From the pepper spray to champagne celebrations. All the stages from the third week as the Tour de France races from the Pyrenees to the Champs-Élysées.
Before we zip through the stages we’d like to take a moment to say a huge THANK YOU to EVERYONE who joined in with our #TourIn5 daily podcasts. It’s been a joyous celebration of positivity – it’s not often you can use that term in a joyous way for a cycling race is it? So kick back and relax, and let the Journal Velo’s excellent cheesy stage songs take you through the last week – you know you want to!
Stage 16
Julian Alaphilippe does it again. A second swashbuckling ride to victory from the polka-dotted Musketeer. The peloton held their breath after pepper spray was deployed against protesting farmers and we all held our breaths as Philippe Gilbert somersaulted into a ravine.
Catch the VeloVoices take on the action with our stage review and don’t miss our Tour in 5 podcast.
Stage 17
65km, two cat one climbs and an hors-categorie mountain-top finish. All this and Nairo Quintana attacked to take a solo victory. Could have done without the grid start though.
Our review is here, Tour In 5 podcast here
Stage 18
Somehow, in the midst of the Pyrenees, the route designer managed to find a flat parcours. Groupama-FDJ lay it all on the line, Arnaud Demare finishes it off in style and the GC guys make the most of the rest.
Our review is here, Tour In 5 podcast
Stage 19
The last mountain stage: Col d’Aspin, Col de Tourmelet, Col d’Aubisque. We don’t really need to say anymore. What – A – Stage. The day the LottoNL-Jumbo triumvirate outplayed Team Sky and came away with a stage win and a place on the podium for Primoz Roglic.
Our review is here, Tour In 5 podcast here
Stage 20
The race of truth over a climbing parcours and a fascinating battle for second and third steps on the podium. Tom Dumoulin took the stage win by a single second from Chris Froome. The defending champion’s ride enough to put him back into third place.
Our review is here, Tour In 5 podcast here
Stage 21
Ahhhhh Paris. The elegant Champs-Élysées. Sylvain Chavanel‘s last hoorah. The champagne. The speeches. Alexander Kristoff raised his arms in victory and Geraint Thomas finished his Tour de France, clad in a Welsh dragon, with a mic-drop.
Our review is here, a very excited Tour In 5 podcast here
STOP PRESS: Well, that’s it for the racing around France for this year. But you can catch the VeloVoices own special take on the three week jaunt with…
Our final TDF podcast
Miss Kitty Fondue’s fabulous A to Z part 1 and part 2
and of course TWEEEEEETS OF THE WEEEEEEEEK
Header Image: Tim de Waele/Getty Images