entered serenely into Paris on Sunday to wrap up his fourth title, while Wout van Aert celebrated a famous final stage win as three circuits of the hill of Montmartre were added to the traditional finish on the Champs-Elysées for the first time.
star Pogacar entered this year’s Tour as clear favorite and lived up to expectations from start to finish, ultimately finishing with a comfortable lead of four minutes and 24 seconds over ‘s Jonas Vingegaard.
‘s Florian Lipowitz finished third, some 11 minutes behind Pogacar, riding for team Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe and marking a successful Tour entry for the .
“I think the second week [of the Tour] was the decisive moment,” Pogacar said. “We took more advantage and went more comfortably into the third week.”
Mixed feelings about Montmartre finish
While Pogacar’s lead was never in danger on the final stage – the wearer of the maillot jaune, or yellow jersey, traditionally entering the capital with a flute of champagne – the addition of Montmartre to the end of the stage was a novelty for the sprinters.
Tour director Christian Prudhomme made no secret of the fact that he had been “jealous” of the spectacle of riders racing around the steep, cobbled streets of Montmartre during the , and of his desire to replicate the scenes at the climax of the .
But the decision wasn’t universally well received in the peloton.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” said Vingegaard. “Montmartre seemed very beautiful at the Olympics, with a great atmosphere. But when the riders arrived there, there were 50 in the peloton. Now there will be 150 of us fighting for position on a very narrow climb. It’s going to add more stress than we’d like.”
Former German sprinter Marcel Kittel also lamented the move away from the traditional Champs-Elysées climax, saying: “It hurts my heart as a sprinter.”
But Pogacar wasn’t complaining. “Everyone celebrates in their own way, I just want peace and some nice weather, not like here today,” he said, drenched in Parisian rain. “Now I just to enjoy some quiet days at home.”
Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez
The post Tour de France: Pogacar triumphs after Montmartre sprint appeared first on Deutsche Welle.
