2026 Tour de France stage 21 preview | Could Pogačar or Evenepoel ruin Van der Poel's dream stage?

The last three weeks have flown by. Tadej Pogačar heads into the final stage with a massive lead, but a spectacular show awaits us there. The Montmartre climb is back! The Champs-Élysées remains the Tour’s iconic finish, but whether it will come down to a sprint is anyone’s guess. In the Leader’s Jersey takes a final look ahead!

The traditional finish on the Champs-Élysées underwent a major overhaul last year. Following the example of the 2024 Olympic Games, the climb up Montmartre was incorporated into the route. It added a new dimension to the final day of the Tour de France—and produced a fabulous winner: Wout van Aert beat Tadej Pogacar on the wet cobblestones and secured an iconic victory.

For the organization, it was a sign to stick with this approach. Montmartre is back, but in a slightly different form. Especially after the ASO was forced to intervene: the wildfires in France are keeping the fire department and police very busy. This means the final stage will be significantly shortened, from 133 to 89 kilometers.

The start was supposed to be in Thoiry, but that will change. The riders will now start in Paris: the finish line on the Champs-Élysées will also serve as the starting line. The first 57 kilometers have been cut, but to compensate, there will be two additional laps on the short circuit. That circuit will be completed a total of seven times, but after that, the race moves directly to the main circuit, including Montmartre.

After crossing the finish line for the seventh time, the peloton turns right at the famous Arc de Triomphe roundabout. We’re heading to Montmartre, a 1-kilometer climb with a 6.5 percent gradient. The steepest sections are about 200 meters from the summit, where the gradient reaches 9 percent. Cobblestones along the entire length—it’s a tough one.

The descent isn't technically challenging, after which the route rejoins the old circuit via Boulevard des Cattignolles and Boulevard de Courcelles. The riders will complete this long loop three times. The final climb up Montmartre is 10 kilometers from the finish line, 4 kilometers farther than last year. This gives the sprinters a little more hope.

Times
Start: 5:50 p.m.
Finish: around 7:45 p.m.

The warm summer weather will take a brief break in Paris on Sunday. It won’t be cold, as the temperature will rise to about 24 degrees Celsius, and the wind chill will make it feel about 5 degrees warmer. The sun doesn’t seem likely to break through much, though it does look like it will stay dry. A moderate wind is blowing from the west, which means a tailwind all the way to Paris.

Van Aert’s victory last year will give many attackers hope. The Belgian won’t be there, but his longtime rival Mathieu van der Poel will be. The Dutch rider from Alpecin-Premier Tech would love nothing more than to win in Paris. Or will he have to work for teammate Jasper Philipsen? He can handle a little hill, too. In any case, it won’t make a difference for the green jersey anymore.

Van Aert dropped yellow jersey wearer Tadej Pogacar on the climb last year. We know that the Slovenian from UAE Team Emirates-XRG loves nothing more than winning in places where he’s been beaten before: the Col du Granon, Le Lioran, Hautacam... Paris? Winning in yellow on the Champs-Élysées would be the perfect way to cap off his Tour. Bernard Hinault did it twice, and he is the only rider ever to win in yellow in Paris.

However, there are plenty of attackers looking to thwart him. At Lidl-Trek, Mads Pedersen could cap off his performance after winning the green jersey, but his teammates Quinn Simmons, Toms Skujins, and Mathias Vacek could also finish strong, given the opportunity. EF Education-EasyPost has riders like Michael Valgren and Kasper Asgreen, while Netcompany INEOS has Filippo Ganna and Josh Tarling, as well as Dorian Godon.

Uno-X Mobility is counting on strong riders like Jonas Abrahamsen and Magnus Cort, while Liam Slock could make a splash for Lotto-Intermarché. Other contenders include Alex Aranburu (Cofidis), Tom Pidcock and Fred Wright (Pinarello - Q36.5), Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ), Tim van Dijke (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), and Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies).

We’re also putting Remco Evenepoel on our list: he’s in great form, and he’s already won a race up Montmartre, at the 2024 Olympics. Visma | Lease a Bike will certainly be looking to make an impact with Per Strand Hagenes and Victor Campenaerts. In addition to Pogacar, UAE Team Emirates-XRG also has Florian Vermeersch, Tim Wellens, and Nils Politt. Matej Mohoric will be the man to watch for Bahrain Victorious.

Last year’s race was somewhat disrupted by bad weather: the times were neutralized, meaning that only thirty riders competed for the stage win. With better weather, we expect more sprinters who will dare to go for it. Philipsen has already been mentioned, but Biniam Girmay (NSN) and Max Kanter (XDS Astana) can also handle a small hill. His teammate Davide Ballerini finished second in Paris last year.

Would we dare say that the Montmartre climb is somewhat similar to the VAM climb? That’s where Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM) finished third at the European Cycling Championships. Michael Matthews (Jayco AlUla) should be able to handle this with ease as well. At Soudal Quick-Step, all eyes will be on Jasper Stuyven. Uno-X Mobility still has stage winner Søren Waerenskjold, Lotto-Intermarché has Huub Artz, and Cofidis has Milan Fretin.

Rick Pluimers showed in the spring that he can handle these kinds of races, and he’s having an excellent Tour. Pavel Bittner (Picnic PostNL) also needs to prove his worth to his team in races like this. In addition to Ballerini and Kanter, XDS Astana also has riders like Aaron Gate and Mike Teunissen.

Top Favorite: Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech)
Dark horses: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Per Strand Hagenes (Visma | Lease a Bike), and Jasper Stuyven (Soudal Quick-Step)
Long shots: Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM), Mathias Vacek, Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), Biniam Girmay (NSN), Max Kanter (XDS Astana), Tim van Dijke (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Jonas Abrahamsen, Søren Waerenskjold (Uno-X Mobility), Michael Matthews (Jayco AlUla), Davide Ballerini (XDS Astana), Milan Fretin (Cofidis), Huub Artz (Lotto-Intermarché), Pavel Bittner (Picnic PostNL), Florian Vermeersch (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious), Filippo Ganna, Josh Tarling, Dorian Godon (Netcompany INEOS), Michael Valgren, and Kasper Asgreen (EF Education-EasyPost)