‘You don’t need to be the big guy because there aren’t that many flat races left’ – Has cycling bid farewell to the traditional sprint finish?

There are few more recognisable sporting arenas than the Champs Élysées. However, its fiftieth inclusion in the Tour de France last summer saw a stage that was anything but recognisable in the history of the sport’s premier stage race. Inspired by the route used during the 2024 Paris Olympics, stage 21 of the Tour featured three ascents of the cobbled Butte Montmartre before finishing on the iconic Parisian boulevard, instead of the long-used circuit around the Champs-Élysées.

Now, neither is considered easy, especially with the cobblestone terrain and infernal pace set by the bunch. However, the 2025 route drastically swung the opportunity for a stage win on one of cycling’s most iconic backdrops into the hands of the puncheurs and Classics specialists and away from the out-and-out sprinters. Was this just a one-off switch to garner more fan enthusiasm for a processional stage, or a broader indication of how sprinting is changing across the sport?