Join us for live blogging from 10pm AEST for Stage 20 from Rambouillet to Paris Champs-Élysées, a 130 km roll finishing in circuits on the Champs-Élysées.
Congratulations, we’ve made it to the processional stage.
The stage where Bradley Wiggins will click plastic champagne flutes with his gifted and talented team mates and have his picture taken with just about everyone along the route.
We’ll see the other jersey winners Peter Sagan (Green), Thomas Voeckler (Polka Dot) and Tejay Van Garderen (Young Rider) savour it all too.
For us fans it’s yet another opportunity to ponder and reflect on this year’s Tour.
Dour? Efficient? Exciting? History making? Many column inches and podcasts have been created utilising these words and phrases such as “did the best man win” and “Sky neutralised the Tour.”
If these are your questions and answers, put the blame directly at the feet of ASO Tour de France Director Christian Prudhomme who dreamt up 100kms of time trialling which created time gaps between general classification riders only seen in the notorious doping years.
It is hardly Wiggins and Sky’s fault. Sky took advantage of the course presented to them on a platter. Nor is it Wiggins’ role to postulate about what could make for a more exciting tour. As far as he and history is concerned, Wiggins won the 2012 Tour de France, no one else.
What I will say is any discussion or contemplation of what should make for a better Tour must consider the exciting 2012 Giro d’Italia, this year’s parcours, other teams’ compositions, but most of all Wiggins’ comments in his post Time Trial press conference yesterday.
He effectively said ardently vocal anti-doping fans and journalists wistfully lust after past tours filled with sustained and long attacks over many kilometres and many stages but these can no longer happen without doping assistance.
Wiggins may be boring but I understand he is just the third rider to win Paris-Nice, the Dauphine Librere and the Tour de France in the same year. One Tour de France win does not a rider, or indeed a man make.
The same goes with Australian fans considering the fortunes of its riders based purely on Tour de France performances, especially those of Cadel Evans and Orica GreenEDGE. While management and the team at the new Australian team may be a little disappointed at not meeting Tour de France objectives, they have more than made up for it with performances throughout the year.
Also consider the stellar performances from riders such as Adam Hansen (Lotto Bellisol), Michael Rogers and Richie Porte (Sky). As for Cadel, he is still the current defending champion until Wiggins’ pulls on the jersey and holds the trophy aloft in Paris tomorrow. And Evans never gave up, despite sickness.
But today’s stage itself is about the sprint finish on the Champs. Just like the Olympics Road Race in London, would you bet against Cavendish? It is tradition for the yellow jersey to lead his team and the peloton to the first lap on the cobbles, but expect Wiggins to do this job towards the end for Cavendish too.
Join us tonight at The Roar and share with me in the comments section your favourite moments of this year’s tour and who you will think will take the sprint.
zacbrygel
Roar Guru
Agreed. Good point there, it was just funny that's all.
tourdecouch
Roar Guru
It's been a blast guys. and a privilege. Join us tomorrow for stage and TDF wrap up. The Roar will also have commentary on the Olympics cycling (all disciplines), Vuelta and the Worlds. I'm going to sign out, as a past permanent resident of the UK, I want to lap this one up too.
tourdecouch
Roar Guru
Cavendish wins and leads out from so many metres out...led out perfectly by EBH. Has won here for the last four years. First as World Champion. Win number 23.
tourdecouch
Roar Guru
The group back altogether as they go around the fountain, you can hear the gears and chains free wheeling as they go past
tourdecouch
Roar Guru
AG2R rider has crashed. Looks like Wiggins is the last rider in the train for Cavendish. He really has a sense of history and wants to lead out the world champion. Makes you wanna cry that. Take that back, he is second last before EBH
tourdecouch
Roar Guru
British Corner cheer for Wiggo and Cavendish. 4kms to go.
tourdecouch
Roar Guru
4kms to go, and Jens and his offsider almost caught.
tourdecouch
Roar Guru
Saxo Tinkoff now hitting the front for Cantwell. They look strong for the pegging back of the break. Cantwell probably won't win but he's going to give it one good go for his first time. Imagine what he's feeling? EEk!!
tourdecouch
Roar Guru
The bell rings. Gerrans up there for Goss, Sky too still hanging in there. Final lap, 16 seconds. Jens is trying his hardest.
tourdecouch
Roar Guru
They won't stay away until the end, but it takes the wind out of your legs
tourdecouch
Roar Guru
As the bell tolls for the last lap, the gap is still 20 seconds.
tourdecouch
Roar Guru
10kms to go, Sky need a lap to set up the sprint, that's why the 22 second gap is worrying. The three still out there, Jens, Costa and Minard (AG2R)
tourdecouch
Roar Guru
Penultimate lap now. 11kms to go. Rogers really driving it hard now
tourdecouch
Roar Guru
Green Edge starting to come to the front on the left hand side, O Grady there and Matthew Goss. Evans keeping safe near them.
tourdecouch
Roar Guru
Once more around past Norwegian corner. You can hear it.
tourdecouch
Roar Guru
Michael Rogers is the first carriage on the Sky Train, Porte next, and then a Liquigas rider. almost on lap 6 of 8. 15 seconds the gap
tourdecouch
Roar Guru
Got to love the appreciation Wiggins has for cycling history. His one objective left after ticking all the boxes he has in cycling is to lead Cav to a sprint win on the Champs.
tourdecouch
Roar Guru
Peloton reeling the breakies back in. 20 seconds. It's not gonna happen guys
tourdecouch
Roar Guru
3 laps to go after the tunnel. Break has 28 seconds but it will come back, despite excitable commentators and a very strung out peloton
tourdecouch
Roar Guru
Cavendish is tucked in safely with Sagan and another Lotto rider a few riders back. When I spotted it a few seconds ago, it was someone much skinnier than Greipel but now Greipel is with these two. These three will make the sprint, not sure what is happening with Greenedge