The city of light provides the most prestigious setting for the finish of the Tour de France, the final circuit having become more dramatic still since the peloton was invited to pass in front of the Louvre... thrills are guaranteed for all of the giants who finish the Tour. One of them then experiences a moment of absolute bliss: winning on the Champs-Élysées is the ultimate achievement for sprinters. Mark Cavendish remains the record holder with four wins, while the prestigious stage has gone to seven different riders in the last seven seasons: André Greipel (2016), Dylan Groenewegen (2017), Alexander Kristoff (2018), Caleb Ewan (2019), Sam Bennett (2020), Wout van Aert (2021) and Jasper Philipsen (2022).

Traditional finish location for the Tour de France
49th finish on the Champs-Élysées
Capital of France and capital of the Île-de-France region
City-department and prefecture (75)
Population: 2,250,000 (Parisiens and Parisiennes)

 

The Tour’s first visit to Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines dates back to 1986 for a team time trial in a race that was already shaping up to be eventful. The La Vie Claire team that featured Hinault and LeMond were clearly dominated that day by Laurent Fignon’s Système U. Since then, the city has become a cycling capital thanks to the velodrome that was opened there in 2014. It not only welcomes the most important track cycling events on the calendar on a regular basis, but is also the headquarters of the French Cycling Federation. This was the case in October with the World Championships and it will be the case again with 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Stage town for the 2nd time
Municipality comprising 12 communes in Yvelines (78)
Population: 229,000 within the municipality (Saint-Quentinois and Saint-Quentinoises), 1,450,000 in the Yvelines