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[VIDEO] 2015 Tour de France highlights: Stage 21 race updates, blog

26th July, 2015
Stage type: Flat
Start Line: Sèvres - Grand Paris Seine Ouest (12:15am AEST)
Finish Line: Paris Champs-Élysées (Approximately 3:11am AEST)
Distance: 109.5km
TV: Live and Exclusive SBS
Online: SBS Cycling Central and SBS Tour Tracker App.

Top 10 General Classification:
1. Chris Froome (Sky) @ 81:56:33
2. Nairo Quintana (Movistar) + 1;12
3. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) + 5:35
4. Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) + 8:36
5. Alberto Contador (Tinkoff – Saxo) + 9:48
6. Robert Gesink (Lotto NlJumbo) + 10:47
7. Bauke Mollema (Trek) + 15:14
8. Romain Bardet (Ag2r) + 16:00
9. Pierre Rolland (Europcar) + 17:30
10. Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) + 38:52
The peloton heads uphill for Stage 17. (Photo: Team Sky)
Roar Guru
26th July, 2015
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1032 Reads

Race Result:

Germany’s Andre Griepel won the final stage of the Tour de France but the honour was all Chris Froome’s as he claimed his second Tour de France title.

>>RACE REPORT: Chris Froome wins 2015 Tour de France

Nairo Quintana finished second behind Froome in the overall tally and won the white jersey, and his team Movistar won the team competition.

Froome won the polka-dot King of the Mountains jersey – just the sixth rider in the Tour’s history to win both that and the overall classification – while Peter Sagan won the green points jersey despite not winning a stage.

Race Preview:

The 2015 Tour de France makes it’s final trek as it comes home to Paris this evening on Stage 21 as the riders take on the 109.5-kilometres route from Sèvres-Grand Paris Seine Ouest to the famous Champs-Elysees. Join The Roar for live race updates and coverage from 12:15am (AEST).

Whilst Chris Froome (Sky) has the yellow jersey all wrapped up and secured he still has to cross the finish line at the end of will prove to be an interesting day. The formalities of the final stage of course, mean it will be a rather relaxed and easy start to action as Chris Froome and all the other jersey leaders will pose for photos and have a glass of champagne for making it all the way to Paris after three gruelling weeks.

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The battle for the Green jersey is also done and dusted, Peter Sagan (Tinkoff – Saxo) holding an unassailable lead over Andre Greipel (Loto – Soudal), and so the focus of the day will be the stage win for the sprinters, most of whom are still left in the race.

The route of course, is a traditional last one for the Tour. After it all begins to heat up as they come onto the Champs-Elysees, a breakaway will more than likely be formed however it won’t last for too long as the sprinters try and assure a bunch sprint on the finish line.

We will have 10 laps of the Champs-Elysses this year and it will be fast and furious. The intermediate sprint on course comes on the fourth lap just after finish line, however it would be more than probable that with the Green jersey all wrapped up no one will contest for the points on offer.

The way to set up the win at the finish is all about positioning. With the left – right bend with around 500 metres to go, if you aren’t at the front of the pack you can count your chances to win the stage as non – existent.

The favourites are of course all the usual suspects. Andre Greipel (Lotto – Soudal) and Mark Cavendish (Etixx – Quickstep) were tipped to win most of the sprint stages before the Tour started and they haven’t disappointed so far. However, Cavendish won’t have his lead out man in Mark Renshaw after he abandoned the Tour during Stage 18.

Many of the other sprinters in the race have missed out so far and the likes of John Degenkolb (Giant – Alpecin), Peter Sagan (Tinkoff – Saxo), Alexander Kristoff (Katusha), Bryan Coquard (Europcar), Arnaud Demare (FDJ), Edvald Boasson Hagen and Tyler Farrar (both MTN) will all be keen for a good result.

Michael Matthews (Orica) could also be an interesting project today. He was looking like returning to form before the race entered the mountains and he could pull off a high finish.

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There is also a distinct possibility of a breakaway, although the last time that happened on the Champs-Elysees was in 2005 with Alejandro Valverde.

Prediction: How can you go past Andre Greipel? That’s right. You can’t. He will lead home Cavendish and Sagan.

Join The Roar for live coverage of the final stage in the 2015 Tour de France from 12:15am (AEST) and don’t forget to leave a comment if you’re following along.

Written by Scott Pryde

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