THE 102nd edition of the Tour de France culminated with a “paradoxical” result, race chief Christian Prudhomme says: Two expert climbers battled for victory, but the flats made the difference.
Up until the next-to-last stage in the Alps, Chris Froome held on against a surging Nairo Quintana of Colombia to win his second Tour in three years by one minute and 12 seconds—the closest Tour victory margin since 2008.
The two were virtually equal in the mountains this year. But Froome got an early lead in Stage 2 in the Netherlands, outpacing the Colombian by 1:28 in that wind-swept leg.
After the race finish on Sunday, Prudhomme said: “It all played out in Zeeland, in the flat country.”
In recent years, skill in time-trials and mountains has been crucial to Tour victory. Time-trialing got lower billing this year.
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PETER SAGAN has made it four in a row.
The Slovak speedster has again taken home the green jersey awarded to the Tour’s best sprinter. The honor gives a bit of glory to his Tinkoff Saxo Bank team, whose leader Alberto Contador wasn’t a contender as had been expected before the race, and a personal consolation to him: Sagan finished second in five stages this year, but never won one.
The green jersey is awarded based on a points-system based around sprint sections during the stage, plus each stage finish. Andre Greipel of Germany, who won four stages in sprints, including Sunday’s 21st and final leg, was Sagan’s runner-up.
Quipped Sagan, who had the green jersey pretty much locked up before Sunday: “I’m happy I didn’t fall.”
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MANY French love to boast that the Champs-Elysees is the world’s most beautiful avenue. But for Tour de France debutant Warren Barguil, it’s one of the worst for cycling.
The 23-year-old Frenchman said aloud what many Paris cyclists know all too well: That the highly trafficked paving stones have seen their fair share of wear, and it’s not exactly the best place for a smooth ride.
“The Champs-Elysees is not a very, very good road, let’s say,” Barguil told France-2 TV. “It may be the worst in the Tour de France!”
Many bikes rattled on the various potholes in Sunday’s 21st and final stage, won by Germany’s Andre Greipel as Chris Froome of Britain won the three-week race.
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ANDRE GREIPEL has shown again he’s simply the best sprinter at the Tour de France this year.
The hulking German made it four stage victories this year with a sprint victory on the Champs-Elysees in the 21st and final stage on Sunday, edging past France’s Bryan Coquard in second.
The powerful 33-year-old Lotto-Soudal rider also collected the tenth Tour stage win of his career, and gave Germany a total of six stage wins, including ones by Simon Geschke and Tony Martin—the most of any country at the race.
Greipel’s tally equals the number of stage wins that Vincenzo Nibali had on way to winning the Tour last year.