L-R: Tadej Pogacar of Team UAE Emirates, race winner Jonas Vingegaard of Team Jumbo-Visma, and Geraint Thomas of Team Ineos Grenadiers celebrate on the podium during the medal ceremony of the 109th Tour de France in Paris, France, July 24, 2022. /CFP
Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard won the Tour de France on Sunday, ending the reign of two-time defending champion Tadej Pogacar after a grueling three weeks and 3,350 kilometers of relentless struggle.
The 25-year-old former fish-market worker Vingegaard claimed his first Tour de France a year after his break-out performance when he came second to Pogacar in 2021.
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 at 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.
Danish Jonas Vingegaard of Team Jumbo-Visma rides during stage 21, the final stage of the Tour de France cycling race, from Paris la Defense Arena to Paris Champs-Elysees, France, July 24, 2022. /CFP
His Dutch team produced a brilliant collective effort with six stage wins, the green sprint jersey and the red combativity jersey for van Aert and the polka dot mountains jersey for Vingegaard as well as the overall title and yellow jersey.
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.
Defeated champion Pogacar finished second, 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.
Geraint Thomas, the 2018 champion, was third after the veteran raced largely at his own pace, silencing doubters who thought that at 36, the affable Welshman was past his best.
Riders cycle around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, July 24, 2022. /CFP
Stage winners of Tour de France 2022
Stage 1 Yves Lampaert of Belgium and Team Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl
Stage 2 Fabio Jakobsen of the Netherlands and Team Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl
Stage 3 Dylan Groenewegen of the Netherlands and Team Bikeexchange-Jayco
Stage 4 Wout van Aert of the Netherlands and Team Jumbo-Visma
Stage 5 Simon Clarke of Australia and Team Israel-Premier Tech
Stage 6 Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia and Team UAE Emirates
Stage 7 Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia and Team UAE Emirates
Stage 8 Wout van Aert of the Netherlands and Team Jumbo-Visma
Stage 9 Bob Jungles of Luxembourg and Team AG2R Citroen
Stage 10 Magnus Cort Nielsen of Denmark and Team EF Education-Easypost
Stage 11 Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark and Team Jumbo-Visma
Stage 12 Thomas Pidcock of Britain and Team Ineos Grenadiers
Stage 13 Mads Pedersen of Denmark and Team Trek-Segafredo
Stage 14 Michael Matthews of Australia and Team Bikeexchange-Jayco
Stage 15 Jasper Philipsen of Belgium and Team Alpecin-Deceuninck
Stage 16 Hugo Houle of Canada and Team Israel-Premier Tech
Stage 17 Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia and Team UAE Emirates
Stage 19 Christophe Laporte of France and Team Jumbo-Visma
Stage 20 Wout van Aert of the Netherlands and Team Jumbo-Visma
Stage 21 Jasper Philipsen of Belgium and Team Alpecin-Deceuninck
(With input from AFP)