Last Tour stage to go through Butte Montmartre in Paris

The final stage of this year's Tour de France will go up the Butte Montmartre, a year after the road race of the Paris Olympics went on the iconic hill, organisers said on Wednesday.

"An exceptional route has been designed, inspired by the course of the road race at the 2024 Olympic Games, which drew over 500 000 spectators last August," Amaury Sport Organisation said in a statement.

"The riders will climb Montmartre hill and pass at the foot of the Sacre-Coeur before contesting a stage whose scenario could break with the traditions established over the past 50 years in the heart of the capital."

The Tour has been finishing on the Champs Elysees every year since 1975, at the exception of 2024, when it ended up in Nice.

The Champs Elysees stage is usually a procession to the avenue, where only the final sprint is contested, but this year's route is likely to break this scenario.

The Tour starts on 5 July in Lille and ends on 27 July.