Froome completes Tour de France hat-trick

CHRIS FROOME completed a Tour de France hat-trick today after crossing the line on the Champs-Élysées in Paris safely wearing the yellow jersey.

Team Sky cyclist Froome - who previously won the event in 2013 and 2015 - finished more than four minutes ahead of his nearest rivals, Frenchman Romain Bardet and Colombian Nairo Quintana.

Another Briton, Adam Yates of Orica-BikeExchange, was fourth overall and took the white jersey, awarded since 1975 to the Tour's best rider aged under 26.

Those prizes capped another superb three weeks overall for British cycling in a Tour which has featured no fewer than seven stage wins for Britons.

Meanwhile, the two other jersey winners were both from the Tinkoff team. Poland's Rafał Majka took the King of the Mountains award while Slovakian Peter Sagan won a fifth consecutive green jersey in the points competition.

Despite that fact, points jersey rival Mark Cavendish can still be pleased with his efforts over the last few weeks in France.

The Manx Missile won the opening stage to wear yellow himself for the first time ever, and further victories on stages three, six, and 14 took his overall career tally to 30. Only legendary Belgian Eddy Merckx, with 34, now has more.

At the second rest day on 19 July, Cavendish understandably withdrew from this gruelling challenge with a view of turning his focus to the Rio 2016 Olympics, now less than two weeks away.

And so, for now, Froome deservedly takes the limelight. Indeed, of his trio of triumphs, this was surely his most assured.

Froome, in customary style, first took control of this year's contest in the mountains with the pack taking on the Pyrenees from stage eight.

Immediately, Froome sensed a chance to gain an advantage and broke away himself from a breakaway group of 14 riders on the descent into Bagnères-de-Luchon.

His reward was a sixth career stage victory on the Tour - and the still more valuable prize of the yellow jersey and a nascent lead of 16 seconds.

That lead would grow heading out of the mountains on stage 11 between Carcassonne and Montpellier, and then it would increase again in unusual circumstances on what would become a fateful Bastille Day in France.

The course for the stage on 14 July had already been adjusted by Tour organisers with high winds preventing a full ascent to the summit of the notorious Mont Ventoux.

Instead, the 12th stage was shortened by 6 km though it still finished at a height of 1,435 metres (4,708 ft) at Chalet Reynard.

But, while the stage had been cut, the size of the big holiday crowd remained the same, and unfortunately they caused all manner of chaos as the climb reached its climax.

The problems arose when a motorbike in front of the three leading riders of the day - Froome, Richie Porte, and Bauke Mollema - could not get through the throng. On stopping suddenly, all three riders ploughed into the back of the bike and therefore crashed.

Mollema was able to get back in the saddle and quickly ride off, but Porte and Froome were both delayed, especially Froome whose bike was badly damaged.

In remarkable scenes, the defending champion then decided to run up Mont Ventoux, ultimately finishing the stage one minute and 40 seconds behind Mollema. Vitally, the result also meant he provisionally ceded the yellow jersey to Yates.

Unsurprisingly, Team Sky appealed - and, after the incident was reviewed, a jury granted both Froome and Porte the same time as Mollema, who had finished ahead of the main field despite the crash.

The judgement restored the yellow jersey again to Froome, and also gave him time on both Yates and Quintana. It was, no doubt, a moment of relief for the leader.

Overnight, however, came a moment of horror which put any controversy surrounding the timings on the Tour de France firmly into perspective.

In Nice, on the south coast, a 19-tonne cargo truck was deliberately driven into crowds celebrating Bastille Day by an Islamic State terrorist Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel.

The attack, on the Promenade des Anglais in the city centre, killed 84 people and injured 303, and so became the latest in a series of tragedies to scar France.

Undaunted, the show went on - and, on stage 15, Froome made yet more time on his nearest competitors by finishing second in an individual time trial.

At the podium ceremony, however, there was no music played, no presentation of the sponsors, and all the jersey winners walked onto the stage together, in silence.

A few days on the flat allowed the likes of Cavendish and Sagan to take centre stage again briefly.

But, following the second rest day, Froome nailed home his advantage with time gains on stages 17, 18 and 19.

Stage 18, indeed, was a second victory of the race for Froome as he dominated a short mountainous time trial up to the summit of the Côte des Chozeaux.

The lead was up to nearly four minutes, and any chance of the competition reeling in Froome had basically disappeared.

Thereafter, all the 31-year-old had to do was stay upright on his bike heading into Paris - and, unsurprisingly, Froome found such a task to be a breeze.

