Tour de France 2016: Sunday's Stage 21 Live-Stream Schedule, TV Info and Route
Team Sky's Chris Froome will win the 2016 Tour de France on Sunday following the completion of Stage 21 in Paris, barring any serious problems.
Per Whit Yost of Bicycling, the Tour will end the 113-kilometre stage with nine laps of the Champs-Elysees, as traditional since 1975. Starting at Chateau de Chantilly, the riders will race to the line in one of the most hotly contested field sprints in the sport.
Englishman Froome enters the final stage with a healthy advantage over closest challenger Romain Bardet of France and is expected to win the title for the third time in four years.
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Here's everything you need to know for Stage 21.
Date: Sunday, July 24
Route: Chateau de Chantilly to Champs-Elysses
Profile: Sprint
Time: 1 p.m. (BST), 8 a.m. (ET)
Live Stream: ITV Hub (UK), NBC Sports App (U.S.)
TV Info: ITV 4 (UK), NBC Sports Gold (U.S.)
For the full Tour de France schedule, visit Cyclingnews.com.
Preview
Per Yost, Froome will enter the record books alongside Philippe Thys, Louison Bobet and Greg LeMond with three Tour de France titles should he accomplish his ambition this weekend, moving himself tied for second on the list of all-time champions.
Stage 20 saw another largely trouble-free race for the Kenya-born rider, who was cheered on by the crowd as he crossed the finishing line.
Team Sky were particularly happy to see him cross the line in one piece, acknowledging how close the 31-year-old now is to another Tour success:
The gruelling mountain climbs and treacherous descents on slippery wet tarmac have been replaced by a flat run to the finishing line, with the riders set to be engulfed by luscious green grass in comparison to the rocky surroundings they have recently been experiencing.
Having said that, the final day's running is set to be a bumpier run to the end than previous years.
Per Cyclingnews.com, the riders will have to negotiate a climb up the Cote de l’Ermitage after 32 kilometres, which could have caused some intrigue, had the yellow jersey been still up for grabs.
Per William Fotheringham of the Guardian, Froome holds a four-minute, 11-second advantage over his closest challenger and will enjoy a relative stroll to the finish line. This relaxation has not been handed to him, after being forced to navigate the tricky previous stage.
Up next for the riders is one of the easier rides on the Tour calendar. At 113 kilometres, it's one of the shortest on offer and allows the sprinters to truly show their worth. Per Ladon Mellen, the stage gradient has been released:
It's not only the yellow jersey that has been wrapped up. Peter Sagan has taken the green jersey for most points awarded, as GoPro celebrated the Slovakian's achievement:
Englishman Adam Yates' position in the general classification was affected after Stage 20, dropping him out of the top three and into fourth spot. Per Niall McVeigh of the Guardian, the Englishman will finish outside the podium places but will win the white jersey for best young rider.
The final stage of the Tour revolves around two things: the yellow-jersey winner enjoying his time out on the road, cherishing moments and absorbing the warmth from the crowds, and the sprint finish.
Per Cyclingnews.com, as tradition, Froome will be expected to lead the peloton on to the Place de la Concorde for the opening lap before handing over to the sprinters. This stage means more to the sprinters, so any reserves left with be fully exhausted. The curve off the Place de la Concorde may prove important for the outcome of the sprint race, with the final 200 metres seen as one of the most exhilarating moments of the whole Tour.
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