The photo of Belgian cyclist Remco Evenepoel proudly holding up his bike with the Eiffel Tower in the background, just after crossing the finish line of the men’s road race at the Paris Olympic Games, remains one of the iconic moments of summer 2024. But if one image stands out from that day, August 3, it would surely be of Rue Lepic, decked out in color and celebration. For a day, this street winding up Montmartre in the 18th arrondissement of Paris transformed into both a shrine for cycling fans and a giant street fair.
The Tour de France plans to revive that unforgettable memory on Sunday, July 27, for the final stage of its 2025 edition. It also gives Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar and his Danish rival Jonas Vingegaard โ both absent from last summer’s major event in the French capital โ a chance to experience the cobblestones, the energy of the location and its regulars.
Long before elite riders tested themselves here, local, experienced cyclists had already made this symbolic climb in northern Paris a favorite destination for their rides. In 2020, when lockdown restrictions limited the French to within 1 kilometer of their homes, a group of amateur cyclists naturally gathered at the foot of the Sacrรฉ-Cลur Basilica, riding up and down the hill repeatedly.
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