Tour finale sets off from Chantilly to Paris as Froome celebrates
Chris Froome set off from Chantilly to the north of Paris at 4.50pm local time (1650 GMT) on Sunday for his Tour de France victory procession towards the French capital. The 31-year-old Briton will claim a third Tour title once he crosses the finishing line on the Champs Elysees, barring an unlikely and unforeseen diaster. Just 113km -- the first part of which will be ridden at something of a trundle -- separate Froome from his crowning glory after 3,500km crossed over three weeks covering all sorts of varied French terrain. Froome will not win the sprint finish on the Champs Elysees, that is almost certainly going to be won by a specialist sprinter, but the day will belong to the Kenyan-born rider. "It's like the first time, it's amazing," Froome told French television ahead of Sunday's stage start. "Every time it's special, my team have done a huge job this year. "I must thank them for the jersey. It's a beautiful day, we have sunshine, I hope to finish the race without difficulty." His team were in celebratory mood, wearing a custom jersey with their usual blue stripe replaced by a yellow one, whilst wearing yellow gloves and holding yellow handlebars. The entire team also enjoyed bottles of beer as they rode along the neutral zone to the official stage start. Unless a massive crash takes down numerous riders, a record 175 will cross the final finish line, beating the previous best by five. That in itself is something of a surprise during a Tour in which many riders complained about safety, particularly in sprint finishes. While he swept to victory almost unopposed, Froome's personal experience was eventful. He crashed twice, made a daring attack at breakneck speed on a rapid decent, tamed the crosswinds and most memorably found himself running to the finish line on one stage after his bike was broken in a collision with a motorcycle. But just as the race began with security ramped up following last November's terror attacks in the City of Light, so Parisian authorities are on high alert for Sunday's finale. It's less than two weeks since 84 people were killed in a truck attack in Nice. "During this Tour de France, it's put into perspective for us with the attack in Nice and what's been happening," said Froome. "Credit to the French public, the race continued. It's a strong sign that life goes on and it's not going to be stopped by these terrorist activities." Froome will add to his victories from 2013 and last year while 25-year-old Frenchman Romain Bardet will finish second and thus ignite hope amongst the host nation that their painful 31-year wait for a Tour winner could soon be coming to an end. Nairo Quintana, Froome's bridesmaid in his previous two victories, will finish third and his Movistar outfit will claim the team award. World champion Peter Sagan will win the green points jersey, Poland's Rafal Majka is set to be crowned king of the mountains and 23-year-old Briton Adam Yates -- perhaps a future nemesis of Bardet's -- will be the top young rider.
