PARIS (AP) — Tour de France riders will climb up the iconic Montmarte hill in Paris on the final stage this year before cycling’s biggest race finishes on the Champs-Élysées, organizers said Wednesday, as they look to build on the popular success of the Olympic road race.
Last year’s final stage was held outside Paris for the first time since 1905 because of a clash with the Olympics, moving instead to Nice. Because of security and logistical reasons, the French capital did not have its traditional Tour finish on the Champs-Élysées.
The world famous avenue is back on the program this year for the conclusion of the 3,320-kilometer (2,063-mile) race.
“To mark the 50th anniversary of the first final finish on the Champs-Élysées, and one year after the excitement and cheers of the Paris 2024 Olympic road race, the peloton will return to the capital on a route that passes through the heights of Montmartre,” organizers said.
500,000 spectators
At last year’s Olympics, huge crowds of fans gathered in Montmartre — the area in the northern part of Paris that is popular among artists and offers grand vistas of the city — to cheer on riders.
“An exceptional route has been designed, inspired by the course of the 2024 Olympic road race, which drew over 500,000 spectators last August,” Tour organizers said. “Riders will climb the Montmartre hill and pass beneath the Sacré-Coeur before battling it out on a stage that may break from the traditions established over the past 50 years in the heart of the capital.”
Traditionally, the Champs-Élysées stage is largely processional until a sprint decides the day’s winner. The inclusion of the sharp Montmartre climb could change that scenario. Full details of the route will be presented at a news conference next week.
The Tour starts from the northern city of Lille on July 5, with the women’s race kicking off on July 26 from the Brittany town of Vannes.
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