Tour de France 2018: Geraint Thomas goes to Paris on the last day – live! | sport

There are some truly fabulous photographs here. That's one of my favorites – it's the woman in red right, who covers her mouth in shock, who does it:

The stage today begins in Houilles. The people of Houilles are Ovillois. "Very close to Paris, Houilles nevertheless has a charm and a very provincial tranquility," says the site of the city.

Deployment has begun! They have a little less than 2 km before the race, as it is, begins.

The action is only a few minutes. In the meantime, here are some readings before the race. First, William Fotheringham on Thomas's Success:

Given the diversity of ways that he has managed to knock off his bike over the years, it would have been different from Geraint Thomas to complete a Tour de France without a certain jitter. The deranged skitter of the rear wheel in a turn at the start of Saturday's time trial is barely recorded on his personal Richter scale. The Welsh is legendary for the injuries that he has accumulated, including the broken pelvis with which he finished the Tour in 2013, the collarbone that he broke into the Alps last year and the collision with a metal spring in Australia in its less than 23 days.

And here again is William Fotheringham, with an overview of a particularly punitive Tour:

The first ball of Lawson Craddock crossed the line in the time trial on Saturday. The American had finished a three-week battle to complete the Tour de France with a broken shoulder blade, a challenge that had seemed unlikely after his fall on the first day. It had been a daily show at the back of the pack, struggling on occasion to maintain contact relatively early. The fact that he has raised more than $ 100,000 for the hurricane-damaged Houston velodrome has only added to the romance. Craddock was far from being alone in his suffering [on] a Tour that seemed particularly cruel to his stars this year

More here:

And finally, here is the journal of Jeremy Whittle's tour: [19659066] 10:10 EDT
10:10

Tom Dumoulin also had a very brief conversation (you can still watch it live on Facebook here), about the double of the Giro d & # 39; Italy / Tour de France:

I think Chris Froome and I have proved this year that doubles are possible. I am very happy with my performance here.

Geraint Thomas was interviewed during the signing of the podium before the start of the special stage. Here's what he said:

It's crazy. It's the stuff of dreams, you know. As a child, I just dreamed of being in this race. Over the years, the results have slowly built. Being in this position now is just amazing. Growing up with Luke, I was 12, he was eight, being here with him now is just amazing. I think it will take a while to sink. It's just bonker. I will try to enjoy today, and certainly tonight.

Hello world!

Well, after three weeks glory day has arrived for Geraint Thomas. A final stage of 116km in Paris, unless an accident or an unexpected challenge, will end with the rowing of the Welsh as first winner of the history of the Tour de France.

There is also a prestigious stage win to win the last nine sprints on the Champs-Élysées (Mark Cavendish, who has done it four times, Marcel Kittel and André Greipel, who each have two wins, and Dylan Groenewegen) among the astonishing number of sprinters who started this race but failed to finish it. The only person still in the race to win this last stage is Daniele Bennati, now 37, who won in 2007 but did not finish in the top 10 this year and is widely available at 150-1 for the win today. The favorites are Arnaud Demare, Alexander Kristoff and Peter Sagan, whose head in the green jersey rankings has been indestructible for quite some time now.

So, a little trip to Paris, a little champagne-sipping and several seconds of wild excitement await. Welcome!