That’s about all from me, and from this year’s Tour de France. There have been numerous stage winners, cult heroes, unsung superstars, but only one outright winner.
Chris Froome has taken a third Tour, another achieved through the phenomenal strength of his team, but crowned with individual moments of drama and determination, demonstrating a will to win that runs as deep as Team Sky’s resources.
Froome has run up mountains, bled through his yellow jersey, borrowed bikes and gone for broke to squeeze every second out of the road to Paris. His place in the pantheon of Tour legends, and Britain’s all-time greatest athletes, is assured.
Thanks for joining me today, for following our coverage throughout July, and for all your emails and tweets that have propelled us along many a gruelling stage. Let’s do it all again next year. Au revoir!
Chris Froome takes to the podium and is zipped into the yellow jersey he’s worn since 9th July, and is joined by second-placed Romain Bardet and Nairo Quintana, who finishes third.
Froome’s speech thanks his team – “I wouldn’t be standing here if it wasn’t for your commitment and sacrifice. This is a special team” and dedicates the victory to his baby son, Kellen. He also takes time to again pay tribute to the victims of Nice, in a speech that goes beyond the usual post-race platitudes.
Froome says tragedies like Nice “put sport into perspective, but show how important the values of sport are.” He concludes “vive le Tour, et vive la France”.
The presentations are under way on the Champs-Élysées. Adam Yates has won the white jersey – and he’ll be eligible to defend it next year. Rafal Majka takes the polka-dot jersey, and fellow Tinkoff man Peter Sagan bags his fifth green jersey in a row, as well as the ‘super combative’ award. Exceptional athletes, all of them.
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Chris Froome will be heading to Rio next month, but has already confirmed that he’ll take part in next weekend’s RideLondon event on home soil. Nicolas Portal, the impossibly youthful Team Sky director, has just hinted that Froome could take part in the Vuelta a España, which begins on 20th August. Try and keep him off that bike...
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The final general classification
- Chris Froome (Team Sky) 89h 6’01”
- Romain Bardet (AG2R LaMondiale) +2’52”
- Nairo Quintana (Movistar) +3’08”
- Adam Yates (Orica-BikeExchange) +3’29”
- Richie Porte (BMC) +4’04”
- Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) +5’03”
- Louis Meintjes (Lampre-Merida) +5’45”
- Daniel Martin (Etixx-QuickStep) +5’51”
- Roman Kreuziger (Tinkoff) +5’58”
- Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) + 6’16”
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Geraint Thomas, always good for a soundbite or two, is interviewed on ITV:
“The strength of the team has been phenomenal. We had five climbers, all of us has led races individually, to support Froomey. No egos, committing to each other … and it all paid off.”
Asked about complaints over Team Sky’s domination, he adds “if they pay me to entertain, I’ll entertain. They pay me to win.”
Here’s something from William Fotheringham on why Chris Froome and Team Sky deserve respect, even if they occasionally fail to quicken the pulse:
Some more Tour analysis, from Team Sky’s directeur sportif, Nicolas Portal:
Here’s André Greipel on his stage win today:
“I cannot describe it. I’m just super proud how it worked out, and how the team believed in me. The team kept trying, trying, trying even though it wasn’t working. Once we hit the front, we were one guy too short, but I chose the wheel of Kristoff, which was the best place to be.”
Race result
- André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal)
- Peter Sagan (Tinkoff)
- Alexander Kristoff (Katusha)
- Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data)
- Michael Matthews (Orica BikeExchange)
- Jasper Stuyven (Trek Segafredo)
- Ramunas Navardauskas (Cannondale)
- Christophe Laporte (Cofidis)
- Sam Bennett[!!!] (Bora-Argon)
- Reinardt Jense van Rensburg (Dimension Data)
Froome joins Greg LeMond, Philippe Thys and Louison Bobet on a hat-trick of Tour de France wins, and is two wins behind the quartet of legends together on five victories: Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain. Who would bet against him making it four next year?
Here’s our André Greipel-fast race report:
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CHRIS FROOME WINS THE 2016 TOUR DE FRANCE!
A second title in succession, and a third overall for the mighty Chris Froome, who crosses the line alongside his Team Sky lieutenants. A Tour victory that was often dominant, occasionally dramatic, and overall, entirely deserved.