Drinking beer as well as the traditional champagne as he headed for the Champs-Élysées, Froome was met at the finish line by his wife Michelle and seven-month first child, Kellan.

It was a touching moment - and it was followed by a highly emotional speech in which he thanked his team-mates and his family before paying tribute to the victims in Nice.

Froome may represent British success - but, having become the first man in over 20 years to defend his title legally, he has also now gained legendary status in France.

And, with the French public still impatiently waiting for a first home winner since 1985, that is no mean feat.

DAY-BY-DAY

		Route	Dist	Winner	Yellow jersey	Lead
01	02-Jul	Mont Saint-Michel to Utah Beach, Sainte-Marie-du-Mont	188km	Cavendish	Cavendish	+4"
02	03-Jul	Saint-Lô to Cherbourg-Octeville	183km	Sagan	Sagan	+8"
03	04-Jul	Granville to Angers	223.5km	Cavendish	Sagan	+8"
04	05-Jul	Saumur to Limoges	237.5km	Kittel	Sagan	+12"
05	06-Jul	Limoges to Le Lioran	216km	Van Avermaet	Van Avermaet	+5'11"
06	07-Jul	Arpajon-sur-Cère to Montauban	190.5km	Cavendish	Van Avermaet	+5'11"
07	08-Jul	L'Isle-Jourdain to Lac de Payolle	162.5km	Cummings	Van Avermaet	+5'50"
08	09-Jul	Pau to Bagnères-de-Luchon	184km	Froome	Froome	+16"
09	10-Jul	Vielha Val d'Aran (ESP) to Andorra-Arcalis (AND)	184.5km	Dumoulin	Froome	+16"
Rest	11-Jul	Andorra (rest day)	-
10	12-Jul	Escaldes-Engordany (AND) to Revel	197km	Matthews	Froome	+16"
11	13-Jul	Carcassonne to Montpellier	162.5km	Sagan	Froome	+28"
12	14-Jul	Montpellier to Chalet Reynard	178km	De Gendt	Froome	+47"
13	15-Jul	Bourg-Saint-Andéol to La Caverne du Pont-d'Arc	37.5km	Dumoulin	Froome	+1'47"
14	16-Jul	Montélimar to Villars-les-Dombes	208.5km	Cavendish	Froome	+1'47"
15	17-Jul	Bourg-en-Bresse to Culoz	160km	Pantano	Froome	+1'47"
16	18-Jul	Moirans-en-Montagne to Bern (SUI)	209km	Sagan	Froome	+1'47"
Rest	19-Jul	Bern (SUI) (rest day)	-
17	20-Jul	Bern (SUI) to Finhaut-Émosson (SUI)	184.5km	Zakarin	Froome	+2'27"
18	21-Jul	Sallanches to Megève	17km	Froome	Froome	+3'52"
19	22-Jul	Albertville to Saint-Gervais-les-Bains	146km	Bardet	Froome	+4'11"
20	23-Jul	Megève to Morzine	146.5km	Izagirre	Froome	+4'05"
21	24-Jul	Chantilly to Paris Champs-Élysées	113km	Griepel	Froome	+4'05"

FINAL STANDINGS
General classification Yellow jersey

Pos		Team	Time
(1)	Chris FROOME (GBR)	Team Sky	89h 04'48"
(2)	Romain BARDET (FRA)	AG2R La Mondiale	+4'05"
(3)	Nairo QUINTANA (COL)	Movistar	+4'21"
(4)	Adam YATES (GBR)	Orica-BikeExchange	+4'42"
(5)	Richie PORTE (AUS)	BMC Racing Team	+5'17"

Points classification Green jersey

Pos		Team	Points
(1)	Peter SAGAN (SVK)	Tinkoff	470
(2)	Marcel KITTEL (GER)	Etixx-Quick-Step	228
(3)	Michael MATTHEWS (AUS)	Orica-BikeExchange	199
(4)	André GREIPEL (GER)	Lotto-Soudal	178
(5)	Alexander KRISTOFF (NOR)	Team Katusha	172

Mountains classification Red polka-dot jersey

Pos		Team	Points
(1)	Rafał MAJKA (POL)	Tinkoff	209
(2)	Thomas DE GENDT (BEL)	Lotto-Soudal	130
(3)	Jarlinson PANTANO (COL)	IAM Cycling	121
(4)	Ilnur ZAKARIN (RUS)	Team Katusha	84
(5)	Rui COSTA (POR)	Lampre-Merida	76

