Tour de France WON’T finish in Paris for first time ever as chiefs forced to move final stages of iconic cycling race

THE Tour de France will not finish in Paris next year for the first time ever.

Organisers have revealed the route for the 111th edition of the famous bike race, which will consist of 21 stages.

ReutersTour de France 2023 winner Jonas Vingegaard poses in front of the 2024 route[/caption]

AFPThe Tour will end outside Paris for the first time ever[/caption]

EPAMark Cavendish will be eyeing an historic win at the 111th edition of the race[/caption]

In every edition of the race since its inauguration in 1903 the final stage has finished in Paris.

And in every year since 1975 the Tour de France has finished on the iconic Champs-Elysees.

But that run will end in 2024 with the final stage starting in Monaco and finishing in Nice.

It is also the first time the final stage will consist of an individual time trial since 1989, when American Greg Lemond beat France hero Laurent Fignon to claim the coveted yellow jersey with an eight second victory.

Race organisers have been forced to move the final stage away from the capital because of the Olympic Games.

The summer games begin on July 26, five days after the Tour ends, but there are concerns the event would clash with preparation for the Olympics.

The Tour will also return to Italy for the first time since 2011, when stage 18 started in Pinerolo in the Alps.

The Grand Depart, which has never been held in Italy before, will start off in Florence, with the finish line in Rimini on the Adriatic coast.

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Mark Cavendish will be eyeing victory after announcing earlier this month that he will no longer be retiring at the end of this year.

The 34-stage winner ended his last Tour in July in heartbreaking fashion after crashing out with an injury, having narrowly missed out on victory in the previous stage.

Cavendish, 38, needs just one more stage win to edge in front of the record he shares with cycling legend Eddie Merckx for most stage wins.