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André Greipel wins stage 21 on the Champs Élysées!
A second win in Paris for Greipel, and he maintains his record of winning at least one stage in every Tour. The German beat Kristoff with raw power, and although Sagan made a late burst, it was a fraction too late.
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500m: Lotto are running out of numbers, Kristoff is in contention, and Greipel has to hang onto his wheel, with Sagan in pursuit...
1km to go: Lotto-Soudal appear to have paced this right, after a Tour of false starts for André Greipel... but Sagan, Kittel and Boasson Hagen are all in range...
2km to go: Lotto-Soudal, Cannondale and Cofidis are all well placed as they enter the tunnel, with the peloton shredded by that burst of pace...
An IAM rider goes down, but picks himself up, with no other riders affected. The pace is really ratcheting up, and there’s another crash! Gaps are opening up – and Bryan Coquard has taken a tumble! There goes my prediction...
5km to go! The peloton are stretched on the uphill stretch of the Champs-Élysées, approaching the Arc de Triomphe. Vincenzo Nibali attempts a late surge, but the sprint trains at the front aren’t having a bar of it.
One lap to go! Chris Froome is still looking relaxed, as Lutsenko and van Avermaet are reeled in. A sprint finish, but who will it be? In true Eurosport style, I’ll name everyone with a half-decent chance before making my prediction. Sagan? Kittel? Greipel? Kristoff? Coquard.
Bryan Coquard’s Direct Énergie team are controlling the pace of the peloton, with Lotto-Soudal conspicuous by their absence. Kittel is very much back in contenetion, as Van Avermaet and Lutsenko work together to open up a small gap with 10km to go...
Cheers Sir Dave Brailsford! #TE4MSKY mastermind 👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/S00RO0H8aR
— Team Sky (@TeamSky) July 24, 2016
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Two more laps to go, and the breakaway is swallowed up. Astana’s Alexey Lutsenko and former yellow jersey winner Greg van Avermaet move clear, bumping over cobbles while the smart men in the peloton ride in the gutter.
With 15km to go, Teklahaimanot moves ahead of Gougeard, Craddock, Roy, Barta, Costa, Feillu in a foolhardy bid for glory. There’s time for one more Name that Breakaway. Thanks for playing.
@niallmcveigh List of rejected names before William and Kate settled on George.
— Peter Harmer (@PRDH) July 24, 2016
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Here’s Kittel losing his cool – he has fought back to the peloton, along with Dan Martin, who was dropped after suffering a mechanical problem. Not a great day for Etixx QuickStep.
Marcel Kittel has a meltdown on the Champs-Elysees... Watch #TDF2016 on Eurosport Player https://t.co/sP0qQBPQCX https://t.co/RtRouAm6Bc
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) July 24, 2016
There are crashes, and then there are crashes; Djamolidine Abdoujaparov, aka the Tashkent Express, won three green jerseys and two Champs-Élysées finishes, but perhaps his most famous moment is this 1991 collision with an outsized promotional Coke can:
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“Let’s do one last name the breakaway before this glorious irrelevance is over for another year” says Paul Griffin. Why not, Paul.
“Craddock, Teklehaimanot, Roy, Barta, Costa, Feillu: the roll call at the beginning of Trumpton, for Moldovan audiences.”
The breakaway, still just 20 seconds ahead, are down to six after Burghardt has problems with his gears and is forced to drop back: Gougeard, Craddock, Teklehaimanot, Roy, Barta, Costa, Feillu.
Kittel is still 40 seconds adrift, riding in the slipstreams of several team cars to get back in touch. His Etixx team-mates are slowing down, so he should make it back. Despite winning a stage, Kittel has had a disappointing Tour – as has this man:
Marcel Kittel is in trouble, suffering a mechanical and getting left behind by the peloton. He gets a spare bike, but doesn’t like the replacement wheel, lobbing it down the cobbles. Now then, Marcel.
In other bad news for Etixx QuickStep, Tony Martin had to pull out because of an injured knee; he came home last yesterday, and struggled through pain today.
Burghardt takes maximum points at the final intermediate sprint, officially ending the points competition. Peter Sagan was sewn into the green jersey about two weeks ago.
