Tour de France 2021 LIVE: Stage 21 latest updates as Tadej Pogacar looks to retain title today

Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome has reached Paris at the first time of asking since his horror crash in 2019. A superb achievement.

He said: “It’s been a bumpy road but we’re almost in Paris! Thank you so much for the amazing support over the last 3 weeks, it has meant so much to me.”

Jonas Vingegaard has been the revelation of this year’s Tour de France. Having lost their team leader Primoz Roglic, the Dane stepped up for Jumbo-Visma and has not disappointed.

At just 24 years of age, he has finished second in the general classification, solidifying his position with a superb third place in the final time trial.

Could he challenge Pogacar next year?

Here was the Wout van Aert story from yesterday’s stage. He took his second victory of this year’s Tour de France in the final individual time trial.

The Belgian is a true superstar.

Let’s not forget Tadej Pogacar this afternoon. He is winning his second Tour de France title in Paris today.

I dare even guess how many he will have by the end of his career.

Here is the last time he won on the Champs-Elysees back in 2012. That was his fourth win in a row in Paris. Will he roll back the years this evening?

Welcome people! I’m Dylan Terry and I’ll be taking you through the final stage of this year’s Tour de France.

Here is my prediction for today’s stage:

The script has been written, edited and sent out to all the actors involved. The romantic story of Cavendish breaking the all-time stage record in Paris is a narrative all cycling fans are praying comes to fruition today. The only problem? Other riders actually want to win.

The Champs-Elysees is the most famous finish in cycling and winning it can make riders careers. Cavendish won there four times in a row between 2009 and 2012, a feat no other rider has ever come remotely close to.

A fifth would be extraordinary, but this is so much more than that. Everyone going for the victory will be fighting for the wheel of the Manx Missile heading into that final sweeping right turn.

But can any of them live with him? I don’t think so. Scripts are written for a reason. You’d be foolish to predict anything else.

Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the final stage of this year’s Tour de France!

This year’s edition of the Tour de France comes to a conclusion on the Champs-Elysees today, with two key storylines to follow.

Tadej Pogacar, who has been clad in the yellow jersey since stage seven, will look to become the youngest rider ever to retain the title. The 22-year-old Slovenian has been dominant over the last three weeks and seems a lock to win the race this afternoon, though the stage victory could go to another rider.

Mark Cavendish’s remarkable resurgence this summer has seen the Manx rider win four stages to equal the all-time overall stage wins record held by Eddy Merckx, and one more this afternoon would see the 36-year-old go clear of the Belgian legend. Cavendish in fact has history on the Champs-Elysees, which provides one of the fastest finishes in cycling, having won four times.