Preview: Everything you need to know about Stage 21 of the 2017 Tour de France

Date: Sunday, July 23
Start: Montgeron
Finish: Paris Champs-Élysées
Distance: 103km (64mi)

The traditional finish to the Tour is on the Champs-Élysées, with a different start point each year. This time around, the stage starts in Montgeron, which hosted the Grand Depart of the first Tour in 1903. With the general classification wrapped up, as well as every other classification, all eyes will turn to the sprinters after the ceremonial champagne to the winners of each jersey. With the dominant Marcel Kittel (Quickstep Floors) missing, André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) should be the clear favourite for Sunday after winning the previous two occasions on the Champs-Élysées. The German has won a stage in every Grand Tour since 2011 and would be eager for that trend to continue this year. With a host of other big names missing — Sagan, Cavendish, Démare — it opens the door for riders such as Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo), Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) and John Degenkolb (Trek-Segafredo) to win their maiden Tour stage. Alexander Kristoff (Katusha-Alpecin) will want to rediscover the form that has seen him win Tour sprints in the past while green jersey winner Michael Matthews (Sunweb) and Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data) have impressed throughout the Tour. It is sure to be an interesting sprint with so many contenders present, and so many others missing.

Christian Prudhomme, race director: “It’ll be time for facts and figures. First of all time to check the number of riders who will enter the world of ‘Giants of the Road.’ Time to count the seconds or minutes separating the best on the final podium. But the finish on the Champs-Élysées is also a territory for sprinters. The British and the Germans have reigned there without sharing these last few years. Will they finally meet a worthy enough rival?”