Words and photos by James Startt:
Ever since the Tour de France presentation last October, one thing was clear; the final weekend was going to be one humdinger. After all, how could it be anything less, with a three-day finale to this three-week race, finishing with two stages on Alpe d’Huez and then the closer on the streets of Paris, including three circuits over the steep cobbled climb of Montmartre?
But in so many ways, the grand finale of this year’s Tour surpassed all expectations.
After a four-year hiatus, the 21 switchbacks of Alpe d’Huez were simply blanketed with fans, many camping for days to get even a fleeting glimpse of their heroes.
And the Tour’s leading actors did not disappoint, with Tadej Pogačar breaking yet another record, this time eclipsing Marco Pantani’s 29-year-old record on the Alpe. But even the very last riders received a hero’s welcome, with some of the Tour cyclists celebrating alongside the fans.
While the penultimate stage also finished on the Alpe, the Col du Galibier, the highest climb of this year’s race, figured prominently. First introduced in 1911, Le Galibier was the first high-mountain Alpine pass to be featured in the race, and while the Tour has changed greatly, the monumental rock formations of this climb have not.
And then, finally, it was back to Paris.
For the Tour’s followers, such a journey meant one late night. But there was a party in the streets of Montmartre as thousands of Parisians flocked to the narrow cobblestone climb up Rue Lepic, as well as the steps of the Sacré-Cœur Basilica that towers over the city.
Well before the Tour arrived for the first of its three laps, the mood was already festive. Local residents opened their doors to friends and family. Street sweeper trucks received roaring applause, and the crowd seemingly broke into ‘La Marseillaise’ every time a gendarme passed.
But the fans literally erupted in a deafening roar when the Tour cyclists finally came into sight. For years, the final stage of the Tour was a royal procession, parading up and down the Champs-Élysées. Since the Paris Olympics, however, the world’s biggest bike race has found another home on the streets of Paris.
And while the race still finished on the city’s grand boulevard, it was no longer a ceremonial affair but instead a final day of fireworks.
Not surprisingly, Mathieu van der Poel and Pogačar put on a show to remember, attacking over the slopes of Montmartre, with van der Poel eking out victory on the Champs-Élysées. The fans of course, waited and cheered every one of the Tour’s cyclists, collectively savouring the final moments of this year’s Tour de France.
Needless to say, it was a fitting finale for a Tour that will go down in the record books.
Paris-based American photographer James Startt is one of the longest-serving cycling journalists in the press room, with almost four decades’ experience in the sport. He is covering his 37th Tour de France and is a two-time winner at the World Sports Photography awards. James currently serves as the creative director of luxury cycle tour operator inGamba and spent most of the 2026 Tour educating road.cc about fine French wines.
