Professional Cycling For the Fans - Stage 21: Sunday, July 24 95 km Créteil → Paris Champs-Elysées

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anyone but cavendish or petacchi...please?

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I have a question about the final stage. If the race is close (say within 15 seconds or so) would the following scenario be permissible?

Hypothetical: Say AS is down 15 seconds to CE going into the final stage, entering the first lap around the Champs-Elysees his entire team stops or slows way down and allows the peloton to almost lap them. Then AS attacks 500m or so before the start of the second lap. Assume he surprises everyone and reaches his team with a small gap on the peloton and Cancellara et al hold off the entire field essentially by TTTing (they could even ride their TT bikes that day) allowing AS to win the stage by >15 seconds and in so doing, win the tour. Would such a scenario be permissible? Has anything like this ever been tried? Stage 21 is the only stage where something like this could even be attempted and it got me thinking...

(note: I am getting antsy waiting for stage 19 to start in case you can't tell) :)

Has the yellow jersey ever changed hands on the last stage (not counting years when Paris was a time trial stage)?

Cavendish for the stage.

Evans on the podium and the two Schlecks either side start tickling him. "Stop it Frank, stop it Andy."

I have a question about the final stage. If the race is close (say within 15 seconds or so) would the following scenario be permissible?

Hypothetical: Say AS is down 15 seconds to CE going into the final stage, entering the first lap around the Champs-Elysees his entire team stops or slows way down and allows the peloton to almost lap them. Then AS attacks 500m or so before the start of the second lap. Assume he surprises everyone and reaches his team with a small gap on the peloton and Cancellara et al hold off the entire field essentially by TTTing (they could even ride their TT bikes that day) allowing AS to win the stage by >15 seconds and in so doing, win the tour. Would such a scenario be permissible? Has anything like this ever been tried? Stage 21 is the only stage where something like this could even be attempted and it got me thinking...

(note: I am getting antsy waiting for stage 19 to start in case you can't tell) :)

No no no and no. No No No No.

This should be made into a sticky as it will be asked 143 times the next 24 hours.

No no no and no. No No No No.

This should be made into a sticky as it will be asked 143 times the next 24 hours.

Or they should sticky the dozens of posts asking the same thing from last year, the year before, or the year before that...

Actually you 'can' attack on the Champs-Elysees, but since the stage is pancake flat, it is extremely difficult to mount a successful attack. Of course, not including Lemond's 'miracle' TT against Laurent Fignon 1989.

From Wiki:
"In 1979, Joop Zoetemelk was 3:07 behind Bernard Hinault before the final stage. Zoetemelk attacked on the last stage, hoping to win enough time to claim the victory. Hinault chased Zoetemelk, and beat him for the stage victory.


In 1989, Greg LeMond beat Laurent Fignon by 58 seconds over a 24 km time trial from Versailles. In doing so, he closed a 50-second gap to win the 1989 Tour de France by eight seconds. It was the first time trial final stage on the Champs-Élysées. The 1964, 1965 and 1967 Tours finished with time trials to the Parc des Princes, and the 1968 to 1971 stages had time trials to the Vélodrome de Vincennes (Cipale).


In 2005, Lance Armstrong had a comfortable lead in the general classification, but behind him Alexander Vinokourov and Levi Leipheimer were only two seconds apart, on fifth and sixth place. Vinokourov succeeded in a breakaway during the last kilometre and, because of his stage win and bonus seconds, overtook Leipheimer for fifth position overall."

Cavendish, in style.

Cavendish, in style.

Farrar, just holding Cav off. Greipel third, Rojas fourth.

Vino's 2005 attack (mentioned above) was one of the most amazing pieces of riding I've ever seen.

Boring stage. I'll probably just slug a bottle of French wine and sob while spooning my bike on the couch.

Cavendish, in style.

...and in green.

Ya gotta love the way Garmin included Dave Z in the team podium shot. ;)

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