This group are holding onto a 19-second lead, but there’s a long old way to go – 40km, and six circuits, to be precise. Some surprising news – Etixx rider Tony Martin has pulled out during today’s stage. No word on whether it’s an injury, or he had a plane to catch to Rio.
Here’s Shane ‘Give Me The Effing Bike’ Archbold with Bora-Argon team-mate and lanterne rouge Sam Bennett. The bromance is strong with these two.
Here are some more Tour highlights, this time from Paul Gallagher:
Best team: Sky, obviously. But if not them then Dimension Data. Four wins for Mark Cavendish, but a massive victory for Steve Cummings also (which netted him a last minute Rio Olympics call up after he was outrageously overlooked...). Most disappointing team: Cannondale, by far.
Riders of note: Julian Alaphilippe for his youthful tenacity, Adam Yates for putting up with some unfair jury decisions but still almost making the podium, and Rafal Majka with his impressively combative performance to take a stranglehold on the polka dots. And Wout Poels, the rider Chris Froome owes so much to this time around.
Rider of note for a different reason: Bora-Argon 18 rider Shane Archbold who finished Stage 17 after crashing at 67 km/hr and breaking his pelvis. The New Zealander’s words when asked if he could go on? “Give me the f***king bike.” A brave subplot in a Tour full of them - the TdF website hasn’t even listed him as a withdrawal.
We have a breakaway! Eight riders took advantage of the slow-paced bonhomie to carve out a gap of 20 seconds. They are:
Alexis Gougeard (AG2R-La Mondiale), Lawson Craddock (Cannondale-Drapac), Markus Burghardt (BMC), Daniel Teklehaimanot (DiData), Jérémy Roy (FDJ), Jan Barta (Bora), Rui Costa (Lampre-Merida) and Brice Feillu (Fortuneo-VitalConcept)
Team Sky allow Joaquin Rodriguez, the climbing legend retiring after the Tour to lead the pack onto the Champs-Élysées. Froome can’t help but smile as he’s greeted by the crowds, who have certainly warmed to him this year.
The pace picks up - the riders covered the first loop in Paris at a speed of 46.5km/h. #TDFdata #TDF2016 https://t.co/PdKABzdmNz
— letourdata (@letourdata) July 24, 2016
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Team Sky take up the reins in the peloton as the race skirts the Arc de Triomphe for the first time. The riders head back along the Seine, before dropping onto the final circuit, which they will navigate eight times.
“Just finishing the Tour is a major accomplishment in my book” says Jeannine Fleegle. “Look at how many others have not. I marvel at all the finishers, not just the ones on the podium. Bravo Sam Bennett!”
Indeed, you’ll find plenty of names at the foot of the GC who have played a big part – Dimension Data’s Bernie Eisel, Team Sky stalwart Ian Stannard, and sprinters Dan McLay and Marcel Kittel.
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Interesting move from André Greipel, who appears to have switched bikes, climbing aboard a model better suited for the cobbled finish. The Gorilla hasn’t won a stage this year – he’s won a stage in every Tour he’s taken part in previously. The pack are now passing through the Bois de Boulogne, before crossing into the city centre.
Le peloton se rapproche des Champs-Élysées - 65 km / 65 km to go, the pack is getting closer to the Champs-Élysées pic.twitter.com/I9AGTZWYJE
— Le Tour de France (@LeTour) July 24, 2016
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Another old stager, Direct Energie’s Sylvain Chavanel, is enjoying a turn at the front of the pack as the crowds swell on the way into central Paris.
We won’t see any breakaways today, but once again, they’ve provided a whole host of Tour highlights. L’Equipe have worked out the men who covered the most kilometres clear of the pack, and they are: Rafal Majka, Thomas de Gendt and Jarlinson Pantano. No real surprises there.
The riders cross the Seine for the first time, over the Pont d’Argenteuil, a bridge made famous by Claude Monet. We’re not a million miles from the Stade de France, up in the northwestern suburbs, heading towards the Bois de Boulogne. There’s been an electrifying forty-man breakaway the pack are still glued together.
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With 80km to go, we crest the final climb of the year – the entirely pointless Cat 4 hill, Côte de l’Ermitage. Roman Kreuziger takes the point on offer.
