The peloton of Tour survivors arrives this Sunday in Mantes-la-Jolie, the starting point of the last stage of the Tour de France.
Direction the Champs-Elysées from 4 p.m.
Arrival is scheduled for around 7 p.m. at nightfall.
The peloton will enter the Champs around 5:30 pm for seven laps and seven crossings on the line.
Les Champs since 1975
It's been exactly 45 years since the Tour de France arrived on the Champs.
The first arrival dates from 1975 with the victory of the Belgian Walter Godefroot and the first coronation in yellow of the French Bernard Thévenet, greeted by the new President of the Republic Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.
Previously, the riders completed their three-week effort at the Parc des Princes from 1903 to 1967 then at La Cipale, the municipal track of the Vincennes velodrome, east of Paris, from 1968 to 1974. Eddy Merckx has never won the Tour sur les Champs for example.
5,000 spectators, not one more
The arrival on the Champs-Elysées this Sunday will be more discreet than usual.
The presence of the public is limited to 5,000 spectators in order to respect health restrictions and social distancing, two golden rules on the Tour route for three weeks.
This of course to try to avoid the spread of Covid-19.
"The device will be that of the red zones", justifies ASO (Amaury Sport Organization) which organizes the Grande Boucle.
The teams' paddock located near Place de la Concorde will not be accessible and the public will not be allowed to access the part of the final circuit along rue de Rivoli, just before the finish straight.
Access to the rest of the circuit will be filtered so as not to exceed the gauge.
The Heroes' Parade
The Tour classification rarely changed during this last stage which looks more like a long parade than a real race.
The winners of the distinctive jerseys take the opportunity to take a break for photos, the anonymous people are delighted to finish the race which usually comes alive on the final circuit.
Can a yellow jersey win on the Champs?
Yes, since it has already happened twice with Bernard Hinault in 1978 and 1982. But these are the only two exceptions.