Tour de France: Stage 21
The 21st and last stage of the 2013 Tour de France was to act as a sort of victory parade for Froome who had worn the yellow jersey for two out of the three weeks of the competition. However, until the Kenyan born British rider crossed the 3km mark nothing could be for certain. But, with Team Sky around him, there was no doubt that the leader would finish the day and complete a back to back win for team Sky, Britain and Sir Dave Brailsford.
With the Tour celebrating 100 years, this year the procession in to Paris was a little bit different to previous tours. Froome, Quintana and Rodriguez - who would finish the evening in first, second and third respectively on the podium, along with the rest of the peloton set off from the grand Parisian suburb of Versailles with champagne in hand and cigars in mouth. Until the peloton arrived in central Paris and made their way passed the Tour de Eiffel there was not much of a race going on as all but one battle had been won on the mountains the previous day. That one remaining battle was the last sprint of the Tour and as the cyclists made their way around the first of 8 laps around the Arc de Triomphe riders began to attack. British veteran, David Millar, was the first to attack with Juan Antonio Flecha by his side but it wasn't long until the Garmin-Sharp rider dropped Flecha and went off on his own in time-trial mode. The peloton had Miller in its sights and thus did not chase after the Brit too hard, with over 50km to go they knew that he would not be able to hold out until the finishing line.
With Froome safely over the 3km mark and officially the winner of the centenary edition of the Tour, it was time for the sprinters to have their moment of glory. Cavendish had won in Paris for four consecutive years but this 2013 Tour had not been a vintage one for the British rider. With his Omega-Pharma Quick-step lead out not as strong as his Sky lead out of previous years the rider from the Isle of Man had been left disappointed with only winning two stages throughout the tour. The last stage in Paris was no different as Cavendish suffered a puncture early on before losing his lead out train too early and was left to hang on the wheel of second place Andre Greipel before launching a late attack that could only secure him third place behind Kittel. A disappointing end to a less than satisfying Tour for Cavendish.
As team Sky crossed the line arm in arm as if bowing at the end of a theatre performance (and wow, what a performance it was!), the Parisian night began to wake as the Arc de Triomphe lit up in spectacular fashion with the Eiffel Tour acting as an extravagant background to the day's historic proceedings. A dignified winning speech by Froome, who dedicated the win to his late mother, was just what cycling needed to hear after a tough few months for the sport - "This is one yellow jersey that will stand the test of time"
With many blanks behind his name in the Tour de France winning history, Froome is the perfect poster boy for the new wave of cyclist, a new wave of drug-free cyclist. Having been victim of enormous amount of drug speculation and questioning over the last three weeks, Froome and team Sky have proven that the new Tour de France champion is talented enough to win the ruthless competition without the assistance of illegal substances. A true champion.
With the Tour celebrating 100 years, this year the procession in to Paris was a little bit different to previous tours. Froome, Quintana and Rodriguez - who would finish the evening in first, second and third respectively on the podium, along with the rest of the peloton set off from the grand Parisian suburb of Versailles with champagne in hand and cigars in mouth. Until the peloton arrived in central Paris and made their way passed the Tour de Eiffel there was not much of a race going on as all but one battle had been won on the mountains the previous day. That one remaining battle was the last sprint of the Tour and as the cyclists made their way around the first of 8 laps around the Arc de Triomphe riders began to attack. British veteran, David Millar, was the first to attack with Juan Antonio Flecha by his side but it wasn't long until the Garmin-Sharp rider dropped Flecha and went off on his own in time-trial mode. The peloton had Miller in its sights and thus did not chase after the Brit too hard, with over 50km to go they knew that he would not be able to hold out until the finishing line.
With Froome safely over the 3km mark and officially the winner of the centenary edition of the Tour, it was time for the sprinters to have their moment of glory. Cavendish had won in Paris for four consecutive years but this 2013 Tour had not been a vintage one for the British rider. With his Omega-Pharma Quick-step lead out not as strong as his Sky lead out of previous years the rider from the Isle of Man had been left disappointed with only winning two stages throughout the tour. The last stage in Paris was no different as Cavendish suffered a puncture early on before losing his lead out train too early and was left to hang on the wheel of second place Andre Greipel before launching a late attack that could only secure him third place behind Kittel. A disappointing end to a less than satisfying Tour for Cavendish.
As team Sky crossed the line arm in arm as if bowing at the end of a theatre performance (and wow, what a performance it was!), the Parisian night began to wake as the Arc de Triomphe lit up in spectacular fashion with the Eiffel Tour acting as an extravagant background to the day's historic proceedings. A dignified winning speech by Froome, who dedicated the win to his late mother, was just what cycling needed to hear after a tough few months for the sport - "This is one yellow jersey that will stand the test of time"
With many blanks behind his name in the Tour de France winning history, Froome is the perfect poster boy for the new wave of cyclist, a new wave of drug-free cyclist. Having been victim of enormous amount of drug speculation and questioning over the last three weeks, Froome and team Sky have proven that the new Tour de France champion is talented enough to win the ruthless competition without the assistance of illegal substances. A true champion.
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