Young riders classification White jersey

Pos		Team	Time
(1)	Adam YATES (GBR)	Orica-BikeExchange	89h 09'30"
(2)	Louis MEINTJES (RSA)	Lampre-Merida	+2'16"
(3)	Emanuel BUCHMANN (GER)	Bora-Argon 18	+42'58"
(4)	Warren BARGUIL (FRA)	Giant-Alpecin	+47'32"
(5)	Wilco KELDERMAN (NED)	LottoNL-Jumbo	+1h 19'56"

Tour de France: Froome defeats them all

CHRIS FROOME became a double Tour de France champion on a sodden Champs-Élysées in Paris tonight, overcoming obstacles both on and off the road in a gruelling three-week campaign.

On the road, Froome ultimately finished in a total official time of 81 hours, 56 minutes and 33 seconds - 1'12" ahead of his closest rival, Colombian Nairo Quintana.

Moreover, Froome became the first man since the legendary Belgian Eddy Merckx in 1970 to win the general classification and the King of the Mountains prize in the same year.

Notably, this was also Team Sky's third overall victory in the last four years after Sir Bradley Wiggins' win in 2012 and Froome's first in 2013. However, success for Team Sky and Froome, in particular, has come at a cost.

For, in the past three weeks, the Kenya-born Briton has been subject to some of the most vile abuse in the Tour's 112-year history.

Some members of the crowd have spat at him and, in one particularly nasty incident, a cup of urine was chucked at him by a man accusing him of being a doper.

The assaults became so bad that Tour race director Christian Prudhomme demanded that the French public show respect to all of the competitors and especially the yellow jersey. Meanwhile, Froome began a stage in Mende surrounded by gendarmes.

Unsurprisingly, just as he did two years ago, the 30-year-old also went to some lengths to deny the accusations of his detractors.

But, as Team Sky general manager Sir Dave Brailsford has said, it is difficult to "prove" a negative.

That has not stopped Sky trying their best to end the rumours - and, in an unprecedented move, the team published some of Froome's performance data before calling on others to do the same.

Nevertheless, even the equivalent of a Formula One team allowing its rivals to look at its technical data has clearly not been enough to satisfy some critics - and Froome is aware that they are unlikely ever to be convinced.

Perhaps the most obvious explanation for the French hatred of Froome is petty jealousy - for, while he has won their race twice since 2013, it is now 30 years since France last toasted a home-grown success.

Of course, public opinion rarely suddenly springs from absolutely nowhere, and Team Sky has angrily made its position quite clear on some of the disreputable reporting by host broadcaster France 2.

It has not helped either that the likes of serial doper Lance Armstrong and accused cheat Laurent Jalabert have cast their own doubts.

Banned Armstrong even had the audacity to turn up and ride part of this year's Tour route, albeit in a private capacity for charity purposes.

Overall, though, Armstrong's presence anywhere near the race casts a shadow which it is still struggling to shrug off - and which, in turn, gives false credence to Froome's accusers.

After all, it only took one phenomenal performance from him - on Bastille Day - for them all to crawl out of the woodwork.

The Tour, which this year had began in the Netherlands for the sixth time in its history, had made its way across the north of France via several crashes caused by difficult crosswinds.

Froome had briefly worn yellow after the third day before German sprinter Tony Martin enjoyed the flat stages out in front prior to crashing out.

Then, on 14 July, Froome made his move. Up the Col de Soudet on the way into La Pierre Saint-Martin, high in the Pyrenees, he destroyed the field and finished the day with a lead of nigh on three minutes.

It was a brilliant performance by Froome, one which matched his attack on Mont Ventoux which all but won him the race in 2013, and none of his rivals for the yellow jersey - Quintana, reigning champ Vincent Nibali or Alberto Contador - got anywhere near his pace.

Suddenly, it was all about countering rumours and protecting the lead for Team Sky, although Froome did actually extend his advantage further on stage 14 on the Côte de la Croix Neuve.

That stage also saw Merseysider Steve Cummings win in the Tour de France for the first time ever, while Manx Missile Mark Cavendish had earlier won his 26th individual stage in a sprint to Fougères.

For Froome, however, success or failure would ultimately be decided in the Alps - and, on stage 19, Nibali and Quintana had nibbled into his lead a little.

Inevitably then, it would all come down to the climb up the Alpe d'Huez on the penultimate day yesterday, in what is very much the blue ribbon event of the Tour de France in general.

