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GREEN GAIN: Sam Bennett won the green points jersey and the final stage of the Tour de France. Alexander Kristoff (first from left) finished fourth on stage. Photo: CAMUS THIBAULT / PISCINA
In the green jersey, Sam Bennett (29) won the final stage of the Tour de France. Thus, he also took a superior victory in the points competition, almost 100 points ahead of Peter Sagan.
– I can’t say how happy I am. Green T-shirt, Champs Elysees – Sprinters World Cup. I never thought I could win this stage, and doing it in green is very special. To make it in my dream team, Deceuninck – Quick-Step … The guys have been fantastic. I can’t thank everyone enough, says Bennett in the victory interview.
As expected, the Tour de France ended with a massive sprint on the Champs Elysees in Paris, where Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) hoped to copy the 2018 triumph.
Edvald Boasson Hagen (NTT Pro Cycling) achieved his first Tour de France stage win since 2017, and the two Norwegians were in a good position towards the last kilometers.
However, it was Deceuninck – Quick-Step who had by far the best draw. The Belgian team led the last corner and Sam Bennett secured the perfect position.
He took advantage of it and scored his second stage victory in this year’s Tour de France, with reigning world champion Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) and Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) in the places behind.
Alexander Kristoff did his best asking since winning the opening stage in Nice and finishing fourth.
– It was at least better than in the previous stages of the sprint. The legs were pretty good today, but I waited maybe a little too long. All the good lines had been taken, so I had to get out onto the cobblestones. It was uplifting that way, considering my legs and that I felt good. In that sense, I think it was approved, but it should have been a bit higher, Kristoff tells TV 2.
Edvald Boasson Hagen missed the last kilometer and finished in twelfth place.
CLAMP WINNER: Tadej Pogacar received a good hug from Vegard Stake Laengen after crossing the finish line in Paris. Photo: STEF MANTEY / X01348
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Bennett secured victory in the points competition in the sprint entered at the start of the stage, and with the stage win he won by a margin of up to 96 points against Sagan.
This is the first time Sagan has completed the Tour de France without winning the green jersey, which he has won seven times before. 2017 is the only year Sagan has not won the green jersey since his debut in 2012. At that point, the Slovakian was ruled out and expelled from the race.
After 20 tough stages, it was a usual smooth start to the final stage of the Tour de France.
The runners used the first 66 kilometers to the local round in Paris to take pictures and chat, before it got serious after the winning team UAE Team Emirates had taken the runners past the finish line for the first time.
TEAM PHOTO: Alexander Kristoff (second from left) and Vegard Stake Laengen (far right) were on the winning team at this year’s Tour de France. Photo: KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP
Tadej Pogacar (21, 22 on Monday) only had to reach the finish line safely to win the Tour de France on his debut, as the youngest winner since 1904.
With him on the team he also has the two Norwegians Vegard Stake Laengen and Alexander, who became the fourth and fifth Norwegian to have participated in a winning team at the Tour de France. Previously, Atle Kvålsvoll, Kurt Asle Arvesen and Edvald Boasson Hagen accomplished the same, while Steffen Kjærgaard also rode as an assistant driver when Lance Armstrong won in 2000 and 2001, victories Armstrong has recently lost.
