Egan Bernal secures Tour de France title as Caleb Ewan wins Champs-Élysées sprint
The Australian picked up his third stage win of this year's race
Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Soudal) won the sprint finish on the Champs-Élysees to take victory on stage 21 as Egan Bernal (Ineos) secured the Tour de France 2019 title.
Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data) opened up the sprint and Ewan left it late, coming round the outside to pick up his third stage victory at this year's race.
>>> Five talking points from stage 21 of the Tour de France 2019
Dylan Groenewegen (Jumbo-Visma) finished second, Niccolò Bonifazio (Total Direct Energie) third and Max Richeze (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) fourth.
Egan Bernal becomes the first Colombian winner of the Tour, beating team-mate Geraint Thomas (Ineos) by 1-11 with Steven Kruijswijk (Jumbo-Visma) a further 20 seconds back.
Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) won a record seventh points classification and Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale) picked up the polka dot jersey, a consolation prize for the French at a Tour that promised so much for the home nation.
How it happened
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The customary stage finishing on the Champs-Élysées allows sprinters a final chance at Tour glory, whilst the team containing the yellow jersey sip champagne. This year that honour was once again bestowed upon Ineos, their seventh win in eight years. Their first winner was on hand on a Eurosport motorbike, drinking champagne and decrying his former team's bubbly for not reflecting their significant budget.
Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) has ridden a fairly nondescript Tour, for him. However the three-time world champion has delivered once more, picking up his record-breaking seventh green jersey while wheelie-ing across the line and signing autographs up HC climbs.
For stage 21, though, he took it up a notch, photo-bombing Bernal and Ineos' victory snap holding champagne flutes.
After the celebrations the peloton hit the first of nine laps of the Champs-Élysées with 57.6km to go. Jan Tratnik (Bahrain-Merida), Nils Politt (Katusha-Alpecin), Omar Fraile (Astana) and Tom Scully (EF Education First) took the initiative and attacked with 50km remaining before Joey Rosskopf (CCC), Keven Van Melsen (Wanty-Gobert) and Benoît Cosnefroy (Ag2r La Mondiale) briefly formed a failed chase group.
The leaders took out a gap of 22 seconds with five laps and 33.7km to go. The setting sun made for a picturesque setting, the Tour returning to the night-time schedule that was used to celebrate the 100th Tour in 2013.
The front four still led by 20 seconds with three laps remaining but were caught with 10km to go. Dimension Data came to the fore and their man Edvald Boasson Hagen sprung from the group with 500m to go.
The Norwegian looked to have opened up a gap before others started closing in, with Max Richeze and Niccolò Bonifazio coming to the front before Dylan Groenewegen came rushing past. However, he seemed to stop pedalling as Caleb Ewan came from way back to sprint to his third stage victory, a momentous achievement for the Australian who was yet to win a Tour stage before this year's edition.
Results
Tour de France 2019, stage 21: Rambouillet to Paris (128km)
1. Caleb Ewan (Aus) Lotto-Soudal, in 3-04-08
2. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) Jumbo-Visma
3. Niccolò Bonifazio (Ita) Total Direct Energie
4. Max Richeze (Arg) Deceuninck - Quick-Step
5. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Dimension Data
6. André Greipel (Ger) Arkéa-Samsic
7. Matteo Trentin (Ita) Mitchelton-Scott
8. Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Trek-Segafredo
9. Nikias Arndt (Ger) Sunweb
10. Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe, all at same time
Final general classification after stage 21
1. Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos, in 82-57-00
2. Geraint Thomas (GBr) Ineos, at 1-11
3. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Jumbo-Visma, at 1-31
4. Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 1-56
5. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Deceuninck – Quick-Step), at 3-45
6. Mikel Landa (Esp) Movistar, at 4-23
7. Rigoberto Urán (Col) EF Education First, at 5-15
8. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar, at 5-30
9. Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar, at 6-12
10. Warren Barguil (Fra) Arkéa-Samsic, at 7-32
Final points classification
1. Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe, 316 pts
2. Caleb Ewan (Aus) Lotto-Soudal, 248 pts
3. Elia Viviani (Ita) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, 224 pts
Final climber classification
1. Romain Bardet (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale, 86 pts
2. Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos, 78 pts
3. Tim Wellens (Bel) Lotto-Soudal, 75 pts
Final youth classification
1. Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos, in 82-57-00
2. David Gaudu (Fra) Groupama-FDJ, at 24-03
3. Enric Mas (Deceuninck - Quick-Step), at 58-20
Final team classification
1. Movistar (Esp), in 248-58-15
2. Trek-Segafredo (USA), at 47-54
3. Ineos (GBr), at 57-52
Super combativity award
Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Deceuninck - Quick-Step
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Hi. I'm Cycling Weekly's Weekend Editor. I like writing offbeat features and eating too much bread when working out on the road at bike races.
Before joining Cycling Weekly I worked at The Tab and I've also written for Vice, Time Out, and worked freelance for The Telegraph (I know, but I needed the money at the time so let me live).
I also worked for ITV Cycling between 2011-2018 on their Tour de France and Vuelta a España coverage. Sometimes I'd be helping the producers make the programme and other times I'd be getting the lunches. Just in case you were wondering - Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen had the same ham sandwich every day, it was great.
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