Tour de France: Jonas Vingegaard wins Tour for first time in his career as Britain’s Geraint Thomas finishes third | Cycling News

Jonas Vingegaard was forced to settle for second in last year’s Tour behind winner Tadej Pogačar; Belgian’s Jasper Philipsen wins Stage 21 after sprint finish on Champs-Elysees; Britain’s Geraint Thomas finishes third overall.

Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, drinks champagne at the car of his team director during Stage 21

Jonas Vingegaard claimed his maiden Tour de France title after Sunday’s 21st and final stage, completing a triumph he effectively sealed in the mountains after a vintage duel with Tadej Pogacar.

The 25-year-old, who five years ago was working as a fish packer in a factory in the morning before training in the afternoon, followed up on his surprise second place last year.

He finished Sunday’s ride to the Champs Elysees safely in the bunch as Belgian Jasper Philipsen won the last stage in a sprint ahead of Dutch Dylan Groenewegen and Norway’s Alexander Kristoff, who were second and third respectively.

“It’s just incredible. Now I’ve finally won the Tour. Now nothing can go wrong anymore and I’m sitting here with my daughter and it’s just incredible,” said Vingegaard.

“It’s the biggest cycling race of the year, the biggest one you can win and now I’ve done it and nobody can take this away from me.

“First of all I’m super happy about my victory now. Of course I want to celebrate, I want to relax, but then I always want more.”

Vingegaard laid the foundations of his victory in the 10th stage, when he and his team-mate Primoz Roglic attacked Pogacar relentlessly and made him crack in the climb up to the Col du Granon.

Pogacar hit back time and time again but Vingegaard and his Jumbo-Visma team contained the feisty Slovenian, with the new champion sealing the victory when he claimed another win at Hautacam in the final mountain stage.

Overall, Vingegaard, who rocketed into the limelight last year, finished ahead of Pogacar and also won the polka-dot jersey for the mountains classification.

Geraint Thomas, the 2018 champion, ended up a distant third overall in a race that took place under the cloud of COVID-19, with 17 riders pulling out after contracting the virus.

Vingegaard’s Jumbo-Visma team dominated the Tour, winning six of the 21 stages while protecting the Dane throughout, especially in a moment of panic when he suffered a mechanical issue in the cobbled stage in the opening week.

The Dutch team led the way into the Champs Elysees on Sunday, but they stayed at the back of the peloton in the final straight as Vingegaard and his team-mates enjoyed the moment.