Chris Froome wins Tour de France for second time
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Updated 27/07/2015 at 06:27 GMT
Britain’s Chris Froome was crowned Tour de France champion for the second time in his career as Andre Greipel picked up his fourth win of the race with an emphatic victory on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, writes Felix Lowe.
Great Britain's Christopher Froome (C), wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, arrives with his teammates of the Great Britain's Sky cycling team to cross the finish line on the Champs-Elysees avenue at the end of the 109,5 km twenty-first and last s
Image credit: AFP
Sodden weather in the French capital meant the final times for the race’s 21st and last stage were taken when the peloton crossed the finish line for the first time ahead of 10 laps of the famous city circuit on the Champs-Elysees.
The decision gave 30-year-old Froome the luxury of being able to sit up, keep out of the sprinters’ melee and savour the finishing straight with his Sky team-mates. The eight riders linked arms and finished in a chain as Froome celebrated the second Tour win of his career two years after his maiden victory in 2012.
Moments earlier, Lotto-Soudal sprinter Greipel confirmed his position as the fastest man on the race with a bullish win in the showpiece bunch sprint to deny Frenchman Bryan Coquard (Europcar) and Norway's Alexander Kristoff (Katusha).
Greipel powered past his rivals in the home straight to secure the fourth win of his career and deny sixth-place Mark Cavendish (Etixx-QuickStep) what would have been a fifth career win in Paris.
“This is just the most awesome place to win a bike race,” said 32-year-old Greipel after the first Champs-Elysees win of his career.
“It’s amazing – what I’ve always dreamed of. I must thank my team-mates, who got me in the right position, as well as my parents, trainers, colleagues and everyone who has made a difference.”
Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde of the Movistar team safely finished the final stage to join Froome on the final podium with the Colombian taking second place in the general classification at 1min 12sec and the Spaniard finishing third at 5:25.
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Tour de France 2015's winner Great Britain's Christopher Froome (C), second-placed Colombia's Nairo Quintana (L) and third-placed Spain's Alejandro Valverde (R) stand on the podium on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, at the end of the 109,5 km twenty-f
Image credit: AFP
Froome's winning margin is the eleventh smallest in Tour history and the closest winning margin since Spaniard Carlos Sastre beat Australia’s Cadel Evans by 58 seconds in 2008.
The top five was completed by Italian defending champion Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) and two-time Tour champion Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) of Spain. Such a stellar roll call means 2015 is the first year ever where the top five in the Tour are all Grand Tour winners.
The 2014 Giro d’Italia winner Quintana, whose swashbuckling attack on Sunday’s stage 20 to Alpe d’Huez almost saw the 25-year-old prise the yellow jersey from Froome shoulders, finished the race in the white jersey as the best young rider. It was the second time in his career he has finished second to Froome in the Tour.
Despite failing to win a stage for a second year running, Slovakia’s Peter Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo) secured the green jersey for the fourth year running after a strong of consistent finishes – including six second-places.
After his seventh-place in Paris, Sagan’s final haul of 432 points was significantly larger than the 366 points of his nearest rival despite Greipel’s four stage wins.
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Slovakia's Peter Sagan celebrates his green jersey of best sprinter on the podium on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, at the end of the 109,5 km twenty-first and last stage of the 102nd edition of the Tour de France cycling race on July 26, 2015, betwe
Image credit: AFP
Frenchman Romain Bardet – the winner of stage 18 in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne – rolled into Paris wearing the polka dot jersey but the 26-year-old was merely keeping it warm for the race leader.
Froome became the first rider since Eddy Merckx in 1970 to win both the overall classification and the king of the mountains competition – and the first rider in history to win the climbing award without once wearing the polka dot jersey during the Tour.
Although Quintana failed to overcome his early losses in the Netherlands and topple Froome in the Alps – and although his team did not pick up a stage win – the collective effort of Movistar was rewarded with first place in the team classification ahead of Sky.
HIGHLIGHTS
1-NEUTRALISATION PRECAUTION
Owing to the heavy rain which blighted the women’s La Course race earlier in the day, race organisers ASO declared that the final times would be taken at the first crossing of the finish line in Paris – meaning Froome had a large smile on his face with 70km remaining as the peloton rolled down the Rue de Rivoli and onto the Champs-Elysees.
2-TRIO BREAKS CLEAR IN PARIS
After an early dig by Frenchman Sylvain Chavanel (IAM Cycling), three riders – Nelson Oliviera (Lampre-Merida), Belgian Kenneth van Bilsen (Cofidis) and Frenchman Florian Vachon (Bretagne-Seche Environnement) – managed to ride clear of the pack and build up a maximum lead of 35 seconds on the cobbles of the Champs-Elysees.
The trio was joined by Australia’s Rohan Dennis (BMC) – the winner of the opening time trial in Utrecht – in the penultimate lap with 13km remaining. Dennis and van Bilsen were the last riders to be caught by the pack with 4km remaining ahead of the mass bunch sprint.
3-LATE DRAMA FOR FROOME
Despite the neutralisation of the stage, champion-elect Froome’s day in the saddle was far from straight forward. An early puncture on the harsh cobblestones was followed by a bike change after a plastic bag lodged itself in his rear mesh.
But the Kenyan-born Briton managed to show his respect for the yellow jersey by fighting back on to the peloton for the final lap before finally taking his foot off the gas and savouring the moment with his Sky team-mates.
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Tour de France 2015 winner Christ Froome
Image credit: AFP
MAN OF THE DAY
Although Greipel deserves a hearty pat on the back, it would be remiss not to praise Froome not only for his stellar achievement of a second Tour win – the first Briton to do so – but also for his humbling words on the podium.
Having thanks his team-mates, family, nearest and dearest, Froome – in French – thanked the race organisers and the French fans for their support, a wonderful gesture given the difficulties he has experienced both on and off the road during these past few weeks.
To his detractors he also added: “The maillot jaune is special. I understand its history, good and bad, and I will always respect it, never dishonour it, and always be proud to have won it.”
"I will honour this jersey and what it stands for."
BIGGEST LOSER
A four time winner on the Champs-Elysees, Cavendish could not get back to winning ways in the French capital after finishing in sixth place behind Edvald Boasson Hagen (MTN-Qhubeka) and Arnaud Demare (FDJ). It was later confirmed that the Manxman was suffering with bronchitis, but it remains to be seen if team manager Patrick Lefevere takes that into account when discussing the possibility of a new contract with Etixx-Quickstep.
COMING UP
The 2016 Tour de France starts at Mont Saint-Michel on Saturday 2nd July. Before that, there’s the small matter of the third and final Grand Tour of the season – the Vuelta a Espana. Rumours are that Froome fancies a shot at the double…
THE STAGE IN A TWEET
Job well done for Sky - minus Peter Kennaugh, the British national champion forced to withdraw through illness.
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