Which Belgian won the first Tour de France stage on the Champs-Élysées in 1975?

Walter Godefroot was the Belgian who won the first Tour de France stage finishing on the Champs-Élysées, in 1975.

The Tour’s organisers moved the finish from the Vélodrome de Vincennes to the prestigious avenue for the final stage of the 1975 race. The 22nd stage was a 163.4-kilometre Paris circuit, covering 25 laps. Godefroot won the sprint, making him the first stage winner at the new finish.

The result is easy to confuse with the overall victory. Bernard Thévenet won the 1975 Tour and received the yellow jersey on the Champs-Élysées, while Godefroot won only that final stage. Eddy Merckx, another Belgian listed among the options, finished second overall but did not win the Champs-Élysées stage.

The Champs-Élysées finish soon became one of cycling’s most recognisable traditions. From 1978 onward, the final stage usually began outside central Paris, but its closing laps continued to use the famous avenue. Godefroot’s victory therefore marks both a stage result and the beginning of a modern Tour ritual.