After 3343.8 kilometres, the 109th Tour de France ends today on the magnificent Champs Élysees boulevard in Paris.
For the first time in 26 years, Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma), a Danish professional cyclist once again wore the yellow jersey through the French capital. The German riders did not take a stage win, but veteran Simon Geschke (Cofidis) was in the mountain jersey for almost two weeks.
Danish Dynamite
The Grand Départ took place in the Danish capital of Copenhagen, which was already full of atmosphere. With the tailwind from home, the Danish riders delivered a spectacle. Jonas Vingegaard snatched the yellow jersey from Tour champion Tadej Pogacar on the Col du Granon (UAE Team Emirates) and never gave it back, topping it off by winning the mountain finish in Hautacam. For the first time since Bjarne Riis in 1996, a Dane reached Paris in yellow. But that's not all: Magnus Cort Nielsen (EF Education EasyPost) first wore the mountain jersey and then won the stage to Megeve. Former world champion Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) won the day in Saint-Etienne.
Geschke's miraculous journey in the mountain jersey
Simon Geschke slipped into the mountain jersey more or less by chance, which he then refused to relinquish. The man with the full beard defended the red-spotted jersey with a great fighting spirit across the Alps, through the Massif Central and into the Pyrenees. He constantly joined breakaway groups and collected points. On the last mountain stage, he was at the end of his tether and was replaced by Patron Vingegaard after nine days.
The dream of becoming the first German mountain king in Paris was over. The fact that he still had to wear the jersey as Vingegaard's deputy all the way to Paris was rather unpleasant for him.
The Belgian all-rounder Wout van Aert
What can't this man actually do? When Vingegaard was left behind on the cobbled stage after a puncture, team-mate Wout van Aert led him close to Pogacar again with an impressive ride. He was also the locomotive for his captain at the mountain arrival in Hautacam, so that he only had to finish. The former cross world champion won the stage to Calais single-handedly, while van Aert sprinted to victory in Lausanne.
And the Belgian is also a world-class time trialist, as he demonstrated with his victory on Saturday. Former Tour dominator Lance Armstrong, who is now banned for life, also believes he can win the overall. This year, van Aert reached Paris in the green jersey of the points leader.
French crisis at the Tour de France
That was close. On the 19th stage, Christophe Laporte still managed the first French stage win. The Grande Nation narrowly escaped the biggest fiasco since 1999. Without world champion Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl), the French riders didn't have much to offer. There is also no contender for victory in sight in the overall standings. The wait for Bernard Hinault's successor continues after 37 years.
Living with Corona
From the second week onwards, hardly a day went by without a new coronavirus case at the Tour. 16 riders had to withdraw from the race after testing positive, including four-time Tour winner Chris Froome (Israel-Premier Tech) and the German Max Walscheid. As in society as a whole, the number of cases on the tour also increased with the easing of restrictions.
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