Andre Greipel of Germany won the 21st and last stage over the mostly flat 70-mile leg that concluded with eight laps of a circuit in downtown Paris, finishing on the cobblestones below the Arc de Triomphe.
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Britain’s Chris Froome won his third Tour de France on Sunday, July 24, to confirm his status as one of the all-time greats on the world’s most grueling race.
“Best day ever!” the athlete captioned a photo with his infant son Kellan on Instagram.
Froome becomes just the eighth rider to win at least three Tours de France, joining Belgium’s Phillipe Thys, Louison Bobet of France and American Greg LeMond at three. His team vehicle was finally able to provide him with a suitable substitute, but Froome crossed the finish line far behind his rivals.
To loud acclaim he ended with the words “Vive le Tour et vive la France!”
The Kenyan-born British rider also won the Tour in 2013 and 2015.
UNDER ATTACK: Chris Froome at the start of Monday’s 16th stage after which he retained the yellow jersey.
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“That’s the thing with the Tour: there are so many ups and downs and so many twists and turns, you go through all that as a team, you live it all together, so to come out the other end and for all of us to be riding up and down the Champs-Elysees in this kit, is special”. The trio hit the ground, but Froome could not resume racing because his bike was broken.
Yesterday’s largely ceremonial final stage began with Froome riding alongside 23-year-old Adam Yates – fourth overall and Britain’s first victor of the Best Young Riders ranking – as well as the leaders of the other classifications at the head of the pack.
Two days before reaching the Champs Elysees, Froome endured another crash during a chaotic and spectacular Alpine stage in stormy and wet weather.
Frenchman Romain Bardet finished second overall ahead of Colombian Nairo Quintana. This is your yellow jersey too, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for your sacrifice.
Only four men – five-time winners Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx and Miguel Indurain – now have more Tour victories than Froome.
Froome travelled to Rio last November to check out the Olympic courses, a trip that encouraged him to sign up for the time trial.
When it comes to the time trial, where he won the bronze medal at London 2012, Froome said that he has “been thinking about it for six months”.
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In a stage that looked promising for sprinters, Froomes tactical nous was on display on the road to Montpellier, using the wind to his advantage to slip into a breakaway and gain more time on his direct rivals. “I think it’s a course that suits me well, with nearly 1,000-metres of climbing and nearly 60km in length”, said the 31-year-old Kenyan born athlete. “I have learnt a lot and that’s probably why I’ve been able to race the way I have this year”.
