (at least we had three chances). Pogacar’s Mona Lisa face, Vingegaard sheltered in the peloton (so immaculate, looking slightly frightened and… so tiny), Pedersen climbing like a draught horse on a monstruous gear, Geraint, Kevin, the Yates, Healy, Roglic, Campy… And Wout attacking right under my nose (again chased by this obstinate yellow arrow)! It felt like an all-star wonderful finale.

I know the riders didn’t want this stage. I tried to make a lot of noise (luckily I wasn’t alone ahah) to make it a great celebration moment, hoping they would enjoy it despite the fatigue, the risk, the cobbles, the climb, the rain, the lack of a final sprint. (I do wonder if the noise didn’t make things worse for that fragile little bird in the polka dot jersey).

I missed you crazy Belgians fans, but I guess next time you’ll be there, as rue Lepic seems to have become a Belgian stronghold.

And I missed the riders who couldn’t make it to this final stage.

Fantastic, thanks for sharing this!