Grand finish of Le Tour

After a three-week dash around France, cycling’s most prestigious race concludes today with a triumphant procession into Paris before a sprint finish on the Champs-Élysées. The 21st and final stage of this year’s Tour de France – the 108th edition of the famous event – begins in Chatou, a town in the western suburbs of Paris along the river Seine. Tour tradition dictates the overall race leader isn't challenged on the last day, so it starts out as a victory parade for the champion-elect, who will be wearing a yellow jersey, posing for pictures, and sipping a glass of champagne along the route. But when the riders reach the heart of Paris, the pace picks up as they dash around the tree-lined Champs-Élysées, sometimes described as the most beautiful avenue in the world.
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