UAE Team Emirates’ Tadej Pogacar wins second successive Tour de France

Wout van Aert claimed the final stage on the Champs-Elysees in Paris

Last updated: July 18, 2021 | 21:43

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Winner team UAE Emirates' Tadej Pogacar (centre) of Slovenia wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey celebrates with his teammates at the end of the 21th and last stage of the 108th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 108 km between Chatou and Paris Champs-Elysees.

AFP

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Paris: Tadej Pogacar won a second successive Tour de France today as Wout van Aert claimed the final stage on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.

The Slovenian rider with UAE Team Emirates successfully defended his huge lead of 5 minutes, 20 seconds over second-place Jonas Vingegaard.

Wout van Aert won the 21st stage in a mass sprint. That prevented Mark Cavendish from beating Belgian great Eddy Merckx’s record of 34 stage wins which the British sprinter equaled earlier in the race.

Winner team UAE Emirates' Tadej Pogacar (C) of Slovenia wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey celebrates with his teammates as he crosses the finish line at the end of the 21th and last stage of the 108th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 108 km between Chatou and Paris Champs-Elysees, on July 18, 2021. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)

Pogacar stole in at the 11th hour to win the 2020 edition, but this year he stamped his authority in the first week and will pull on the yellow jersey beneath the Arc de Triomphe as the undisputed champion aged just 22.

“I can’t compare both Tour de France victories, I can’t say which one is more beautiful,” Pogačar said. “This time, I took the yellow jersey quite earlier. It has been totally different.”

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