Tour de France finale brings excitement to Montmartre with a climb to Sacré-Coeur

A cycling frenzy swept through Montmartre on Sunday as tens of thousands of fans greeted Tour de France riders during the final stage of the sport's biggest race.

Hours before the peloton was due to arrive, spectators had already packed the Parisian neighborhood — once bohemian, now bustling with tourists — eager to secure a prime spot to watch riders climb the iconic hill during the final stage of the race.

When the peloton finally neared the steep and cobbled Rue Lepic, the area erupted into a deafening roar.

The Tour broke with tradition this year as organizers looked to build on the popular success of the Paris Olympic road race. During last year's Olympics, massive crowds lined the streets of Montmartre — the area in northern Paris famous for its artistic heritage and sweeping city views — to cheer on riders.

Inspired by the frenetic atmosphere, Tour organizers decided to include the Montmartre climb in this summer’s route.

And it paid off.

Spectators began arriving early Sunday on the Rue Lepic, well before Tadej Pogačar — who won his fourth Tour title on Sunday — and his rivals were expected to tackle the steep ascent. Fans also filled the stairs beneath the Sacré-Coeur to ensure they didn't miss a moment of the action.

The festive atmosphere echoed with clapping and songs from enthusiastic fans.

"La, la, la, la, la, la, la Kevin Vauquelin!" chanted some spectators in polka-dot T-shirts winding up Rue Lepic, cheering the French rider best placed in the general classification. Meanwhile, others took to the street on their alpine skis for a moment of fun, having put their winter sports equipment out.

Riders ascended the hill three times and passed beneath the Sacré-Coeur basilica before heading to the finish on the Champs-Élysées. Despite the rain making the roads slippery and dangerous, Pogačar attacked on all three ascents but he couldn’t respond when stage winner Wout van Aert countered him.

The peloton passed the Moulin Rouge before climbing to the Butte Montmartre. To mark the occasion, dancers in tricolor costumes performed a French Cancan outside the cabaret.

Traditionally, the final stage is largely processional until a sprint decides the day's winner on the Champs-Elysées. But on Sunday, the final climb came about 7 kilometers from the finish and sprinters could not contend for the stage win. Only five riders were left with Pogačar on the third ascension of the 1.1-kilomete hill.

During the Olympics, the road races drew more than 500,000 spectators in Paris.

Last year’s Tour concluded outside Paris for the first time since 1905 because of a scheduling conflict with the Olympics, with the final stage held in Nice. The Champs-Élysées returned this year for the conclusion of the 3,320-kilometer (2,060-mile) race.

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AP cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling