Favorites stage 21 Tour de France 2024 | 35 years after the most exciting Tour day ever, here we go again

The last time the Tour ended with a time trial was in the legendary 1989 edition. Greg LeMond then settled his score with Laurent Fignon in Paris, who after three weeks of the Tour de France fell just eight seconds short of winning the Tour. 35 years later, we get a new closing time trial, but the chance that it becomes as thrilling as back then... is incredibly slim.

So, what's on the menu? We start in Monaco and finish near the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, that’s the gist of it. But within those 33.7 kilometers, riders also have to conquer 650 meters of elevation, including the climbs of La Turbie and Col d'Eze — ascents that will be well known to Paris-Nice participants and residents of Monaco.

The first two kilometers are flat, but then La Turbie looms. An 8.1-kilometer climb at 5.6 percent with a fairly steady gradient, followed by a short descent. Then we go up to the summit of Col d'Eze, with a climb of 1.6 kilometers at 8.8 percent. After that, the men must push across a plateau before the descent into Nice begins.

Once we reach the French city, there is a short passage along the boulevard. For many riders, it's a moment to enjoy. For a few, it's a last chance to go all out to secure their goals.

Climb
11.2 km: LA TURBIE (8.1 km at 5.6%)

Times
Start first rider: 2:40 PM
Finish last rider: around 7:30 PM

The wind will blow from the Mediterranean Sea and therefore we will mostly get a crosswind. It’s 28 degrees Celsius with a slight chance of rain, but let's hope for the continuation of this time trial that we stay dry.

One last blast, for part of the peloton at least. Many participants will use this time trial as a sort of cool-down exercise, as there’s little left to win or achieve in this final stage. It’s also commendable, as all these riders have survived some grueling times in the mountains over the past few weeks.

One man who will definitely go all out is Remco Evenepoel. The Belgian of Soudal Quick-Step won the first time trial brilliantly and will want to dot the i's and cross the t's in Nice after his very good Tour de France, where he consistently stayed close to the podium. The world time trial champion has been talking about this challenge for several days now.

One man who could theoretically keep Evenepoel from that victory, barring exceptions, is yellow jersey Tadej Pogacar. The Slovenian of UAE-Team Emirates was already second in the first time trial, is obviously in top form, knows the course well, and could see this as an opportunity to conclude his Tour de France with a resounding victory.

Given the amount of elevation in this time trial, other GC contenders also come into play. Jonas Vingegaard, Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike), Joao Almeida (UAE-Team Emirates) and Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech) possess the qualities to potentially finish in the top three.

Climbing specialists like Adam Yates (UAE-Team Emirates), Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step), Carlos Rodriguez (INEOS Grenadiers), Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) and Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek), though more known for their climbing, can never be discounted in a time trial. Although Adam and his brother Simon Yates (Jayco AlUla) are hard to predict when it comes to time trials.

And finally, we have the pure time trialists, among whom Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa - B&B Hotels), Victor Campenaerts (Lotto-Dstny) and Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) performed well in the first trial. Other strong specialists include Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike), Matteo Sobrero (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Bruno Armirail (Decathlon AG2R) and Oier Lazkano (Movistar), who can also handle a climb or two.

Top favorites: Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) and Tadej Pogacar (UAE-Team Emirates)
Outsiders: Jonas Vingegaard, Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike), Joao Almeida (UAE-Team Emirates) and Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech)
Long shots: Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike), Adam Yates (UAE-Team Emirates), Bruno Armirail (Decathlon AG2R), Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa - B&B Hotels), Victor Campenaerts (Lotto-Dstny), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Simon Yates (Jayco AlUla) and Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step)