Hello and welcome to the Cyclingnews live coverage of the final stage of the Tour de France.
After three long weeks in the saddle, the peloton arrives in Paris. The day’s is 102.km from Longjumeau to the Champs-Elysees, where we can expect a frenetic finish in the shadow of the Arc de Triomphe.
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15:25 CEST
The five remaining Footon-Servetto riders are on the head of the bunch now. They sent a team of debutants to the Tour, so they'll all be especially pleased to reach the Champs-Elysees.
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15:27 CEST
Anthony Charteau (Bbox) looks particularly pleased to be draped in the polka dots of King of the Mountains. He is the first Frenchman to bring a jersey to Paris since Richard Virenque won the same competition in 2004.
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15:31 CEST (92km remaining from 102.5km)
Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck "attack" from the peloton and then quickly sit up. The two are now shaking hands and engaging in a bit of mutual back slapping in front of the bunch for the benefit of the cameras.
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15:31 CEST
Laurent Fignon will not be enjoying this. He doesn’t think it’s the done thing for rivals to be friends, at least during their careers. “What we’ve seen on this Tour between the two favourites is inconceivable,” Fignon told L’Equipe this morning. “Cycling can’t be a thing between friends. The competition has to be merciless, especially once the race is started. Nothing should then stop it. I never fell into Bernard Hinault or Greg LeMond’s arms! When you’re rivals, you can’t like each other, you mustn’t like each other. It’s not healthy.”
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15:37 CEST
Fignon always offers an interesting and forthright opinion on the Tour, and his take on this year’s race and the dynamics of the Contador-Schleck relationship is fascinating. “Contador manipulated Schleck by playing with him on a psychological level. He compensated for his bad spells with great mental strength and by bigging up their friendship. Over the course of the Tour, he succeeded in making his rival switch off."
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15:39 CEST
Andy Schleck is now munching on a bag of Haribo Sweets at the back of the bunch. Fignon would have a field day!