This time, Froome was in defensive mode, ready to shut down any attacks by his closest rival Quintana but not willing to expend potentially needed energy by attacking from the front.

For a while, Froome had the situation under control - but, aware he was running out of opportunities, Quintana was relentless in his approach and eventually opened up a gap of around 30 seconds.

The Colombian then stretched his lead and Froome - with his Sky team-mates Richie Porte and Wouter Poels - had to work hard to limit any losses.

They knew, however, if they could do this that victory would be theirs. This was, after all, Quintana's very last chance.

Amid a lot of tension, Froome - emotionally and physically exhausted - did indeed succeed in his task on the Alpe, and Quintana eventually was only able to take 86 seconds out of the Briton's lead of 2'38".

All that was left for Froome to do this evening was to make the short ride into the damp streets of Paris while sipping the sweet taste of champagne and the even sweeter taste of success.

For, let there be no doubt about it - this victory, for Froome and for Team Sky, was particularly sweet.

DAY-BY-DAY

		Route	Dist	Winner	Yellow jersey	Lead
01	04-Jul	Utrecht (time-trial)	13.8km	Rohan Dennis	Rohan Dennis	+5"
02	05-Jul	Utrecht to Zeeland	166km	André Griepel	Fabian Cancellara	+3"
03	06-Jul	Antwerp to Huy	159.5km	Joaquim Rodríguez	Chris Froome	+1"
04	07-Jul	Seraing to Cambrai	223.5km	Tony Martin	Tony Martin	+12"
05	08-Jul	Arras to Amiens	189.5km	André Griepel	Tony Martin	+12"
06	09-Jul	Abbeville to Le Harve	191.5km	Zdeněk Štybar	Tony Martin	+12"
07	10-Jul	Livarot to Fougères	190.5km	Mark Cavendish	Chris Froome	+11"
08	11-Jul	Rennes to Mûr-de-Bretagne	181.5km	Alexis Vuillermoz	Chris Froome	+11"
09	12-Jul	Vannes to Plumelec (team time-trial)	28km	BMC Racing	Chris Froome	+12"
Rest	13-Jul	Pau	-
10	14-Jul	Tarbes to La Pierre Saint-Martin	167km	Chris Froome	Chris Froome	+2'52"
11	15-Jul	Pau to Cauterets	188km	Rafał Majka	Chris Froome	+2'52"
12	16-Jul	Lannemezan to Plateau de Beille	195km	Joaquim Rodríguez	Chris Froome	+2'52"
13	17-Jul	Muret to Rodez	198.5km	Greg Van Avermaet	Chris Froome	+2'52"
14	18-Jul	Rodez to Mende	178.5km	Steve Cummings	Chris Froome	+3'10"
15	19-Jul	Mende to Valence	183km	André Griepel	Chris Froome	+3'10"
16	20-Jul	Bourg-de-Péage to Gap	201km	Rubén Plaza	Chris Froome	+3'10"
Rest	21-Jul	Gap	-
17	22-Jul	Digne-les-Bains to Pra Loup	161km	Simon Geschke	Chris Froome	+3'10"
18	23-Jul	Gap to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne	186.5km	Romain Bardet	Chris Froome	+3'10"
19	24-Jul	Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to Les Sybelles	138km	Vincenzo Nibali	Chris Froome	+2'38"
20	25-Jul	Modane to Alpe d'Huez	110.5km	Thibaut Pinot	Chris Froome	+1'12"
21	26-Jul	Sèvres to Paris	109.5km	André Griepel	Chris Froome	+1'12"

FINAL STANDINGS
General classification Yellow jersey

Pos		Team	Time
(1)	Chris FROOME (GBR)	Team Sky	81h 56'33"
(2)	Nairo QUINTANA (COL)	Movistar	+1'12"
(3)	Alejandro VALVERDE (ESP)	Movistar	+5'25"
(4)	Vincenzo NIBALI (ITA)	Astana	+8'36"
(5)	Alberto CONTANDOR (ESP)	Tinkoff-Saxo	+9'48"

Points classification Green jersey

Pos		Team	Points
(1)	Peter SAGAN (SVK)	Tinkoff-Saxo	432
(2)	André GRIEPEL (GER)	Lotto-Soudal	366
(3)	John DEGENKOLB (GER)	Giant-Alpecin	298
(4)	Mark CAVENDISH (GBR)	Etixx-Quick Step	206
(5)	Bryan COQUARD (FRA)	Team Europcar	152

