Unstoppable Tadej Pogacar crowned his third Tour de France title on Sunday with a sixth stage win of this year’s race and his third on the spin.
The UAE Team Emirates rider’s lead of more than five minutes meant he was free to take it easy on Sunday’s 34km stage between Monaco and Nice, but the Slovenian once again showed his desire for greatness as he took risks on the descent off the Col d’Eze to beat his rival Jonas Vingegaard for another stage win.
The top three in the general classification finished in the same positions on the stage, with Pogacar posting a winning time of 45 minutes and 24 seconds, with Vingegaard 63 seconds back in second and another 11 seconds between the Dane and Remco Evenepoel in third.
Pogacar’s final margin of victory in the Tour was six minutes and 17 seconds.
Pogacar, who became the first rider to achieve the Giro d'Italia/Tour de France double since 1998, said: "I'm super happy. I cannot describe how happy I am. After two hard years in the Tour de France, this year everything went to perfection. I am out of words. I am super happy to win here. Incredible.
"This is the first grand tour where I was totally confident every day. Even in Giro I had one bad day but I won't tell which one. This year Tour de France was amazing. I was enjoying day one until today. I had such a great support behind me. I couldn't let anyone down.
"It's incredible, I would never have thought about this. Maybe some people thought the Giro was a safety net if I would not win the Tour de France. Already it would have been an incredible year, but to win the Tour de France is another level. To win both together is another level above that level.
"Next I want to take the World Championship jersey. It has looked very good on Mathieu van der Poel. I want one time to have the rainbow jersey on my back.
"I think in the last two years we've been hearing this is the best era of cycling, the best competition ever. If I was not competing myself I would also say it's the best. This competition with Remco, Jonas and Primoz is just incredible. We can all enjoy this moment of cycling, it's beautiful in my opinion."
Meanwhile, Mark Cavendish said he had “likely” raced for the final time after Sunday’s closing stage.
The 39-year-old postponed retirement to return this season in pursuit of a record-breaking 35th career Tour stage win, and achieved the feat with his victory on stage five into Saint-Vulbas.
It was unknown whether the Manxman would complete the season with his Astana-Qazaqstan team, but Cavendish indicated his illustrious career is probably at an end.
Asked if this had been the last race, Cavendish took a deep breath and said, “Likely so, yeah.”
The Paris Olympics means this year’s Tour did not end with the traditional sprint on the Champs-Elysees, instead with a time trial on the Cote d’Azur.
Cavendish was in tears after the two big Alpine stages before this after battling to make the time cut and ensure he got his big farewell. He made the most of his day, high-fiving fans on the roadside and blowing kisses to the crowd.
“First and foremost it was just trying to make the time limit, but I did the climb OK and I knew I’d be OK,” Cavendish said. “I know these roads, I’ve trained a lot around here. Then it’s just about enjoying it.
“There’s no pressure for me today, which is strange for the final stage of the Tour, you know. I knew my family was waiting it at the finish and it was just absorbing it. I got all the emotions out of the way yesterday and I could just really enjoy today.”
