Pogacar leads peloton into Paris for Tour de France final stage • FRANCE 24 English

Tadej Pogacar leads the Tour de France into Paris on Sunday on the cusp of a fourth title after a dominant 21-day romp over the peaks and plains of France. The final day culminates with a parade into the French capital and a sprint on the famed Champs-Elysees avenue. Details by FRANCE 24 reporter James Vasina.
#TourDeFrance #Paris #Pogacar

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Well, in just a few short hours, the 112th edition of the tour to France will come to a close. The 21st and final stage today is a 132 km long ride from the Paris suburb of Mont Lavil to the iconic Shanzel Boulevard in the capital. It features three ascents in the historic neighborhood of Mar as well. and Slovenian cyclist today Pogatar is leading the race so far, leaving him on the cusp then of a fourth title after a dominant run over the peaks and plains of France over the past 21 days. For more on this, we’ll cross now to our sports editor, James Facina. Hi James. So this is the first time that the tour to France cyclists will be riding through MMA then tell us more about that. Absolutely first ever time that is happening on the tour. uh they’ll be coming all the way up to here two more miles before going down to the sha and you do actually wonder why it’s taken so long for them to have perhaps decide to do this because I can tell you now there’s already hundreds of people who’ve gathered here waiting for the the races to come through the riders to come through later in the afternoon and just look at the view that you got behind me for anyone who’s been to Paris before they might recognize that we’re at the top of the boot dur mat with the basilica the sakur just behind me here and so we’ll be seeing uh all the teams making their way through just here they’ll be coming up towards the boot, going around the boot three times. That is the the climb that there is here because normally uh the final stage is pretty flat around Paris, but this is going to be adding a little bit more of a show. There’s going to be then that climb up to here. It’s may not be anything like the mountains that we’ve just been in for the final of the the final stages before this. Uh but there’s going to be a few expect a few attacks and perhaps it’s an attempt to try and bring in a bit more show to the final stage which can sometimes be uh a little bit well less action let’s say than what happens in the days before that when they normally wrap up over in the mountains. So three times around the boots let’s see who attacks because uh is it going to be are we going to see someone who we haven’t seen as much of uh recently in the tour? Is it going to be someone like Val? Is it going to be someone like Ben Healey or is it going to be a Frenchman? Uh Kian Vlar is currently seventh in the uh in the general standings as a nice stage victory. Wouldn’t be saying no to that. Expect atmospheres to go wild but if in case a Frenchman does but there are a lot of people here also are tourists of course this is tourist season in the middle of the summer of course but do not rule out the likes of Tade Pogachar the current leader who’s very comfortably if everything goes well. Uh he is he has enough leads as things stand four and a half minutes lead to go and win the tour uh today. but he’s won four stages already, he’ll be more than happy to add a fifth one to that. So, I don’t think he’s going to take it easy. He’s going to he’s he’s got the capacity to do it. Um, and this crucially with the with with the climbs they’re going to have this time is going to provide that more spectacle there. Just to give you an idea, it’s of course the uh the quite the very historic and smaller narrow roads that lead up to here in Mormat. And that climb, while it may not be anything like the mountains, it’s cate category 4 climb. That’s just under just under 6% climb over a kilometer. That’s going to tire out a few of them there and provide a bit of a spectacle to come uh in the few hours. But first, of course, it’ll be time for the caravan. The caravan that hands out all the goodies, all the uh all all the marketing side that allows the tour to uh to take place, which will be coming through here to get people just a bit hyped up before they are in their hours of wait hours of wait that they’re happy to do uh just to see the tour take place for the first time here. first time in the tour, but not the first time ever because of course this is all based on an idea that happened last summer in the Olympics with the cycling happening here in Morat. And it was such a success just in terms of the atmosphere and visually on television as you’ll be able to watch it. Uh it was just such a success that of course the tours decided to go ahead and do that and finish in the iconic on the iconic shar at the act. Lots of suspense it sounds like even up until the very end. James Dina, thank you very much.