Comment on this story
comment
Jonas Vingegaard completed an unlikely run to a Tour de France victory on Sunday just three years after turning professional. The 25-year-old Danish rider soaked up the atmosphere along the Champs-Élysées in Paris to complete the 21st and final stage of cycling’s prestigious event.
Vingegaard, who was only competing in the Tour de France for the second time, secured victory after winning the penultimate stage by a margin so comfortable that no other rider was able to gain enough ground to overtake him on the traditional celebratory closing day .
Vingegaard’s winning time was 79:32.29. Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar was second (+3.34) and Great Britain’s Geraint Thomas third (+8.13) in the three-week event.
Belgian Jasper Philipsen conquered the final stage by several bike lengths for his second stage win, becoming the only sprinter with multiple stage wins at this year’s race. Second in the sprint was Dylan Groenewegen of the Netherlands ahead of third-placed Alexander Kristoff of Norway.
The celebrations once again saw women join the world’s most-watched in-person sporting spectacle. The Tour de France Femmes began Sunday with 24 teams of six riders battling for the title in the eight-day, 640-mile stage race that ended in the Vosges Mountains and marked the fifth time in 119 years the Tour de France has featured female competitors.
Vingegaard finished second in Saturday’s time trial in 3:34 behind Jumbo-Visma teammate Wout van Aert. However, his time left him so far ahead of his closest pursuers that shortly after finishing he was able to begin his coronation by hugging his partner Trine Hansen and their 2-year-old daughter Frida.
He did the exact same thing almost immediately after crossing the line on Sunday.
“Having my two girls on the finish line means even more to me,” he told reporters on Saturday after a particularly grueling stage in conditions that set records for high temperatures in the UK last week. “I’m just so happy and proud.”
Despite the sweltering elements, including temperatures soaring into the triple digits, Vingegaard managed to extend his lead during Stage 20, which featured countless hills and climbs in one of the most demanding tests in Tour de France history.
As Europe’s heatwave melts the streets, the Tour de France races into an uncertain future
Among Vingegaard’s closest challengers was Pogacar, who was aiming for a third straight win. Up until the final stages he was dueling for the lead with Vingegaard, runner-up in last year’s Tour de France.
Vingegaard improved in last year’s competition after Jumbo-Visma’s No. 1 rider Primoz Roglic crashed out. His performance after Roglic’s descent was one of the fastest times on the climb up Mont Ventoux.
The picture-perfect finish this time for Vingegaard is all the more compelling as he worked part-time at a packing plant in Denmark in 2019, gutting and cleaning fish. He was also employed at a fish auction, often waking up long before sunrise and working in cold temperatures.
Van Aert, meanwhile, finished this year’s Tour de France in the green jersey, awarded to the competitor who accumulates the most points in stage times and midrace sprints. Van Aert won three stages while also supporting his teammate during the rough Hautacam climb by breaking away and controlling the pace.
Pogacar couldn’t keep up and eventually faded as Vingegaard and van Aert continued to climb, keeping the Jumbo Visma team well ahead in winning their sixth stage of 20.
“I think the fight between me and Jonas was really special and Jonas was really special,” said 23-year-old Pogacar. “We have an interesting couple of years ahead of us.”