Tour de France 2008 – Grand Finalé – Paris

Mon Dieu! All those late nights watching the finish of each stage of the Tour de France and we’re suffering from sleep deprivation and exhaustion from watching those huge mountain climbs.

It’s been very exciting and enjoyable, and having watched much of the race, I’ve got to say that these guys are amazing and so courageous for taking on such huge challenges. It has certainly converted us from being casually interested to keen followers of the race.

Champs Elysees, Paris

Well tonight, the grand finalé of the ultimate stage of the 105th edition of the Tour de France takes the riders on a 143 km ride from Etampes to the Champs-Élysées. The Champs-Élysées has been the finishing point since 1975 and Parisiens affectionately call this spectacular and last stage of this tour, the Grande Boucle. If you’re lucky enough to be in Paris to witness this special moment, it will be so thrilling and exciting to watch the the leaders sprint onto the Champs-Elysées.

Looking at the map, the last section traces the Seine before turning onto the Champs-Élysées at Place de la Concorde. This part of Paris is so beautiful and it’ll be such a relief for the riders once they see the Seine. Throughout the Tour we’ve seen various townships put up very impressive decorations and displays to mark the Tour passing through their towns and it’ll be interesting to see how Paris will celebrate the grand finalé of this Tour. No doubt there’ll be plenty of French champagne flowing!

Helen