The Kenyan-born British rider finished safely at the back of the main pack in the final stage, arm-in-arm with his teammates during the mostly ceremonial ending on the Champs-Elysees. Sky rarely if ever featured in an escape during the race, instead opting to deploy its arsenal around Froome, who rode more offensively at the beginning of the Tour.
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Chris Froome’s superiority at the Tour de France was under threat for only a brief moment.
Froome noted the commitment of team-mates in a winner’s press conference on Saturday evening, for example acknowledging key lieutenant Sergio Henao, who missed the birth of his firstborn son to continue on to Paris. “It’s an incredible feeling to cross the finish line with my team mates, I want to thank them for their hard work, they’ve been with me every step of the way”, Froome said.
The flamboyant Slovak rider, who does not have the climbing qualities to compete for the general classification, won three stages and clinched the best sprinter’s green jersey for the fifth consecutive time.
Quintana’s Movistar team tried to hit back the next day, placing riders in the early breakaway to help Quintana later in the stage, but Team Sky allowed the breakaway’s lead to grow so big that they were never caught – and Quintana didn’t see his team-mates until the finish.
Then it was time for the traditional flute of champagne.
Because of the time loss, Froome initially dropped to sixth overall before race officials allowed him to keep the yellow jersey, ruling that he had lost his bike in unfair circumstances. Chris running up the Ventoux in the yellow jersey, without a bike, wasn’t something we had in mind.
Froome cut both his elbow and right knee in a crash on a downhill section in Friday’s stage.
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.
British cyclists have now won four of the last five Tours, as Bradley Wiggins became the first Briton to win the race in 2012.
American Lance Armstrong won seven titles in succession from 1999 but was erased from the winners’ list after admitting to doping.
The 21st stage got off to a picture-postcard start as the peloton rode by the perfectly manicured gardens of the Chateau de Chantilly.
Greipel narrowly edged world champion Peter Sagan, who was coming on with a late charge.
Greipel was the strongest, comfortably beating Sagan and Norway’s Alexander Kristoff.
German Andre Greipel won the final stage with Briton’s Adam Yates finishing an impressive fourth overall. The rider nicknamed “The Gorilla” won four stages past year.
“The one I enjoyed the most by far was going on the descent, that just epitomized what racing is all about”, Froome said.
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“I think as this race has gone on people have got to me know me a little bit better, know my character a little bit better”.