Mountains classification Red polka-dot jersey

Pos		Team	Points
(1)	Chris FROOME (GBR)	Team Sky	119
(2)	Nairo QUINTANA (COL)	Movistar	108
(3)	Romain BARDET (FRA)	AG2R La Mondiale	90
(4)	Thibaut PINOT (FRA)	FDJ	82
(5)	Joaquim RODRIGUEZ (ESP)	Katusha	78

Young riders classification White jersey

Pos		Team	Time
(1)	Nairo QUINTANA (COL)	Movistar	81h 57'45"
(2)	Romain BARDET (FRA)	AG2R La Mondiale	+14'48"
(3)	Warren BARGUIL (FRA)	Giant-Alpecin	+30'03"
(4)	Thibaut PINOT (FRA)	FDJ	+37'40"
(5)	Bob JUNGELS (NED)	Trek Factory	+1h 32'09"

Yorkshire ready for t'Grand Départ

Buttertub Pass, Yorkshire Dales

CHRIS FROOME begins the defence of his Tour de France title tomorrow as the world's biggest annual sporting event starts in the unfamiliar surroundings of Yorkshire.

It is actually not that unusual for the Grand Départ of Le Tour to take place outside of France - in fact, this will be the 20th occurrence since idea was first implemented in Amsterdam in 1954.

And, largely done for financial gain by aiming to spread interest in the event, this will be the fourth time that Le Tour has come to Britain.

In 1974, the race visited for the first time with a one-day circuit stage in Plymouth - while the other two previous occasions are both in the last 20 years.

In 1994, Le Tour celebrated the opening of the Channel Tunnel with stages in Dover and Portsmouth.

Meanwhile, in 2007, London hosted the Grand Départ with a prologue time-trial before a full stage to Canterbury in Kent the next day.

It seems quite appropriate in a way for Le Tour to begin in Britain this year considering this country's recent success in the event.

Indeed, after 99 editions without a British winner, the last two have been won by Sir Bradley Wiggins in 2012 and Kenya-born Froome last year.

Of course, this has had the consequent effect of producing a simmering rivalry between the Team Sky team-mates - and, to some discord, it is Wiggins who has been dropped from the squad for 2014.

Olympic champion Wiggins now seems certain to move onto pastures new - but Froome will not bother himself worrying about that: he has a maillot jaune to retain.

The maillot jaune - or yellow jersey - is won by the leader of the general classification, i.e. the rider who has taken, cumulatively, the least amount of time to complete the race.

The three other jerseys are the maillot blanc - the white jersey - used to denote the best-placed rider under 26 years of age; the maillot a pois - the polka-dot jersey - worn by the King of the Mountains, the rider who has performed best on the mountain stage; and the maillot vert - the green jersey.

The green jersey is given to the rider who has picked up the most points during Le Tour, gained by winning stages and being the first to reach various points along the route. It rewards consistently good finishers and is usually won by a sprinter.

Britain has also had success in this category in recent years with Mark Cavendish winning it in 2011.

The Manxman, who has 25 stage wins altogether, was also an overall runner-up in 2009, 2010 and last year. Slovakian Peter Sagan, who has won for the last two years, is the man to beat.

The route: from Yorkshire to Paris
To begin its latest visit to Britain, Le Tour sets off from Harewood in West Yorkshire after a ceremonial roll-out from the city of Leeds.

The opening day finishes in the pretty spa town of Harrogate before the riders reconvene in York city centre on Sunday for a tougher second stage to Sheffield.

On the way to the Steel City, the competitors will ride right through Bronte country, visiting Haworth itself and then later Holmfirth where the Last of the Summer Wine was set.

And, having survived the treacherous cross-winds across the moors, the field may be split again as they take on Jenkin Road in Sheffield, a notoriously steep hill with a 33% gradient.

The peloton get it easier on day three, a largely flat stage, which sets off from the famously cycle-friendly university city of Cambridge and finishes outside of Buckingham Palace on the Mall in London.

Instead, all the attention will be specifically on the sprinters - and Britain's Cavendish in particular.

Cavendish failed to feature on the Mall in the closing stages of the London 2012 Olympics road race - so this particular stage offers him a chance of redemption ahead of Le Tour's return to mainland Europe from stage four.

But, even with the move back across the Channel, the rest of the race will not be exclusively held in France.

Stage five begins in Ypres, Belgium, in a commemorative nod to the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War One.

