Tadej Pogacar wins the 2020 Tour de France

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Sam Bennett (Deceuninck-QuickStep) wrapped up the green jersey with victory on the final stage of the Tour de France, as Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) finished safely in the peloton to seal the overall title.

While the opening portion of the traditional final-day procession to Paris was largely a coronation for Pogačar, decked out from top to toe in yellow after his dramatic time trial victory on Saturday, the race intensified on the Champs-Élysées for the most coveted prize among the sprinters.

Bennett, who had mathematically sealed the points classification at an intermediate sprint on the third of eight laps of the Champs-Élysées, had a strong lead-out from his teammates along the Rue de Rivoli and through the right-hand bend onto the drag at the bottom of the Champs.

Michael Morkov led it out, but Bennett decided to hang back as Jasper Stuyven led out Mads Pedersen for Trek-Segafredo. When he did open his sprint, it was decisive, and he eased clear of the world champion, who finished second. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe), divested of the green jersey for only the second time in nine years, claimed the final spot on the podium but finished well behind Bennett. Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates), Elia Viviani (Cofidis), and Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) were all up there, while Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal), winner on this stage last year, was out of position and had to settle for seventh.

“I cannot tell you how excited I am. The green jersey, the Champs-Élysées - the world championships of sprinting. I never thought I'd ever be able to win this stage and to do it in green is so special,” Bennett said. “To do it on my dream team, Deceuninck-Quickstep, the way the boys rode all day - they were fantastic - it's just so amazing. The feeling - I can't thank everyone enough.

“All the years trying to make it - it took me so long to get here. I'm sorry if I'm coming across too arrogant but I'm just going to enjoy it.”

Forty places down the bunch, Pogačar, a day shy of his 22nd birthday, crossed the line to become the youngest winner of the Tour de France since 1904. Wearing yellow shorts, socks, shoes, and gloves, as well as his yellow jersey, and riding an all-yellow Colnago bike, he spent much of the 122km stage soaking up the moment.

As is now traditional, the race leader sipped champagne and posed for photos as the peloton made its way out of Mantes-la-Jolie. He rode arm-in-arm with his UAE Team Emirates teammates, and then with the other Slovenians in the field, including the man he’d taken the yellow jersey from, Primož Roglič, who appeared gracious and happy for his compatriot.

“It’s unbelievable - really crazy,” Pogačar said. “Even if I din’t win – if I was second or even last – it wouldn’t matter, it would be still nice to be here. But this is just the top of the top. I cannot describe this feeling with words.

“Today was really special moment with my teammates. There was finally time to talk with them on the bike, and not just going full gas all day. A lot of respect for all the riders. Every single one of them congratulated me today, and I’m really thankful. This sport is really amazing.”

The stage wasn’t all about yellow and green. With virtually no mention of the topic on the preceding 20 stages, the peloton came together to publicly support the Black Lives Matter movement. Kevin Reza, the only Black rider in the field, who is also local to the start area, was called to the front row for the roll-out, after all the riders had worn masks bearing the words ‘no to racism’ for the pre-stage podium ceremony.

The riders meandered their way to Paris and entered the Champs-Élysées via the famous Musee de Louvre, with Rigoberto Urán sitting up and spreading his arms to take in one of the most iconic settings in cycling. Even in the slightly eerie silence, with numbers of spectators severely restricted, there was still a special atmosphere as the race reached Paris amid a global pandemic and against the odds.

After the relaxed start, the tone shifted and racing kicked off on the cobbles of the Champs-Élysées. After a hectic opening couple of laps, with no shortage of willing attackers. With just under six laps to go, four riders managed to go clear: Greg Van Avermaet (CCC Team), Max Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe), Connor Swift (Arkea-Samsic), Pierre-Luc Perichon (Cofidis). They mopped up the first helpings of points at the intermediate sprint, while Bennett watched out at the front of the bunch but saw Sagan happy to sit back and concede the green jersey.

The leading quartet were never allowed much more than 20 seconds, as QuickStep and Lotto Soudal controlled the bunch. Swift was dropped just ahead of the final lap, and the other three were caught on the downhill run back down the Champs from the Arc de Triomphe. By that point, NTT and Jumbo-Visma had already showed themselves, while Sunweb looked to set up their train but disappeared with 2km to go. QuickStep took it through the underpass beneath the Tuileries gardens, and Kasper Asgreen led all the way along the Rue de Rivoli. Morkov took over ahead of the final right-hand bend, and Bennett had the presence of mind to hold off, and use the Trek-Segafredo lead-out to launch his sprint.

The day finished with the podium ceremony on the Champs-Élysées, with Pogačar collecting not just the yellow jersey but the white jersey as best young rider and the polka-dot jersey as the mountains classification winner. For the final podium, he stood alongside Roglič and third-placed Richie Porte, all wearing masks, with the Arc de Triomphe in the background – an enduring image of a truly unique Tour de France.