Evenepoel hopes Tour de France skips Montmartre in final stage: "Don't make it too complicated"

This is remarkable, given that the Belgian from Soudal Quick-Step made his dream come true on the famous hill: he became Olympic cycling champion there last year. "But I wouldn't be happy if we were also presented with that climb in the final stage of the Tour," he sighs to Sporza. "Don't make it too complicated; stick to that local lap. There will be enough battles for positioning in the first week of the Tour. Add Montmartre to that, meaning we must do the same thing on the last day. We'll be exhausted by then."

The 25-year-old superstar is also thinking of his colleagues who are aiming for sprint victories. "Every year, they get a great opportunity to sprint for a stage victory on the Champs-Elysées. That opportunity is somewhat taken away from them by having to put in three 3-minute efforts (Montmartre)." The sprint on the Champs-Elysées is considered the unofficial World Championship for sprinters, and many fast riders go all out to have even the slightest chance of victory in the 21st stage of the Tour de France.

If the organization does decide on a final stage that includes Montmartre, there is a possibility that a lot of sprinters will say goodbye to the race before the final stage. That is why Evenepoel hopes the classic finish on the Champs-Elysées will stay. "In my opinion, Montmartre is an unnecessary obstacle. It would be great if ASO decided to drop that plan."

There had been rumors about including Montmartre in the Tour de France. Still, Le Parisien reported earlier this month that ASO had decided after the success of the Olympic Games. The 2025 edition would serve as a test: if it were an overwhelming success, the climb would return to the race more often in later years. Previously, the police opposed the plan due to concerns about traffic disruption. But they now seem to have changed their minds.