Tadej Pogacar retains Tour de France crown

Slovenian Tadej Pogacar claimed a second successive Tour de France title after Sunday’s 21st and final stage, which was won by Belgian Wout van Aert on the Champs Elysees.

Pogacar, 22, is the youngest rider to wear the overall leader’s yellow jersey at the end of the race for two consecutive years.

The UAE Emirates rider also won the white jersey for the best Under-25 rider and the polka-dot jersey for the mountains classification after a dominant performance throughout.

Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard took second place overall with Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz in third.

Pogacar now heads to Tokyo for the Olympics, where he will be among the favourites for the road race next Saturday.

After a processional ride to Paris, multiple attacks took place in the eight laps around the finishing line on the Champs Elysees, with Mark Cavendish’s Deceuninck-Quick Step team controlling the gap.

The Briton, however, did not benefit from his usual lead-out man Mikael Morkov, and Van Aert powered to victory for his third stage win in this year’s Tour.

Belgian Jasper Philipsen was second ahead of third-placed Cavendish, who wins the green jersey for the points classification for the second time, having won four stages this year.

Van Aert, who will take part in the time trial in Tokyo, won Saturday’s individual time trial after also winning a mountain stage featuring two ascents of the much-feared Mont Ventoux.

Reuters