And, just like in Sheffield, Le Tour can easily be lost early on here, as the riders nimbly take on nine cobbled sections, wary of punctures and skids.

On day six, there will be more World War One remembrance with a départ in Arras and finish in Reims - before the race heads into the Alps on stage 13.

Coming out of the Alps after just two days, most of the climbing action this year is actually set in the Pyrenees - with stage 16 heading off from Carcassonne, a beautiful fairytale-like walled town.

Then, just before the finish, there may be a late twist in the tale in a 54km time trial between Bergerac and Périgueux.

This is the only time trial of any kind on the 2014 circuit and offers the chasing pack one final chance of reeling in a leader ahead of the ceremonial final stage on the Champs Élysée in Paris.

It is a gruelling three weeks with no guarantees - so tune in to daily coverage on ITV4 and British Eurosport to find out if the champagne flows for Froome again.

STAGE BY STAGE Tour de France 2014

(1)	05-Jul	Leeds (UK) - Harrogate (UK)	191km
(2)	06-Jul	York (UK) - Sheffield (UK)	198km
(3)	07-Jul	Cambridge (UK) - London (UK)	159km
(4)	08-Jul	Le Touquet-Paris-Plage - Lille	164km
(5)	09-Jul	Ypres (BEL) - Arenberg Porte du Hainaut	156km
(6)	10-Jul	Arras - Reims	194km
(7)	11-Jul	Épernay - Nancy	233km
(8)	12-Jul	Tomblaine - Gérardmer La Mauselaine	161km
(9)	13-Jul	Gérardmer - Mulhouse	166km
(10)	14-Jul	Mulhouse - La Planche des Belles Filles	161km
(-)	15-Jul	Rest day
(11)	16-Jul	Besançon - Oyonnax	186km
(12)	17-Jul	Bourg-en-Bresse - Saint-Étienne	183km
(13)	18-Jul	Saint-Étienne - Chamrousse	200km
(14)	19-Jul	Grenoble - Risoul	177km
(15)	20-Jul	Tallard - Nîmes	222km
(-)	21-Jul	Rest day
(16)	22-Jul	Carcassonne - Bagnères-de-Luchon	237km
(17)	23-Jul	Saint Gaudens - Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla d'Adet	125km
(18)	24-Jul	Pau - Hautacam	145km
(19)	25-Jul	Maubourguet Pays du Val d'Adour - Bergerac	208km
(20)	26-Jul	Bergerac - Périgueux (time trial)	54km
(21)	27-Jul	Évry - Champs Élysée, Paris	136km

Froome for another

CHRIS FROOME kept the Tour de France title in British hands after the traditional victory procession for the leader through Paris brought the 100th edition of the race to a close.

Froome saw off his closest rivals for the maillot jaune - Colombian Nairo Quintana and Spaniard Joaquim Rodríguez - by 4:20" and 5:04" respectively.

Meanwhile, another Spanish contender, two-time winner Alberto Contador finished fourth in the general classification, 6:27" off the pace over the 21 stages.

This was as convincing a win as it was going to get for the Kenya-born cyclist who went mountain biking as a teenager in the rural highlands, north of the capital Nairobi.

And that early training would prove absolutely vital for the toughest Tour route in living memory, without doubt a more difficult route than Sir Bradley Wiggins faced last year.

Of course, that fact should in no way denigrate Wiggins' achievement of becoming the first British cyclist to win the Tour last year, before he went on to win gold at the London Olympics.

Rather, it is an accurate assessment of the difficulties which Froome faced in his efforts to ensure that the very British cliché about London buses rang true.

Britain had waited 98 years for a winner of the Le Tour; now there has been two in a row.

Starting on the island of Corsica for the first time in history, the race got off to an inauspicious start for Froome when he crashed in the neutral zone before the race started in Porto-Vecchio.

Thankfully, no serious damage was done - and, following Sky's third place in the team time trial in Nice on day four, Froome was already well-placed in seventh overall, with support from Australian team-mate Richie Porte.

On stage eight, the first in the Pyrenees, Froome launched his first major attack of the Tour on the climb to the summit finish at Ax 3 Domaines.

It worked. The offensive strategy was a significant early success, and a devastating blow to the confidence of his rivals, none of whom could match his pace.

But, just as quickly as Froome had built his advantage, it was almost lost as Team Sky riders dropped like flies early on the following day.

Froome was suddenly horribly exposed and 23-year-old Quintana, in particular, proved a menace by continuously attacking with his team Movistar.

