I have spots in front of my eyes, but its nothing to do with the heat or a headache, although the humidity is high and the crowd Im in is colossal and cacophonous. Im opposite the Sacre Coeur Basilica in Montmartre, waiting for the arrival of the riders doing stage 21 of the 2026 Tour de France, along with thousands of other people, virtually all wearing polka dot t-shirts.These spotty tops, given out by the caravan and emblazoned with the logo of Tour sponsor hypermarket chain E.Leclerc, are inspired, of course, by the jersey won by the king of the mountains, who this year is Richard Carapaz, EF Education-EasyPosts popular Ecuadorian rider. South Americans appear to be here in Paris in large numbers, but its the Mexicans who are making all the noise on the bank of the bank of the Basilica opposite me, chanting the name of their hero, Isaac del Toro of UAE Team Emirates XRG, who beat the local favourite Paul Seixas (Decathlon) to win the best young riders white jersey.The final stage of the 2026 Tour de France might have been shortened, and the general classification competition neutralised, but theres no lack of excitement among the Montmartre crowds, who perhaps sense they are in for something special today.Its muggy as hell, and the bruised sky looks ready to unleash a payload, but spirits are high and theyre unlikely to be dampened by a little rain. If anything, a bit of moisture would be some relief, and it would inject a little excitement and jeopardy into the race. In truth, of course, the Tour was well and truly decided yesterday - if not some days earlier, at least in terms of the general classification, with Tadej Pogaar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) sealing his historic fifth victory. But each day of the Tour is also its own race, and today there is an opportunity for a bold rider to seize their last chance to take a stage. The crowd is six-people deep on my side of the road, and every street is thronging with fans. I very nearly never made it to the Sacre Coeur at all, having been caught up in a particularly boisterous haggle of people while trying to push past the Moulin Rouge, exactly when a group of cancan girls started performing. But I extricated myself and got to the church on time. Just about. I quickly realise Ive had it easy, compared to those around me. Mona and Sean Patel, standing next to me, have travelled all the way here from California specifically to watch this stage. They saw the Tour a few years ago, on the flanks of Mont Ventoux, and now they're back for more, thrilled at the thought of seeing Pogaar and VismaLease a Bike's American rider Sepp Kuss in particular. "We arrived yesterday," Mona tells me. "We're actually staying right in front of the Sacre Coeur, and we can see the race from our apartment, but we thought we'd come down here and soak up the excitement with the crowds."William and Amlie are here from Belgium, and they have been holding their spot on the barrier since 1.30pm, to get a prime spot to see the riders, who finally fly past for their first lap at five past seven in the evening. "It was tricky when he went to the toilet," Amlie admits. "But the atmosphere is fantastic."I ask them who theyre here to see, although Im pretty sure I already know the answer. "Tadej Pogaar," William reveals. Wait... what? "Yes. Normally in Belgium, you should support Remco [Evenepoel] even a little bit. But, Remco we think he has big ego. So, yeah, we want to see Tadej."In the end the clouds clear and, against all the odds, the stage turns out to be one of Tour's most exciting, with Mathieu van der Poel of AlpecinPremier Tech taking dramatic victory on the line. Van der Poel is Dutch, but was born in Belgium as I'm sure William and Amlie well know. I've long since lost the couple amid the crowd by the time the race ends, but I'm glad the riders put on such a sensational show for them and the thousands of supporters who have transformed the City of Light into a sea of polka dot for one very special day at the end of another incredible race.