Britain’s Chris Froome has been crowned champion of the 100th edition of the Tour de France as Germany’s Marcel Kittel powered his way to his fourth win on the 21st and final stage.
Team Sky’s Froome, the winner of three stages in this edition, claimed his maiden yellow jersey with a winning margin of 4min 20sec on second-placed Colombian Nairo Quintana of Movistar.
“I think it’s going to take a while to sink in,” said a triumphant Froome, who succeeded teammate and compatriot Bradley Wiggins, absent this year, as the yellow jersey champion.
“It’s really has been a special edition of the Tour de France this year. Every day I woke up knowing I faced a fresh challenge… and I have to thank all my teammates for helping me achieve this dream.”
Race debutant Quintana, who moved up to second place thanks to his maiden stage win at the summit finish of Annecy-Semnoz on Saturday, secured the race’s white jersey for the best young rider and the best climber’s polka-dot jersey.
He was joined on the podium by Spaniard Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha), third at 5:04 and one place ahead of former two-time winner Alberto Contador of Spain, who slipped to fourth on Saturday’s penultimate stage.
Slovakian Peter Sagan of Cannondale won the points competition’s green jersey for the second successive year with a tally of 409 points and a 97-point lead on former winner Mark Cavendish of Britain.
Argos sprinter Kittel ended Cavendish’s hopes of a fifth consecutive win on the Champs Elysees when he outsprinted the Omega-Pharma sprinter and German Andre Greipel of Lotto in a thrilling dash for the line.
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Greipel, the winner of one stage, finished second, with Cavendish a close third.
It left Kittel, with four stage wins, as the top sprinter of this year’s race and allowed the German to close the race as he opened it having won the opening stage from Porto Vecchio to Bastia.
“Four! I can’t believe it,” said Kittel. “It was a dream of mine to win on the Champs Elysees and now I’ve done it. I’m so proud.”
Overall standings after the 21st and final stage of the Tour de France, a 133.5km ride from Versailles to Paris on Sunday:
1. Chris Froome (GBR/SKY) 83h56min 40sec
2. Nairo Quintana (COL/MOV) at 4:20s
3. Joaquin Rodriguez (ESP/KAT) 5:04.
4. Alberto Contador (ESP/SAX) 6:27.
5. Roman Kreuziger (CZE/SAX) 7:27.
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6. Bauke Mollema (NED/BKN) 11:42.
7. Jakob Diemer Fuglsang (DEN/AST) 12:17.
8. Alejandro Valverde (ESP/MOV) 15:26.
9. Daniel Navarro (ESP/COF) 15:52.
10. Andrew Talansky (USA/GRM) 17:39.
Australian finishers:
16. Michael Rogers (AUS/SAX) 26:51.
19. Richie Porte (AUS/SKY) 39:41.
39. Cadel Evans (AUS/BMC) 1h30:14.
68. Simon Clarke (AUS/ORI) 2h20:14.
72. Adam Hansen (AUS/LTB) 2h23:15.
80. Simon Gerrans (AUS/ORI) 2h34:36.
130. Cameron Meyer (AUS/ORI) 3h32:14.
152. Matthew Goss (AUS/ORI) 3h57:24.
154. Brett Lancaster (AUS/ORI) 4h00:19.
161. Stuart O’Grady (AUS/ORI) 4h03:27.
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