Photography by Cor Vos, Kristof Ramon, BrakeThrough Media
Puting a positive spin on a frustrating Tour de France that had delivered one close call but no sprint victories, Andre Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) took victory on the Champs Elysees in his German national champion’s jersey.
“I can’t describe it,” Greipel said. “I’m just super proud of what we’ve achieved today. I’ve raced for three weeks for that. The team kept believing in me. We’ve tried many times and we walk away from the Tour with two stage wins, with Thomas De Gendt and myself. This morning, we had a good plan. There was a head wind at the end. I just tried to stay calm. Once we hit the finale, we were one guy too short so I chose to follow Alexander Kristoff who was the strongest. But this is another stage win at the Tour de France. It’s wonderful.”
As expected after Saturday’s final mountain stage in the Alps, Chris Froome (Team Sky) won the 2016 Tour de France, his third overall victory in four years. The Briton crossed the finish line arm-in-arm with the eight teammates who helped guide him to victory.
“It’s amazing,” Froome said. ‘Amazing. It doesn’t wear off after two times. Rolling on the Champs-Elysées is the same, it’s an amazing feeling. My teammates have emptied themselves every day, so it was important to show on the finishing line this is a team sport, this is what it’s all about, what we’ve worked for.”
Read the full stage 21 race report, highlight video, and results here.
-
- Every year there is a rider that performs above and beyond expectations. For the 2016 Tour, it was Adam Yates (Orica-BikeExchange), who finished as the Best Young Rider, in fourth overall. Photo: Kristof Ramon
-
- The Champs-Élysées before the peloton arrived. Photo: Kristof Ramon
-
- Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) struggled the final few days in the Alps, and though he sat second overall, he finished the Tour outside of the top 10. Photo: BrakeThrough Media
-
- Rumors suggest that Peter Sagan and Rafal Majka (Tinkoff) will ride for the German-based Bora-hansgrohe outfit next year, which will move up to the WorldTour level. Photo: BrakeThrough Media
-
- Before the men powered onto the Champs-Élysées, the women got a chance to race on the famous boulevard at La Course by TDF. Photo: Cor Vos
-
- Two former French national road champions, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Rabo-Liv) and Marion Rousse. Photo: Cor Vos
-
- The smooth cobblestones of the Champs-Élysées are sometimes difficult to navigate. Photo: Cor Vos
-
- Chloe Hosking (Wiggle-High5) sprinted to victory at the La Course, after the breakaway was brought back in the home stretch. Photo: Cor Vos
-
- Podium selfie at La Course. (Left to right:) Lotta Lepistö (Cervélo-Bigla), Chloe Hosking (Wiggle-High5), and Marianne Vos (Rabo-Liv). Photo: Cor Vos
-
- The men’s peloton rolled out of Chantilly under birght sunshine. Photo: BrakeThrough Media
-
- Team Sky added a touch of yellow to their kits to commemorate the overall victory. Photo: Cor Vos
-
- Team Sky broke with tradition and shared beers, rather than champagne, to celebrate the overall victory. Photo: BrakeThrough Media
-
- Once the beer had been sprayed, the team popped the traditional celebratory champagne. Photo: Cor Vos
-
- The Patrouille de France jets flew over the Arc de Triomphe and welcomed the finish of the 2016 Tour just as they had done at the start in Mont-Saint-Michel. Photo: Kristof Ramon
-
- Led by Team Sky, the peloton arrived on the Champs-Élysées. Photo: Kristof Ramon
-
- The Arc de Triomphe dwarfs the riders of the Tour de France. Photo: Cor Vos
-
- Marcel Kittel (Etixx-QuickStep) suffered an untimely mechanical, which was made worse when his spare bike had a rear flat. Photo: BrakeThrough Media
-
- Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal) in his favourite position: at the front. Photo: Kristof Ramon
-
- “The Hulk” versus “The Gorilla.” Photo: Cor Vos
-
- Andre Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) was overjoyed after he won on the Champs-Élysées for the second consecutive year. Photo: Kristof Ramon
-
- Chris Froome shares a moment with his son, Kellan, after winning the Tour for the third time.
-
- Greg Henderson and Marcel Sieberg (Lotto-Soudal) congratulate each other on a job well done.
-
- Peter Sagan was the 2016 Tour’s Super Combative, the most aggressive rider. Photo: Cor Vos
-
- The Champs-Élysées wasn’t a joyous affair for all. Reto Hollenstein (IAM Cycling) had a painful ending to the race. Photo: Cor Vos
-
- The green machine: Sagan has won the green jersey every year he has participated in the Tour, which amounts to five wins. Photo: Cor Vos
-
- Romain Bardet (Ag2r-La Mondiale), Froome, and Nairo Quintana (Movistar) represented the final overall podium of the 2016 Tour de France. Photo: Cor Vos
-
- Team Sky takes their fourth Tour de France win since their inception in 2009.
-
- The team bus compound is home to a giant party once the final stage of the Tour is in the books. Photo: BrakeThrough Media