Tadej Pogacar has won a second successive Tour de France, hailing his victory as “an incredible adventure” while Australia unearthed its next genuine contender as Ben O’Connor finished a surprise fourth overall.
Wout van Aert claimed the final stage on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on Sunday after three weeks of thrilling action. Pogacar stole in at the 11th hour to win the 2020 edition, but this year he stamped his authority in the first week before he pulled on the yellow jersey beneath the Arc de Triomphe as the undisputed champion, aged just 22.
“We did it,” he said with a huge smile.
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“It was one thing last year, the first win, I didn’t cry this year,” he said glowing in his big moment and thanking everyone with his parents and siblings all present.
“I hope we can all come back next year without masks.
“It’s been an incredible adventure being part of this cycling family,” he said dedicating his latest triumph to “all cycling fans everywhere.”
Jumbo’s Belgian rider Van Aert stormed past Briton Mark Cavendish to take the 21st stage after also winning a time-trial at Saint-Emilion and a mountain stage at Mont Ventoux.
“I’ve won a giant Tour de France stage,” Van Aert said. “But I’m just a little cyclist compared with Tadej.”
Marking the end of the old era, 36-year-old Cavendish narrowly missed out on a fifth win on this edition — and a record 35th on the Tour de France.
Jasper Philipsen was second on the day as Deceuninck rider Cavendish fell just short, punching his handlebars in frustration.
Four wins in the six stages that ended in a mass bunch sprint were enough, however, for him to equal Eddy Merckx’s record of 34 stage wins on the Tour and secure him the green sprint points jersey.
“It was just too hard,” Cavendish said of the final sprint. “But it’s just wonderful to be here,” he said on the podium after picking up his award.
Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard, also of Jumbo, was a surprising second in the general classification, while Ineos’ Richard Carapaz was third to follow his 2019 triumph on the Giro d’Italia.
O’Connor, 25, became only the fourth Australian in Tour de France history to finish in the top five of the general classification — a result he’d said would take a “miracle” — after Richie Porte most recently did it finishing third last year.
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West Australian cyclist Ben O’Connor is dreaming of the day he can wear the coveted maillot jaune following his stunning fourth place overall finish in the Tour de France after initially fearing he’d broken his shoulder in the horrific stage one pile up.
Tadej Pogacar won a second successive Tour de France on Sunday, hailing his victory as “an incredible adventure” while Australia unearthed its next genuine contender as O’Connor finished a surprise fourth overall.
He is only the fourth Australian in history to finish in the top five general classification – joining Cadel Evans, Phil Anderson and Richie Porte who stood on the podium with his third place finish last year.
“Would you have bet money on me coming fourth in the Tour? I don’t think so. So it’s not a ‘loss’ at all,” he told Cyclingnews.com website about missing the podium by just under three minutes.
“The yellow jersey was a long way off, another level and another game. I hope one day I can wear the maillot jaune, but I would have to progress in the same way as I did this year to get there. You never know.”
O’Connor’s result was built on a dominant stage in Tignes last week and he had to battle hard to keep a place in the top five.
The performance will put the international cycling world on notice with his French team AG2R-Citroën — which has mostly backed Romain Bardet in general classification — also reportedly making the Australian their lead rider at the upcoming Vuelta aEspaña.
“Just to make Paris is special, but now that I’m fourth overall is wild. It’s special and something that I’ll never forget,” O’Connor said.
O’Connor was one of the many riders caught up in the horrific pile up on day one of this year’s tour, the 25-year-old suffering a deep wound to his right forearm that required 10 stitches and landed so heavily on his shoulder he couldn’t lift his bike after he crossed the line more than two minutes back and he feared it would end his race.
“I couldn’t move my arm. I couldn’t stand up and move my shoulder. I thought my race was over, I was 100 per cent sure I’d broken my shoulder,” he said.
“It was a pretty awful feeling, that on day one of my first Tour de France I was going to be a DNF.
“It would have been very sad after all my hope and support from my friends and family.”