Every sprinter dreams of victory under the bright, glittering lights of the Champs-Élysées. Crossing the line first after passing through the iconic Arc de Triomphe in front of crowds of adoring Parisian fans, with the Eiffel Tower glowing in the distance, it’s as glitzy and glamorous as this sport gets. The fast men fight through the Pyrenees and the Alps for the chance to be the rider in the spotlight, in front of the camera flashes, giving interviews to hungry microphones. One rider who has tasted glory in Paris more than anyone, is 35-time Tour de France stage winner Mark Cavendish.
For the now-retired Manxman, the change that Tour de France organisers have made to the final stage in 2025 is somewhat concerning. While the sprinters lose a valuable chance and reason to stay in the race, Cavendish also worries about the stress that this stage could bring to the general classification riders who normally are able to relax on the flat roads of stage 21.
Speaking on Bradley Wiggins’ newly-launched podcast, Café Aficionado, Cavendish shared his thoughts on the newly-designed Paris course, which will now include the Montmartre climb that was also raced on during the 2024 Paris Olympic road race (won by Remco Evenepoel.) He argued that the new route might not have as much of an impact on the race as people expect, but that the danger for GC men is a real concern.
“It’s quite easy for teams to be strangled. They are narrow roads. It’s beautiful. We all saw the Olympics last year. What an incredible spectacle. I’m just nervous [that] 180, three-week fatigued bike riders may be different. I think there are probably 30-40 guys who can win the Olympic Games. It [the Tour de France] is a different race,” the 40-year-old commented.
“It’s nice to try stuff that’s different...from a commercial sense. Simply from a sentimental sense it’s quite iconic, the sprint finish, and as a sprinter I can testify that it’s the reason that you try and finish.”
Wiggins himself, who helped Cavendish to win on the Champs in 2012 by leading him out in the yellow jersey – one of the most iconic images in modern cycling, added that he believes change in the sport can be positive, though admitted those in the fight for the yellow jersey will be apprehensive for Sunday’s finish.
“We’re talking about the Champs Élysées, and how it was only introduced in 1975 and, up to that point, we’d had the velodrome finish, and various other finishes. This could be the new thing in cycling, when we talk 50 years from now, how the introduction of the Montmartre changed the face of the Tour de France,” Wiggins commented.
“Change is always difficult for riders, isn’t it. And when you’ve got a traditional finish like that, there is an element of being able to switch off on the Champs Élysées if you are in yellow or high up in GC. But it does change the face of it.”
The current generation of GC riders have also weighed in on the new Paris finish for 2025, with the overwhelming sentiment being that after three weeks of brutally challenging racing, added stress is not welcome at the end of the race.
Former Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard, who currently sits second overall going into the last stage, said to L’Equipe: “To be honest, I don't think it's a good idea. Montmartre seemed very beautiful to me at the Olympic Games, with a very good atmosphere. But when the riders arrived there, there were 50 left in the peloton. Now, there will be 150 of us fighting for position, on a very narrow climb. It will add more stress than we would like.”
The riders may be concerned about the added chaos that the Montmartre climb brings to the ending of the Tour de France, but it is undoubtedly going to entertain fans watching at home and lining the roads in Paris. However, if the outcome of the Tour is altered by an unfortunate crash on the final stage, is this the way that we want the yellow jersey to be won or lost? Or is racing until the very last day part of the challenge of a three-week Grand Tour? The answers to these questions will likely only be decided when the stage is over on Sunday and the risks versus the reward can be truly weighed up.
