Tour de France 2018 – stage 21 LIVE: Latest updates as Geraint Thomas celebrates on road to Champs-Élysées

Team Sky celebrate along the way as the enjoy the traditionally relaxed final stage, which typically ends in a bunch sprint

Tour De France: Geraint Thomas in numbers

Geraint Thomas faces the easiest day of his Tour de France, a 116km ride from Houilles to the Champs-Élysées in Paris to collect the yellow jersey.

Team Sky will celebrate along the way as the enjoy the traditionally relaxed final stage, which typically ends in a bunch sprint.

Click on stage 21 to refresh the live tracker:

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[29 July 2018 15:29 · Lawrence Ostlere]

Stage 21 is a go! 

The procession to Paris begins in Houilles. Geraint Thomas looked in fine spirits on the start line, chatting away with Peter Sagan. So he should be. For once, he can enjoy the ride.

[29 July 2018 15:38 · Lawrence Ostlere]

The champagne is out! This seems a risky ploy when you're only task is to make it to the finish line, but Thomas seems happy enough.

[29 July 2018 16:06 · Lawrence Ostlere]

Champagne action:

[29 July 2018 16:43 · Lawrence Ostlere]

The have 70km left of this jaunt to the Champs-Elysees, and not a lot is happening right now. In the meantime, here are some Froome facts:

[29 July 2018 16:50 · Lawrence Ostlere]

How on earth did Geraint Thomas win the Tour de France, I hear you cry. An attempt to answer that question:

[29 July 2018 17:27 · Lawrence Ostlere]

There is a little breakaway now, around 30 seconds clear of the peloton, containing a handful of riders who will inevitably be reeled in to create a bunch sprint at the finish.

[29 July 2018 17:36 · Lawrence Ostlere]

The race now begins five circuits in the centre of Paris, which will culminate in a sprint for victory...

[29 July 2018 17:44 · Lawrence Ostlere]

[29 July 2018 17:47 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

21km to go

A leading group of six riders has pulled out in front of the peloton, with Taylor Phinney (Education First–Drapac p/b Cannondale) back in that front group after briefly suffering a mechanical problem. They're 40 seconds ahead of the chasing pack.

Incidentally, only seven times out of the past 44 Tours has this stage not finished in a bunch sprint on the Champs-Elysées. Winners throughout a breakaway or a late attack were: Alain Meslet (1977), Gerrie Knetemann (1978), Bernard Hinault (1979), Pol Verschuere (1980), Jeff Pierce (1987), Eddy Seigneur (1994) and Alexandre Vinokourov (2005).

[29 July 2018 17:49 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

The photographer who took this shot really needs to work on keeping things in focus.

Absolute amateur.