The final stage was one of celebration for the riders. Elation for those who had won and relief for many who were just happy to finish the tour after riding with broken limbs and other injuries.
Lance Armstrong (23rd), on his final day in the 97th Tour De France, used the occasion to remember the 28m who have cancer around the world. His Radio Shack team wore new black Livestrong kits with the number 28 for the stage but shortly after starting in Longjumeau, they were told by cycling body UCI to change their shirts.
Some riders swapped shirts in a mischievous protest before television captured the sights of the Radio Shack riders minus Armstrong pulling over and changing their shirts plus pinning their numbers on, by the side of the road.
Just after the stage reached it's actual start at kilometre zero, Armstrong in a blaze of publicity changed his shirt and had two number pinned on him.
Yellow Jersey winner Alberto Contador (Astana), White Jersey winner Andy Schleck (Radio Shack), King Of The Mountains Anthony Charteau (BBox Bouygues Telecom), all posed for pictures and drank champagne as the 102.5km stage headed for the Champs-Elysees in Paris.
The only jersey left to contest was the Green sprint jersey and Britain's Mark Cavendish started the day sixteen points behind Allesandro Petacchi with 47 points including 35 for the stage victory on offer.
Astana lead the way into Paris city centre, past the Arc D'Triomphe and over the start finish line on the Champs Elysees for the first of nine laps.
Alexander Kuchynski of Liquigas made the break and took the first sprint ahead of BMC' Marcus Berghardt and Ruben Perez Moreno.
With four laps to go, a 25 second gap had built up by nine riders whilst Team Sky who have not had the first Tour De France that David Brailsford and his side really wanted and HTC Colombia chased back.
BMC's Karsten Kroon took the second sprint beating Sandy Casar and Christian Knees.
The gap came down to sixteen seconds and not long after the final lap started, it was all over, With Petacchi's Lampre and HTC Colombia at the head of the peleton, the race for the line was on.
Jeremy Hunt was up at the front for a while but with everyone concentrating on each other, Mark Cavendish came from nowhere to win his fifth stage of this tour and his second consecutive on the Champs-Elysees.
Allesandro Petacchi, who will return to Italy under police investigation, was second enough to give him the green jersey with 243 points to Cavendish's 232.
Speaking to ITV4's Ned Boulding, Cavendish said after the race: "I would hsve been happy with just one win as this is the hardest race in the world. Once we finally got the first win we were on a roll. "People say you could could still get the green jersey but that would have been good luck on my part and bad luck on Petacchi's part.
"I was going 65kms all the way in the last lap. I just saw Tony Martin and he dropped me on Petacchi's wheel until the last corner and then it was just a case of when I went. "I really enjoyed it and look forward to celebrating it tonight.
27 year old Alberto Contado (91h 58 min, 48) won the yellow jersey by 39 seconds from Andy Schleck with Denis Menchov third.
British placings Nicholas Roche 15, Bradley Wiggins 24, Geraint Thomas 67th, Steve Cummings 151, Mark Cavendish 154, David Millar, Jeremy Hunt 163rd and Daniel Lloyd 164th out of 170th finishers.
Radio Shack won the team of the race prize and writing on Twitter, Lance Armstrong said about his retirement: "Well, comeback 2.0 is done. Thanks to everyone for their support of me and more importantly for Livestrong. Greatly appreciate you all."
Pictures copyright of Covsupport News Service. Credt CNS/KM