Tour de France 2014, Stage 21: Route, TV schedule and more

Outside of the yellow jersey, the image most commonly associated with the Tour de France is Sunday’s ride down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. And leading the pack this year, at least metaphorically, will be Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali, who is well on his way to the final yellow jersey for leading the General Classification.

He’ll do so almost eight minutes clear of his nearest competitor, France’s Jean-Christophe Péraud (who will likely be joined by his countryman Thibaut Pinot on the podium). It’s the widest official margin -- meaning not including Lance Armstrong -- since Jan Ullrich’s victory in 1999 by nine minutes and nine seconds over another Frenchman, Richard Virenque.

Saturday’s time trial set what will likely be the final standings for the top three, as Peraud gained 45 seconds on Pinot while the latter was able to put distance between the podium and Alejandro Valverde. The Spaniard sits one minute and 31 seconds behind third place, just a day after having second place just 15 seconds out of his grasp.

The final stage’s highly unusual format usually devolves into what Bicycling Magazine calls a “sprint royale” when the riders -- fresh off of the traditionally leisurely stroll towards Paris -- begin doing laps as they enter the City of Lights. Although it’s unlikely anything dramatic will happen to the other classifications -- like the King of the Mountains polka dot jersey, green jersey for sprinters, or Pinot’s white jersey for the best youth rider -- if someone tries hard enough, perhaps they can win “Most Combative”. And pick up the € 20,000 for the overall winner, (€ 58,000 in total including the € 2,000 for each individual stage) given out every year.

Here’s a look at the profile, with the repeating 38m indicating where the 8 circuits through the streets of Paris begin:

The Tour will be broadcast on NBCSN at 9 a.m. ET, and replay at 6 and 8 p.m., then again at midnight.