However, Froome - entirely against the odds - chased Quintana down to hold on, and he ultimately extended his lead in the General Classification after his team-mate Porte's terrible day in the saddle.

It was a brilliant defensive ride by the leader, arguably more important than his stage win 24 hours earlier, and at least there was a rest day to recover immediately afterwards.

On the resumption, Froome's next big day came in stage 11 - an individual time-trial to Mont-Saint-Michel in which he excelled, finishing second behind German Tony Martin to extend his overall lead past three minutes.

But, on flat stage 13, that was cut by 69 seconds as crosswinds split the peloton, and Bauke Mollema and Contador gained vital time, with an ailing Team Sky unable to respond.

Nevertheless, there was still some British success to celebrate heading into Saint-Amand-Montrond as Mark Cavendish chalked up his 25th stage win since 2008.

Otherwise, though, the Manx Missile will not look back on the last three weeks with particular fondness.

Stage 13 would ultimately be his only win and, on stage 11, he had to contend with being booed while, disgustingly, he also had urine thrown at him by a spectator.

Back to Froome - and the pressure was now on, his lead having been cut as the riders lined up for a race-defining stage up Mont Ventoux on Bastille Day.

Froome was brilliant and attacked up the exposed peak, overtaking Quintana in the run-in to win the stage by 29 seconds and stretch his overall lead back over four minutes.

The ascent of Mont Ventoux achieved notoriety, 46 years earlier on 13 July 1967, when it claimed the life of Britain's first world road race champion Tommy Simpson.

Simpson died close to the summit after taking a cocktail of amphetamines and alcohol - and there is a permanent memorial near to where he perished.

Such was Froome's dominance that it was perhaps inevitable awkward questions would be asked. Could his success - and that of Team Sky, led by Team GB performance director Sir Dave Brailsford, actually be attributed to doping?

The response was unequivocal and understandably angry.

Following Mont Ventoux, Brailsford said: "We have a great performance and I jump for joy and 10 minutes later I guarantee I will be answering these allegations and questions about doping for the next few days.”

Meanwhile, Froome added: "I just think it's quite sad that we're sitting here the day after the biggest victory of my life, a historic win, talking about doping.

"My team-mates and I have been away from home for months training together and working our arses off to get here, and here I am accused of being a cheat and a liar."

But, if Froome had been angered by the ongoing insinuations, he would prove over the final few days that they had not shaken him. 

On stage 17, an unusual mountain time trial, Froome took his third stage win of the Tour thanks to a combination of powerful riding and canny strategy.

Trailing his rival Contador throughout, an inspired swap to a time trial bike before the second of two category two climbs was probably the difference and he secured a nine-second win to put his overall advantage at 4:34".

For his rivals, Froome was still just about in reach, particularly as the centrepiece stage of the Tour was still to come.

The famous Alpe d'Huez would be climbed not once - but twice - to celebrate the 100th edition. It was, as one commentator described it, 42 hairpins of hell.

Froome, however, coped generally well - and, despite a 20-second penalty for taking on food in the final 5km of the stage, he still extended his lead by 37 seconds.

Some considered Froome's energy bar consumption as a rare sign of weakness but, in reality, it was probably another example of a shrewd tactical mind.

Without the extra energy, it was very possible that he would have lost more time than the penalty which was deducted from him. As it was, he was now in a formidable position with a lead of over five minutes.

Two more days in the Alps and, despite Quintana's win in stage 20, Froome's third-place finish meant that there was no significant bite into his advantage.

All he had to do tonight was remain upright on the cobbles of the Champs-Elysées, while sipping on champagne.

Mission accomplished. From Wiggins's super-domestique - and a second-placed finish - in 2012 to the maillot jaune champion of 2013. 

As the French say themselves, "Chapeau! à M. Froome".


OVERALL CLASSIFICATION Maillot Jaune

1	Chris FROOME (Gbr)	Team Sky	83 hours 56 minutes 40 seconds
2	Nairo QUINTANA (Col)	Movistar	+4:20
3	Joaquim RODRIGUEZ (Esp)	Katusha	+5:04
4	Alberto CONTADOR (Esp)	Saxo-Tinkoff	+6:27
5	Roman KRUEZIGER (Cze)	Saxo-Tinkoff	+7:27