“I would appreciate a mention for Haimar Zubeldia of Trek Segafredo” asks Richard Searle. “This is his 15th Tour de France at the age of 39 and he has consistently ridden well, but barely gets a mention. Chapeau Haimar”
The Basque rider is the quintessential under-the-radar Tour hero – he’s going to finish 24th this year, but has made the top 10 five times, coming fourth in 2007, despite never winning a stage.
On unsung heroes, Mark Wilkinson nominates “Michael Morkov, firstly for battling through eight days with some horrible injuries after Stage 1 crash. But also, after struggling to the summit of Col d’Aspin with the broom wagon right behind him, still finding time to hand water bottle to young fan stood next to me decked out in full Katusha kit. Class act.”
The gallant Morkov was the first rider to retire from this year’s race, which was a new record – and we’ll see a record number of finishers in Paris this year.
We’re passing through the village of Montlignon, approaching the suburbs of Paris. A few Tinkoff riders are freewheeling out in front, gurning at the cameras. This is such a weird way to end the race; like having a mandatory kickabout in Gorky Park after the next World Cup final.
Re: weirdest moments of the Tour, how about this? And just how well would Adam Yates have done, if he’d had any luck whatsoever?
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A nice pick from Matt Cast for unsung hero of 2016:
Another unsung hero is Mikaël Chérel, Bardet’s teammate who bravely attacked first on that treacherous descent on Friday. Bardet then picked up his wheel and Cherel’s work was a big factor in Bardet’s stage win and 2nd place overall.
I’d like to put forward Sam Bennett, the Irish rider set to ‘win’ this year’s lanterne rouge, the last man in the general classification. It’s an award nobody wants, but Bennett, a sprinter who suffered painful injuries on the first day, should take huge pride in finishing the race.
95km to go, and still a good 40km before we hit the Champs-Élysées. Movistar may have fallen short in the GC but will take the team victory. It’s their second in a row, the first team to defend their crown since 2006. Perhaps cold comfort for the team that were once Banesto, on the day Chris Froome becomes the first man since Miguel Indurain to defend the yellow jersey (yes, yes, I know).
Around 100km to go, with Froome enjoying a glass of champagne. Don’t mix your drinks, Chris. A couple more of your excellent highlights – keep them coming.
@niallmcveigh that descent from Froome set the scene for me, proper heart-in-mouth stuff. And Cav's renaissance for four wins was lovely.
— Paul Treloar (@PaulieTandoori) July 24, 2016
Here’s Katherine Pearson:
While Froome and his team were masterful, the excitement came from the sprinters, with elation, heartbreak and tactics on display. Of course I’ve long thought there should be another name for cyclists who spend over hours on a bike at high cadences, only to then “sprint” at even greater speeds to take the stage itself.
If the GC race was a little lukewarm, there have been some phenomenal sprint battles, with two photo finishes early on. It makes Cavendish’s comeback to take four wins all the more impressive, but it would be nice to see Bryan Coquard and Alex Kristoff, two sprinters who have done little wrong all Tour, take the stage today.
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Christian Prudhomme drops the starting flag for the final time this year, and the last stage is officially on! This leads to a further 2.5% surge in intensity.
More highlights, from Martin Alderton:
Joint gold medals: Jarlinson Pantano for showing us you can enjoy this race and Julian Alaphilippe for showing us how much winning a stage of this would actually mean to him.
Celebration of the year: Cav’s four fingers. Need I say more.
Man of the year: Dan Martin. Didn’t know when to give up. And he gave it a go, unlike some I could mention.
Team of the year: I would have said Astana but Aru’s legs let them down. So it’s got to be Sky, an impressive, if slightly dull, control of the race.
A couple of shouts in your Tour highlights for stage 11, and that brilliant Sagan-Froome breakaway:
@niallmcveigh Stage 11. Sagan glancing over, then glancing over again as he realised it was Froome who had gone with him.
— MaliciousA (@MaliciousA) July 24, 2016
If you haven’t seen it, please enjoy below:
Zack Gomperts-Michelson also nominates that moment, plus “two superb examples of time triallists breaking this year, one from Cummins and one from Tom Dumoulin. Both made powerful moves away from their groups and simply crushed the spirit of their chasers with consistent power. Awesome”
Froome goes to the Team Sky boot and collects not champagne, but a round of beers. ‘Cos he’s a bloody bloke. Much clinking and spraying of bottles ensues.
