Image source, EPA

Spare a thought for the 'Lanterne Rouge' - the last-placed rider on the Tour.

Ji Cheng is 164th and last, five hours, 53 minutes and 23 seconds behind the leader Vincenzo Nibali and more than 41 minutes adrift of 163rd place. He is the first Chinese rider to compete at the Tour and obviously is hoping to be the first to complete it... But he came off in that crash involving Jean-Christophe Peraud and, with just 30.5km to go, seems to be suffering a bit. Fingers crossed he makes it.

He has been a huge workhorse for the Giant team, riding on the front of the peloton, chasing breaks down on sprint stages to help his team-mate Marcel Kittel. That will explain why he's so far behind in the overall standings.

Another attack. Four riders are off the front, including Team Sky's Richie Porte. They are 15 seconds clear, with just over 35km to go, as they prepare to start their fourth lap of Paris.

All that goodwill has worked. Jean-Christophe Peraud is back with the peloton, with 37km to go. In fact, all of the riders are now back together.

Turns out Jean-Christophe Peraud is going to have some help here. French rider Amel Moinard of the BMC team has dropped back to help AG2R pace Peraud back into the peloton. At the other end of the race, Vincenzo Nibali has gone to the front of the pack to slow everybody else down.

Magnus Backstedt
Swedish cyclist on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

"I don't know what happened. Peraud was riding quite comfortably in the middle of the peloton. His front wheel just seemed to disappear. Whether there was a spot of oil on the road, I don't know."

Uh-oh. There's been a crash, and Jean-Christophe Peraud - who stands second overall - is one of the men down. In fact, he was the first to taste the tarmac.

This spells trouble for the 37-year-old because any time lost here will still see him drop down the standings. Catching the pack will not be easy, either, because ahead of him the front of the race is continuing at a furious pace.

Jens Voigt is still out in front, but has been joined by Canada's Svein Tuft and Belgium's Greg van Avermaet. They are nine seconds clear of the peloton, which contains the man in yellow, Vincenzo Nibali.

Rob Hatch
BBC Radio 5 live sports extra commentator

"This is one last big show from Jens. There was a pact made by Jens and Britain's David Millar, who was set to be riding his last Tour as well. They sat down in a cafe and said they would do as much. Obviously Dave isn't here, but Jens is good to his word."

The old men are doing pretty well at the moment. Jens Voigt, 42, has a lead of eight seconds on the pack. He is followed by Chris Horner, 41.

Team Sky's Geraint Thomas, who is still in his 20s, is still up there too.

Magnus Backstedt
Swedish cyclist on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

"Jens Voigt is a man who is always willing to sacrifice himself for the team, one of the most charismatic riders we have had in the peloton. He is in his 17th Tour de France. He still looks like he's loving riding his bike and I'm not sure whether this will be his last Tour. I rode with him in 1998 and he still seems as though he is as motivated now as he was back then."

Jens Voigt is going for it! Great to see. He is clear at the moment.

The peloton is galloping down the Champs Elysees and quickly hoovers up Sylvain Chavanel. The riders are all back together, apart from the Movistar team who are trying to get one of their men back in touch after a mechanical.

Magnus Backstedt
Swedish cyclist on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

"If Geraint was to conserve his energy, he could have a proper go on the final lap, with 3-4km remaining and possibly stay away for a victory. He seems to be slipping back with a bit of a mechanical problem at the moment though."

British rider Geraint Thomas is right up at the front of the peloton, leading the chase. Three Astana men are pedalling a lot quicker than they were earlier too.

And we're off! France's Sylvain Chavanel bursts away from the pack. Expect a lot more of the same in the next hour or so.

Image source, AFP

A woman wearing a wedding dress waved as the pack rode during the final stage. The riders seemed to miss the 'bride'. They were otherwise engaged.

Those eight 7km laps of the Champs Elysees are coming right up, with Astana still leading the way. The avenues of Paris are, predictably, packed. People have clambered up lamp-posts to get a vantage point as the French equivalent of the Red Arrows (the Flèches Rouges?) fly past.

Magnus Backstedt
Swedish cyclist on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

"There is no bigger race that a sprinter can win than today. The circuit is relatively hard to ride because there are cobblestones on the Champs-Elysees that sap the energy on the uphill ride to the Arc De Triomphe.

On the way back down the other side, you are going at speeds of up to 70km/h and then it's down and round through the tunnel before you enter the best set of corners in professional cycling to get back on to the Champs-Elysees for the finish.

The peloton is being led through the streets of Paris by the Astana team of champion-elect Vincenzo Nibali. A few clouds in the sky but still no sign of those thunderstorms which were forecast to rain on his victory parade.

BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

Rob Hatch and Magnus Backstedt are in the commentary box for the conclusion of today's stage, and indeed the climax of the 2014 Tour de France. You can listen via the Live Coverage tab console at the top of the page.