The Latest: Tour stops clock, locking in Froome's win

PARIS (AP) — The Latest from the Tour de France (all times local):

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6.10 p.m.

Because of rain and slippery roads, Tour de France organizers have stopped the race clock, meaning Chris Froome is guaranteed his second victory just so long as he crosses the finishing line.

Normally, riders' times would have been taken at the finish line after 10 loops up and down the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris. But to minimize the risk of crashes on the slick cobblestones, race organizers have decided to stop the clock at the beginning of the first loop.

That locks in Froome's race lead over runner-up Nairo Quintana. The British rider must still ride the 10 laps to complete the full Tour distance. But he can now do so at his own pace, without the risk of crashing, leaving sprinters and their teams to ride off in search of the stage win.

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4:55 p.m.

The riders' rain gear is out and Chris Froome is hoping for a mostly relaxed cruise to Paris, as the Briton sets off with the pack toward his second Tour de France victory.

Wearing the leader's yellow jersey, Froome and other Tour stars posed for photos as Sunday's 21st and final stage got under way leisurely from the western suburb of Sevres to Paris' Champs-Elysees.

The pace of the race was expected to crescendo as the pack nears the famed Paris boulevard, where the day's main contest was an expected sprint finish.

The 30-year-old Briton who won in 2013 has a lead of 1 minute, 12 seconds over second-place Nairo Quintana. That's all but impossible to overcome over the flat and relatively short 109-kilometer (68-mile) stage.

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4:25 p.m.

Despite crashes and a "hectic" atmosphere, Anna van der Breggen made it two straight Dutch victories in La Course by Le Tour de France women's race on the Champs-Elysees, held on the same day as the Tour de France finishes.

The 25-year-old rider, who also won the Giro Rosa stage race in Italy this month, broke away on the rain-splattered Paris boulevard to beat Jolien D'hoore of Belgium, who was second, and Dutchwoman Amy Pieters in third — each 1 second behind.

"It was a really slippery road, it was hectic all day," said Van Der Breggen on French TV. "This race is really, really big for us."

Marion Vos won the race's debut edition last year.