RIRview

I was watching today's climb, and the race was pretty dramatic. (I won't give it away for anyone who didn't watch it live).

BUT--on the final day, is there a gentlemen's agreement that the holder of the yellow jersey will go unchallenged on the that stage?

PepeM

There is but even if there wasn't it is a completely flat stage so no differences could be made anyway.

CafeVelo

This is basically it. It's not a course that allows anyone to sprint away and hold an advantage. Even if it was, do you see Quintana dropping froome on anything other than a climb?

RIRview

That's what I figured. Quintana would never be able to compete with Froome on the flats.

rpenmanparker 

Right, placements don't change on the last day. It is essentially ceremonial both due to the terrain as well as tradition. The green jersey might change due to a final sprint, but that is unlikely.

There is at least one exception to this. In 1989 the final stage was an individual time trial into Paris. Greg Lemond overcame a 50 second deficit to Laurent Fignon (his former teammate and arch rival) by riding the time trial 58 seconds faster than Fignon and winning by 8 seconds. Best tour finish ever. This was one of the first ever examples of the use of aero bars during a time trial, and certainly one of the most significant. Fignon was devastated.

stlcowboyfan

Holy smokes...he ran the time trial 58 seconds FASTER than Fignon???? Damn, I'd love to see video of that...like, to know how many things he did differently to be that much faster.

Homebrew01

Correct, and if there was a significant breakaway, the leader's team, and I'm sure others, would chase like hell to bring it back.
The green jersey and final sprint are up for grabs though. One of the most prestigious stages to win.

rpenmanparker 

And he did it in front of Fignon, so Fignon knew the whole way what he had to do to win. Lemond was one of the best time trialists of his day...at least among the general classification contenders.

MAK

I may be very wrong but that was when helmets were optional and I believe that Lemond wore an aerodynamic helmet and Fignon didn't wear a helmet at all. Some of the time was attributed to that and the new technology apparently made a big difference.

therhodeo

Sagan has to DNF to not win green.

rpenmanparker 

True, but it is not always that way.

rpenmanparker 

That is what I remember also. Lemond got a lot of help from aero technology that Fignon did not avail himself of. Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

NJCyclist72

I think this would be great. Personally was disappointed by the lack of time trials in this years Tour.

It would also make the yellow jersey really have an individual challenge at teh end.

Leinster

Lemond's TT setup for the final stage;

Skinsuit, bullhorns with clip-on Aero bars (first time aeros bars had been used in the Tour), aero helmet, disc rear/spoke front wheels.

And Fignon's;

Skinsuit, standard bullhorns, disc front and rear, and fashionable ponytail. (Not shown; wicked saddle sore that had been bugging him for a few days).

PepeM

I personally find time trials incredibly boring and the less we have the better.

colnago62

I like time trials in The Tour. It strips away variables like team strength and lays it out man vs man. TT riding is a big part of racing. This year, I felt, had too many hilltop finishes. I don't like tours that favor one discipline over others. Balance.

dieselgoat

I personally feel these stage races place too much emphasis on climbing. There are only a handful of riders who have a chance a winning any of the Grand Tours. If you are not an elite climber, you can forget it. The last several years of the Tour de France have been "over" after about the third or fourth day, and to me, it's boring as ****. I don't care who wins the yellow jersey, Sagan is the best overall bike rider in cycling right now.

Altbrewer

Lemond's margin over Fignon is even more impressive considering that the time trial was less than 25 kM in length.

phil_k

The same reason they call the US presidential election after CA and OH are projected. Nothing will change.

bbattle

While I enjoy watching Sagan race, he needs to improve on his tactics or he'll become the next Raymond Poulidor.

Time trials also have a way of making the TdF "over" pretty quickly. It's how Anqueteil, Indurain, Armstrong*, and Wiggins won theirs. Froome's win in 2013 was pretty much assured after he dominated the time trial, too.

As for the last several Tours being "over after about third or fourth day", perhaps you mean once they hit the mountains? Cadel Evans didn't secure his win in 2011 until the next to last day and when he lost to Sastre in 2008, it was only because he couldn't gain time as expected in the last time trial, also very late in the race.

Last year's Tour was a very exciting one; I hope it returns to the UK soon. But this year's start in The Netherlands and heading south through Belgium was great, too.

I see no shortage of riders wanting to ride the TdF even if they have no chance of winning the overall. Winning a stage sets you for life; just being there is a major career milestone.

dieselgoat

^^^ agreed

colnago62

Many of the riders in the pro field agree that Sagan is one of the most talented riders in the peleton. You don't win the green jersey as many times as he has and not be talented. He might not be, however, a potential winner of the tour. His climbing will have to become much better.

NJCyclist72

Agree fully with this. One reason I like seeing some of the classics incorporated into the Tour as well.

Doctor Morbius

So was Froome at first. He even threatened not to ride in this year's race.

bikepro

He is a sprint specialist. They typically aren't interested in the overall -- only the green jersey.