Greipel had come close to a stage win of the Tour de France in the first week, but seemed to wilt under the growing pressure of the near-misses, after mistiming his jump on both Stage 1 and 3. On Stage 6, he ran out of gas and didn't crack the top five in the big bunch sprints on Stages 11 and 14. However, for Greipel, who has won a stage in the Tour de France every year dating to 2011, its really a good performance in his last attempt on Stage 21.

The final stage, from Chantilly to Paris, got its usual promenade-like start, with champagne toasts and camera opportunities, but the racing turned real as the riders entered the inner ring and began the first of nine laps of the famous boulevard of the Champs-Élysées. 

None of the breakaway attempts could withstand the speed of the chasing pack, but neither could a single team control the leadout, as Lotto-Soudal vied with other teams for the front. Katusha seemed to have it right, but left sprinter Alexander Kristoff a bit short of the line. Greipel, on the wheel, pounced and held off a fast-closing Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) for the win.