Grand finish of Le Tour Jul 18, 2021

Grand finish of Le Tour

After a three-week jaunt around France, cycling"s most prestigious race concludes today with a triumphant procession into Paris before a sprint finish on the iconic Champs-Élysées. The 21st and final stage of this year"s Tour de France—the 108th edition of the famous event—begins in Chatou, a town in the western suburbs of Paris along the River Seine. Tour tradition dictates the overall race leader isn"t challenged on the last day, so it starts out as a victory parade for the champion-elect, who will be wearing a yellow jersey, posing for pictures, and sipping a glass of champagne along the route. But when the riders reach the heart of Paris, the pace picks up as they dash along the Champs-Élysées, a tree-lined promenade often described as the "most beautiful avenue in the world."

© Martin Bureau/AFP via Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Jul 18, 2018Celebrate Mandela Day
Jul 18, 2019A learning garden
Jul 18, 2020The moth wonderful time of the year
Jul 18, 2022Marine Day in Japan
Jul 18, 2023Great hornbill, Thailand
Jul 18, 2024Coral Reef Awareness Week
Jul 18, 2025Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Sep 16, 2019The mighty, mighty mushroom
Jun 18, 2018Here, fishy!
Sep 9, 2020Where the bearded reedling sings
Nov 27, 2022Cecropia leaf and lobster claw petals in Mexico
May 20, 2024World Bee Day
Nov 18, 2019Swimming with the sea cows
Nov 10, 202547 years of Badlands National Park
Dec 26, 2025Boxing Day
Dec 14, 2025Audubon Christmas Bird Count
Apr 30, 2025International Jazz Day
Nov 16, 2025A traboule in Lyon, France
Mar 21, 2019The power of the forest
Aug 6, 2018Jamaica celebrates its independence
Aug 21, 2024Nazca boobies, Wolf Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Apr 6, 2023Aprils full moon
Jun 15, 2025Happy Fathers Day!
Jul 14, 2018Does this shark have an Irish accent?
Feb 23, 2021Giants of the avian world
Aug 6, 2024Molokini Crater, Maui, Hawaii
Jan 7, 2020Jupiter and the Galilean moons
Sep 5, 2025Pacific Park, Santa Monica State Beach, California
Oct 8, 2019Let s celebrate cephalopods
Apr 3, 2021A light at the edge of the world
Aug 7, 2018Guiding ships to safety
Aug 17, 2021Wanderin Wawayanda
Aug 11, 2022It s Mountain Day in Japan
Nov 17, 2020Take a hike near Lovers Lane
Mar 16, 2023Panda Day
Mar 29, 2021Rising up from the black sand like rock gods
Apr 24, 2022Dark Sky Week