Tour de France winner Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard, sporting the general chief’s yellow jersey, lifts his bicycle after the twenty-first stage of the Tour de France biking race over 115 kilometers (71.5 miles) with begin in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines and end on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, France, Sunday, July 23, 2023. (AP Photograph/Thibault Camus)
PARIS — Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard gained the Tour de France for a second straight 12 months as biking’s most storied race completed Sunday on the famed Champs-Élysées.
With an enormous lead constructed up over foremost rival Tadej Pogačar, the 2020 and 2021 winner, Vingegaard knew the victory was successfully his once more earlier than the largely ceremonial stage on the finish of the a hundred and tenth version of the Tour.
The 26-year-old Vingegaard drank champagne along with his Jumbo-Visma teammates as they lined up collectively and posed for pictures on the best way to Paris.
“It’s been a protracted journey, but it glided by so quick,” Vingegaard stated. “Day after day, it was an excellent arduous race with an excellent good combat between me and Tadej. I’ve loved each day. I hope to come back again subsequent 12 months and see if I can take a 3rd win.”
It had been a three-week slog over 3,405 kilometers (2,116 miles) with eight mountain phases throughout 5 mountain ranges. Vingegaard seized management of the race over two phases within the Alps.
Little had separated the 2 rivals till Vingegaard completed a time trial 1 minute, 38 seconds forward of Pogačar on Tuesday, then adopted up the following day by ending the hardest mountain stage of the race virtually 6 minutes forward of his exhausted rival.
“I’m useless,” Pogačar stated.
The Slovenian rider responded by successful the penultimate stage on Saturday, however Vingegaard nonetheless had an insurmountable lead of seven minutes, 29 seconds going into the ultimate stage – a largely ceremonial stage which is contested on the finish by the sprinters.
“We’ve to watch out to not do something silly,” Vingegaard warned Saturday, “however yeah, it’s superb to take my second victory within the Tour de France.”
Vingegaard stored that lead and was in a position to rejoice early Sunday as organizers determined to take the occasions one lap earlier than the end when it began raining on the cobblestones of the Champs-Élysées. The choice invited the sprinters to combat for the stage victory – the one remaining uncertainty.
Belgian bicycle owner Jordi Meeus prevailed in a photograph end between 4 riders on the road, simply forward of Jasper Philipsen, Dylan Groenewegen and Mads Pedersen.
“It was my first Tour. It was an excellent good expertise already thus far, and to take the win right this moment is an indescribable feeling,” stated Meeus, who clocked a high pace of 68.8 kph (42.8 mph) on the final kilometer.
Pogačar, who attacked after only one lap of eight altogether on the Champs-Élysées, was sporting the white jersey as the very best younger rider for the seventy fifth day – extending a profession Tour report. The 24-year-old Slovenian rider has gained the very best younger rider classification yearly since 2020.
However Pogačar needed to be content material with second place within the basic classification once more.
British rider Adam Yates, Pogačar’s teammate, completed third general, forward of his twin brother Simon.
Colombian rider Egan Bernal, the 2019 Tour winner, accomplished the race as he made his spectacular comeback from a life-threatening crash. The 26-year-old Bernal stated he narrowly prevented changing into paralyzed after an accident with a bus whereas coaching in Colombia in January 2022.
“It’s tough to match with the 12 months I gained however it’s virtually the identical feeling as a result of for me it’s a terrific victory,” Bernal stated. “Yesterday, within the final climb, I used to be so fortunate I used to be alone and will benefit from the final kilometers. I used to be so emotional.”
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