Tour de France 2025 Stage 21: Champs-Élysées meets Montmartre in dramatic finale

The final stage of the 2025 Tour de France promises fireworks — and not just because the overall winner is all but decided. Tadej Pogacar is set to claim his fourth yellow jersey, but Stage 21 offers something rare: a radically changed finale, with Paris serving up cobbles, climbs and chaos.

A New Twist on a Classic Finish

After last year’s deviation to Nice due to the Paris Olympics, the Tour returns to its traditional conclusion — but with a twist. This year’s 132.3 km ride from Mantes-la-Ville to Paris includes a brand-new finishing circuit that sends riders over the Côte de la Butte Montmartre three times. The short, cobbled ascent of 1.1 km at 5.9% was a highlight in the 2024 Olympic Road Race, and now it spices up the final stage of the Tour de France.

Unlike previous editions, where a sprint on the Champs-Élysées was virtually guaranteed, the repeated climbs up Montmartre make this finale unpredictable. Pure sprinters will need legs of stone to survive the last ascent with just over 6 km to go before the sprint.

Tour de France 2025 Stage 21 Format

The stage begins in traditional fashion, with some early climbs like Côte de Bazemont (1.7 km at 7%) and Côte du Pavé des Gardes (700 m at 9.7%), but the key section comes inside Paris.

After the standard Champs-Élysées loop (3 laps of 6.8 km), the peloton moves onto a new 16.7 km finishing circuit. They’ll tackle that circuit three times, including three trips up the cobbles of Montmartre. It’s a demanding conclusion — perhaps enough to drop some fast men — while still offering a long enough run-in for a reduced sprint.

This new setup makes Stage 21 a hybrid — not quite a mountain finish, not a typical sprinter’s stage, but something in between. Just enough to shake up the script.

The Final GC Standings Are All But Set

Barring disaster, Tadej Pogacar will celebrate his fourth Tour de France overall win. He has handled every challenge — high mountains, time trials, sprint finishes — with confidence and flair. His closest rival, Jonas Vingegaard, is still over four minutes down and unlikely to launch any last-minute heroics on a stage like this.

Behind them, Florian Lipowitz is set to secure a surprising third place overall. Other top-10 GC riders like Oscar Onley, Felix Gall, and Tobias Johannessen have also made names for themselves over the past three weeks.

Tour de France 2025 Stage 21 Favourites – Paris Showdown

With no GC battle left to fight, all eyes turn to the stage victory — and the revamped finish means it’s wide open.

🔥 Top favourites:

• Wout van Aert – The Belgian thrives in races with cobbles and power climbs. This is made for him.
• Arnaud De Lie – Fast, punchy, and motivated. If he survives the climb, he could dominate the sprint.
• Tadej Pogacar – He’s won six stages already. Don’t be shocked if he goes all in for a seventh.

⭐ Others to watch:

• Julian Alaphilippe – The French crowd would explode if he wins here.
• Kaden Groves – Strong form after winning Stage 20 from the break.
• Biniam Girmay – Powerful and suited to this type of run-in.

Dark horses include Jasper Stuyven, Fred Wright, Jake Stewart, and Narváez — all capable of thriving in this mix of terrain.

One Last Battle Before Paris Sleeps

Every rider who rolls onto the Champs-Élysées today will be a hero. For most, it’s a lap of honour. For a select few, it’s one final fight for glory on the cobbled climb of Montmartre.

Will we get a solo flourish, a reduced bunch sprint, or a surprise late attack? All scenarios are on the table in this historic Parisian finish.

🔗 Check out the full TDF 2025 preview here:
https://thetipster.com/tour-de-france-2025-preview/