Video: Riders stop to watch Van der Poel's nail-biting Tour finish in Paris
Mathieu van der Poel could hardly have secured victory on the Champs Élysées in more dramatic fashion. After attacking alongside Tadej Pogacar on the final ascent of Montmartre, the Dutchman distanced his rival on the finishing straight as the chasing peloton closed in rapidly. Digging deep for one final effort, he held off teammate Jasper Philipsen by the narrowest of margins.
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The finale proved so gripping that even some of the riders still out on the course stopped to watch. Several had already been dropped and were riding around the Paris circuit with one lap still to complete when Van der Poel approached the finish.
The general classification times had already been frozen with 48km remaining, before the first of three ascents of Montmartre. Any gaps recorded from that point no longer counted towards the overall standings. For riders who had already been dropped and were no longer in contention for the stage, there was therefore no need to rush to the finish.
That gave several riders the chance to stop and watch the decisive moments unfold.
Footage captured by a fan shows Pascal Eenkhoorn, Valentin Paret-Peintre, Warren Barguil and Alex Baudin pausing near the Arc de Triomphe to follow the final kilometre on a giant screen. Georg Zimmermann and two Cofidis riders also joined them as Mathieu van der Poel claimed victory just a short distance away.
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