Grand finish of Le Tour Jul 18, 2021

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:

Apr 15, 2019Celebrating World Art Day
Jan 20, 2024Penguin Awareness Day
Jan 25, 2018Sami lavvu structures, Finnmark, Norway
Oct 14, 2020In praise of the old…the very old
Nov 9, 2020Autumn in Piedmont
Oct 22, 2024Palazzo Zuccari, Rome
Jan 23, 2022Wedded Rocks, Japan
Jan 4, 2019Observing World Braille Day in Bavaria
Nov 11, 2020Honoring our veterans
Dec 3, 2025Sandhill cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico
Nov 10, 2024Caribbean flamingos, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico
Mar 2, 2019You won’t see this on Mulberry Street
Apr 10, 2019Siblings that play together…
Jul 27, 2021Maybe we should be looking up
May 21, 2023Pont dArcole over the Seine river, Paris, France
Jan 28, 2020US Coast Guard: Protecting us for 105 years
Feb 22, 2024Bathing boxes at Brighton Beach, Australia
May 4, 2023Star Wars Day
May 31, 2018Leaves of Grass
Nov 1, 2025National Bison Day
Apr 29, 2025Formal garden at Château de Villandry, Loire Valley, France
Apr 26, 2024Arbor Day
Dec 26, 2022Boxing Day in East Yorkshire, England
Nov 26, 2022World Olive Tree Day
Dec 29, 2022Silver-studded blue butterflies
Jul 9, 2023Moselle River loop near Kröv, Germany
Apr 12, 2024Arches National Park, Utah
Jan 17, 2021On the Route of the Waterfalls
Dec 6, 2020A hidden jewel in Croatia
Sep 22, 2025Autumn equinox