PARIS (AP) — Danish cyclist Jonas Vingegaard won the Tour de France for the second year in a row, as the world’s most famous cycling race ended on the famed Champs-Elysees on Sunday.
With a huge lead accumulated over his main rival Tadej Pogačar, the 2020 and 2021 winner, Vingegaard knew victory was effectively his again before the largely ceremonial stage at the end of the 110th edition of the Tour.
Vingegaard sipped champagne with his Jumbo-Visma teammates as they lined up and posed for photos en route to Paris.
It had been a three-week slog over 3,405 kilometers (2,116 miles) with eight mountain stages through five mountain ranges. Vingegaard took control of the race over two stages in the Alps.
Little had separated the two rivals until Vingegaard finished a time trial 1 minute, 38 seconds ahead of Pogačar. on Tuesdayso followed the next day finishing the toughest mountain stage of the race almost 6 minutes ahead of his exhausted rival.
“I am dead,” Pogacar said.
The Slovenian cyclist responded winning the penultimate stage on Saturday, but Vingegaard still held an insurmountable lead of 7 minutes, 29 seconds before the final stage, a mostly ceremonial stage that is contested last by the sprinters.
«We have to be careful not to do anything stupid,» Vingegaard warned on Saturday, «but yeah, it’s amazing to get my second Tour de France victory.»
Belgian cyclist Jordi Meeus won the final stage in a photo finish between four riders on the line, just ahead of Jasper Philipsen, Dylan Groenewegen and Mads Pedersen.
“It was my first Tour. It was already a super nice experience so far, and to get the win today is an amazing feeling,” said Meeus.