Pedersen, Kooij, Evenepoel, and Pogačar camps all expect a Van der Poel detonation on Tour de France stage 21
CyclingSaturday, 25 July 2026 at 22:56
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Follow us on GoogleThe final stage of the Tour de France will take place on Sunday in Paris, where A.S.O. has included Montmartre in the race route for the second year in a row. Following the highly successful experiment at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Christian Prudhomme and his team decided to include the spectacular climb in Paris. What can we expect this year from Mathieu van der Poel and company?
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For years, the final stage of the Tour de France was, of course, the domain of the sprinters, after days and weeks of grueling effort over the mountains and hills that make up the race. But then suddenly came the Paris Games, which produced some stunning images of the climb up Montmartre. It’s a trend that the A.S.O. is only too happy to jump on.
Last year, the first final stage for the classic-style riders came right away, and it didn’t disappoint at all. The rain was a bit of a spoilsport and led to an early neutralization, but the battle between the eventual winner, Wout van Aert, and—of all people—the yellow jersey wearer, Tadej Pogacar, gave the final stage, finishing on the Champs-Élysées , a whole new energy.
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Read more below the video!
It should therefore come as no surprise that the A.S.O. announced in October that the climb would be reintroduced into the route. However, the Tour de France organizers did have to make one more adjustment to the route the day before the final stage, but that does not affect the loop around Montmartre. In fact, the shorter total distance only makes it more interesting.
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Team managers expect Van der Poel to make a strong move on Montmartre
It’s not exactly the same, though. “The Montmartre loop has changed a bit; that climb comes a little closer to the finish than it used to,” explains Lidl-Trek team director Steven de Jongh. While the top of the cobblestone climb was six kilometers from the finish last year, it has now been extended to ten kilometers.
De Jongh has secured the green jersey with his Lidl-Trek team, but that doesn’t mean they’re satisfied. Mads Pedersen is going all out for the victory in the French capital. “I don’t think it’ll come down to a bunch sprint there. We also saw someone making a move on Wednesday during the stage to Voiron,” he said, referring to Mathieu van der Poel, who is expected to make a big move in Paris.
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We heard similar sentiments from Mark Renshaw, Olav Kooij’s team director at Decathlon CMA CGM. “First of all, we’ve managed to make it to Paris, and we think we can contend for the win there with Olav. But when you saw Van der Poel in action on Wednesday, you can’t help but think: if the battle for the green jersey is no longer relevant, then everyone will go all out for Van der Poel. They’ll be happy to split the work among themselves,” he says, referring to the work Van der Poel did for Philipsen on Stage 17.
Read more below the photo!
Mathieu van der Poel impressed in Stage 21 of the Tour.
Van der Poel and Paris: not a happy marriage yet
In any case, Van der Poel still has a score to settle with Paris. In 2024, he gave up on his Olympic MTB dream and went all in on the road race, where he found himself sandwiched between Van Aert and Evenepoel. Last year, he had also set his sights on the stage, but contracted pneumonia a few days before the race. “The fact that I couldn’t go for it in Paris was what bugged me the most,” he said a few weeks later during the Renewi Tour.
The Dutchman—who is widely regarded as the top favorite—was understandably kept out of the spotlight on Saturday ahead of the early-starting queen stage, but he did speak about the stage over Montmartre after the time trial. “On the one hand, I see it as an opportunity, but on the other hand, I might be speaking a bit against my own interests here: in a way, I do find it a shame that there isn’t a traditional sprint stage.”
"Sprinters like Tim Merlier—who is now back home—simply have nothing left to race for. "That’s understandable, but I’ve always thought the final finish on the Champs-Élysées was a nice reward for the sprinters who’ve tackled all those mountains over the past few weeks," said Van der Poel, honest as ever.
Pedersen, Evenepoel, and Pogacar Also Have Their Sights Set on the Champs-Élysées
MVDP certainly won’t be getting any gifts. First of all, Pedersen has already made his ambitions clear, but the same was true of the riders who had already made their mark on Montmartre. Remco Evenepoel won Olympic gold there in 2024 and has his sights set on another strong performance this time around, even though his team, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, is trying to rein in the Tour de France runner-up.
"I've been asked that question before, but the most important thing is to get Remco safely across the finish line," said team manager Ralph Denk at the bottom of Alpe d'Huez after Stage 20. “If conditions allow us to go for the stage win, we—as cyclists, which Remco certainly is—won’t pass up that opportunity. But the main goal is to get him safely across the finish line.”
And then there’s Pogacar, who finished second behind Van Aert last year and wants to add a “new-style” Champs-Élysées victory to his list of achievements. “We’ll see how I feel tomorrow. I’m not taking any risks. With Wout not here, I have one less rival for the victory on the Champs-Élysées. It’s not an ambitious goal, but if my legs feel good and I don’t have to take too many risks, I’ll try to take the win tomorrow,” he assured.
So, buckle up!
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Tom van der Salm (27) comes from the charming town of Zeilberg (Deurne) in the Netherlands and has been working as editor-in-chief & journalist at IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, In de Leiderstrui, since 2019. He travels with the peloton from the Tour de France to the AlUla Tour and from the World Championships in Rwanda or Canada to the Zilvermeercross in Mol. In his spare time he enjoys playing football, mountain biking, running, walking with his Labrador/Stabyhoun, investing, holidays, (specialty) beers, reading, cooking and watching sports & documentaries!
Contact: [email protected]
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Latest Comments
- - Renshaw’s take is spot on: if teams aren’t defending green, they’ll collaborate to control MVDP. But Pogacar lurking with those legs after the Tour he’s had… madre mía, esto va a ser fuego.jeremya25-07-2026
- - I miss the pure sprinter parade on the Champs. Merlier types basically locked out now. Rewarding the fast men after three weeks used to mean something.andrewf25-07-2026
- - Van der Poel owes Paris one after the pneumonia and the Olympic heartbreak. If the green jersey fight is settled, the peloton marking him could actually open the door for Pedersen or Evenepoel to counter. Proper chess on the cobbles.patriciaw25-07-2026
- - Not sure I get the change: article says the top of the climb was 6 km from the finish last year but now it’s extended to 10 km? Wouldn’t that make a regroup more likely and help sprinters a bit?julien25-07-2026
- - Loved the Montmartre inclusion last year and can’t wait for round two. This finish finally gives classics guys a proper shot in Paris. MVDP vs Pog vs Remco vs Pedersen… yes please.pedalpowe2925-07-2026
- - Vamos Tom! De menos a más toda la carrera, y sin caerse en la tercera semana. Next year with a cleaner prep, podium fight en el Tour? Maybe not yet, pero se ve la progresión.pedalpowe2925-07-2026
- - Good read, but small nit: you mention “he couldn’t keep up in Stage 20” then jump to Carapaz winning—would’ve liked a bit more context on where Tom lost the wheels (Telegraphe? Galibier?).cyclechamp4525-07-2026
- - Quick q: Why did he ride the third week so conservative after the bonk? Is that to protect GC rather than risk a stage? I thought a late breakaway attempt could’ve nabbed a win.robert6525-07-2026
- - Ninth at +28 to Pogacar isn’t bad considering the March ravine crash and missing Suisse. If he strings together an uninterrupted spring, he can aim for 5–7th. Pinarello-Q5 support looked sharper than I expected too.gearguru3325-07-2026
- - Loved the detail about the Vosges triple—those were the days he really banked the top-Reminded me of his 2022 Alpe win vibes, just more measured this time. Coach Bogaerts called it right: top 5 was a stretch.bikebuffj25-07-2026
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