Vingegaard caps dream run with Tour de France title

• The Dane and his Jumbo-Visma teammates crossed the line together in Paris

Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard won the Tour de France yesterday, ending the reign of two-time defending champion Tadej Pogacar who was second.Geraint Thomas, the 2018 champion, was third.Belgium’s Jasper Philipsen won the dash for the line on the cobbled Champs-Elysees to take the iconic final stage victory.The ecstatic Philipsen lifted his bike aloft at the finish line after taking his second win of this Tour, turning the page on his embarrassment of mistakenly celebrating on stage four, when he had in fact finished second.Vingegaard and his Jumbo-Visma teammates all crossed the line together in a line and cheering wildly.After a relentless struggle over peaks and plains in a crushing heatwave, Vingegaard assured his win on Saturday’s time-trial having taken the lead in the Alps and extended it in the Pyrenees.His Dutch team Jumbo produced a brilliant collective effort with six stage wins, the green sprint jersey for van Aert and the polka dot mountains jersey for Vingegaard.Defeated champion Pogacar won the best under-25s jersey for the third time and leaves this Tour with his reputation intact after attacking Vingegaard to the bitter end.Vingegaard was crowned the 2022 Tour de France champion after three weeks and 3,350km of relentless struggle up peaks, over plains and through a crushing heatwave.Vingegaard’s Jumbo teammates celebrated on Saturday night at their transit hotel at Limoges, and were in euphoric mood over breakfast, albeit ribbing their young champion. “Is this the breakfast for a man who has just won the Tour?,” quipped one of his teammates. Vingegaard insisted he was feeling “better than ever” ahead of yesterday’s coronation.The peloton yesterday rolled past the Jardin de Luxembourg, through Saint Michel, over Pont Neuf and past the Louvre before a sprint over eight laps of the Champs Elysees.A presentation ceremony beneath the Arc de Triomphe took place as the sun sets on the 109th edition of the world’s greatest bike race that has been broadcast live in 60 nations. The 25-year-old Vingegaard, who was runner-up in 2021 behind Pogacar, said he was already thinking about his 2023 challenge.“I want to celebrate this victory first but of course I want to come back to the Tour to win another one,” said the reluctant star.“I didn’t set myself five Tours de France or anything like that. I just want to come back and win.”The Dane was much faster and fitter and Pogacar looked downhearted at the finish line.“I’m proud of myself, I did what I could, and at least I have the white jersey (best under-25s),” Pogacar said. “I learned a lot, I’ll go away and analyse it.”Thomas will also be remembered for his under the radar approach that delivered a podium place at 36.“I’m over the moon to be on the podium, people talk about age, but for me it’s about mentality, if you eat, train, rest properly you can achieve a lot,” said Thomas.Just three weeks ago, a wall of sound accompanied Vingegaard as he set out on the Tour which started on home ground in Copenhagen. Danish fans turned out in astonishing numbers as the race sped through the verdant Scandinavian nation, taking in a sensational crossing of the 20km long Great Belt Bridge.

Jonas Vingegaard FACTFILEFull name: Jonas VingegaardNationality: DanishDate of birth: December 10, 1996 (25 years old)Place of birth: Hillerslev, DenmarkHeight: 1.75m (5ft 9in)Team: Jumbo-VismaCareer:Best Grand Tour resultsTour de France: Champion (2022); Two stage wins (2022)Vuelta a Espana: 46th (2020)One-day wins: La Drome Classic (2022)Stage-race wins: Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali (2021)Stage wins: One stage, Tour of Poland (2019); One stage UAE Tour (2021); One stage Criterium du Dauphine (2022)List of recent Tour de France champions 2022 Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark)2021 Tadej Pogacar (Slovenia)2020 Tadej Pogacar2019 Egan Bernal (Colombia)2018 Geraint Thomas (Britain)2017 Chris Froome (Britain)2016 Chris Froome2015 Chris Froome2014 Vincenzo Nibali (Italy)2013 Chris Froome2012 Bradley Wiggins (Britain)2011 Cadel Evans (Australia)2010 Andy Schleck (Luxembourg)