We’re back on tarmac on the way out of Chantilly, leading to a 2% increase in intensity. Team Sky have flash new kits for the day, with yellow stripes and handlebars, and are riding along, chests puffed out, at the back with Froome. They’re posing for photos in a line, arm-in-arm, and for a team that have just dominated a Grand Tour, find it surprisingly difficult.
Meanwhile in Paris, La Course finished on the Champs-Élysées earlier today, with Australia’s Chloe Hosking winning in a sprint finish after a flurry of late crashes.
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Some more of your highlights, starting with Mark Turner:
Gold medal: Froome. He won, triple champion, don’t overlook the champ.
Silver medal: Cav. The Merckx record in real danger is a modern sporting miracle.
Bronze medal: Yates. Very impressive breakthrough year, Nairo has two years max to get his tour before this name starts to dominate cycling.
Honourable mention to Bauke Mollema.
Only gripe this year, not enough hilltop arrivées. Nairo probably agrees.
Agree with all of that – and this from Rees Arnott-Davies:
First on the list has to be Jarlinson Pantano. He’s ridden out of his skin, cut an attractive figure off the front, and generally done everything humanly possible to fight for wins.
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The top three on the GC are now riding together, with Romain Bardet and Nairo Quintana offering Froome a congratulatory handshake. Here’s a few of your 2016 highlights:
@niallmcveigh It's been reported to death, but the highlight will be of Froome running up Ventoux. How could it not be? Madness.
— Alan Mackie (@Oldmanmackie) July 24, 2016
@niallmcveigh 2016 hero: Julian Alaphilippe. Prime member of #NameThatBreakaway with a surname to beat. The Cote de l'Ermitage will be his!
— Serge Nuffler (@SergeNuffler) July 24, 2016
The race has begun in Chantilly, albeit in an early, neutralised phase around the Chateau de Chantilly. These cobbled roads hosted the start of the Paris-Roubaix race for 10 years, between 1966 and 1976. Jersey winners Froome, Peter Sagan, Rafal Majka and Adam Yates ride out in front.
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An interesting development that has an impact on cycling, if not today’s race. The IOC have opted against a blanket ban for Russian athletes, leaving it to each sport’s governing body to make a decision on whether Russians can compete at the Olympics:
Earlier, UCI president Brian Cookson was speaking to Sky Sports, and seemed to suggest that he was not in favour of a blanket ban affecting athletes in sports not connected to the ongoing scandal; it’ll be interesting to see what action the UCI takes. There is only one Russian rider in this year’s Tour; Katusha’s Ilnur Zakarin, who won stage 17.
On what promises to be a pretty quiet race day, I’d like your nominations for 2016 Tour heroes. Some might say Mark Cavendish, Peter Sagan... William Fotheringham would say Thomas, Pouls, Landa. Stannard.
So, today’s stage is a short hop from Chantilly, last seen hosting England’s Euro 2016 heroes, into the centre of Paris, before nine turns around the Champs-Élysées and a big old bunch sprint to bring the curtain down on this year’s Tour.
Preamble
Hello. The 2016 Tour may not have been an all-time classic, but it’s been gripping from the get-go, throwing constant curveballs at those who would dare to call it predictable. From Mark Cavendish’s resurgence to Adam Yates’s emergence, via cross winds and chaos on Mont Ventoux, this year has reminded us to always expect the unexpected.
Chris Froome will win a third Tour de France today, surrounded by a team whose dominance may disappoint the casual viewer. Yet it’s Froome who embodies that maxim more than anyone this year, carving out an unassailable lead in a series of dramatic vignettes: breaking away on a descent, borrowing bikes, running up hills, and sprinting with Peter Sagan.
All of which brings us to today, where Froome, over four minutes clear of Romain Bardet in the general classification, will not face a contest for the title, rolling into Paris with a glass of champagne in his hand. It’s a Tour tradition, but still feels like a dull denouement after the twists and turns of what may be sport’s finest stand-alone race.
There will be a burst of intensity 500m from home, as the remaining sprinters battle to cycling’s most prestigious finish line. Until then, your nominations for highlights of the 2016 Tour, and what would make a more fitting conclusion, are more than welcome.
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