STAGE-BY-STAGE Tour de France 2013

(1)	29 June	Porto-Vecchio - Bastia	213km	Marcel Kittel (Ger)	Kittel
(2)	30 June	Bastia - Ajaccio	156km	Jan Bakelants (Bel)	Bakelants
(3)	1 July	Ajaccio - Calvi	146km	Simon Gerrans (Aus)	Bakelants
(4)	2 July	Nice - Nice (team TT)	25km	Orica-GreenEDGE	Gerrans
(5)	3 July	Cagnes-sur-Mer - Marseille	229km	Mark Cavendish (Gbr)	Gerrans
(6)	4 July	Aix-en-Provence - Montpellier	177km	Andre Greipel (Ger)	Impey
(7)	5 July	Montpellier - Albi	206km	Peter Sagan (Svk)	Impey
(8)	6 July	Castres - Ax 3 Domaines	195km	Chris Froome (Gbr)	Froome
(9)	7 July	Saint Girons - Bagneres-de-Bigorre	169km	Daniel Martin (Ire)	Froome
(10)	9 July	Saint Gildas-des-Bois - Saint Malo	197km	Marcel Kittel (Ger)	Froome
(11)	10 July	Avranches - Mont Saint-Michel (TT)	33km	Tony Martin (Ger)	Froome
(12)	11 July	Fougeres - Tours	218km	Marcel Kittel (Ger)	Froome
(13)	12 July	Tours - Saint-Amand-Montrond	173km	Mark Cavendish (Gbr)	Froome
(14)	13 July	Saint-Pourcain-sur-Sioule - Lyon	191km	Matteo Trentin (Ita)	Froome
(15)	14 July	Givors - Mont Ventoux	243km	Chris Froome (Gbr)	Froome
(16)	16 July	Vaison-La-Romaine - Gap	168km	Rui Costa (Por)	Froome
(17)	17 July	Embrun - Chorges (TT)	32km	Chris Froome (Gbr)	Froome
(18)	18 July	Gap - Alpe d'Huez	173km	Christophe Riblon (Fra)	Froome
(19)	19 July	Le Bourg-d'Oisans - Le Grand-Bornand	205km	Rui Costa (Por)	Froome
(20)	20 July	Annecy - Mont Semnoz	125km	Nairo Quintana (Col)	Froome
(21)	21 July	Versailles - Paris	134km	Marcel Kittel (Ger)	Froome

JERSEY WEARERS The winners

Yellow	General Classification	Chris FROOME (Gbr)
Green	Points Classification	Peter SAGAN (Svk)
Red polka dot	Mountains Classification	Nairo QUINTANA (Col)
White	Young Rider (under-26) Classification	Nairo QUINTANA (Col)
Black-on-yellow number	Team Classification	Team SAXO-TINKOFF (Den)
White-on-red number	Combativity Award	Christophe RIBLON (Fra)

Retired Cooke lances the boil

CYCLIST cheat Lance Armstrong choked back crocodile tears last night as he admitted for the first time that he used banned drugs and blood doping to win all seven of his Tour de France titles.

The 41-year-old Texan made the confession to television host Oprah Winfrey on her OWN network in a two-and-a-half-hour interview which was also streamed worldwide through her website.

"I view this situation as one big lie I repeated a lot of times. I made those decisions, they were my mistake and I'm here to say sorry," Armstrong said.

However, Armstrong also revealed that he had considered doping as simply part of the process required to win Le Tour, comparing it to having "air in our tyres or water in our bottles".

Moreover, when asked by Winfrey if he considered what he was doing was "wrong" or "cheating", Armstrong answered that he did not, adding: "The definition of a cheat is to gain an advantage on a rival or foe.

"I didn't view it that way. I viewed it as a level playing field. I didn't understand the magnitude of that. The important thing is that I'm beginning to understand it."

In fairness to Armstrong for a moment, it is easy to see why he was forced into thinking like that, given the context of the times.

He won his seven Tour de France titles consecutively between 1999 and 2005, and the first of those triumphs came just a year after the Festina affair when a huge haul of doping products was found in a car of the Festina cycling team.

The 1998 scandal had huge implications for Festina and its riders, team soigneur Willy Voet and doctor Eric Rijkaert were ejected from the race and arrested. Seven of the riders admitted doping, and they were suspended and fined.

Meanwhile, some of the other teams threatened to withdraw from the race, protesting the decision to treat the riders as criminals - but the move did little more than to cast suspicion upon themselves. Basically, it seemed like everyone was at it.

Ultimately, though, it was not just a level playing field which Armstrong had hoped to achieve. Indeed, the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) accused him and the US Postal Service team of operating "the most sophisticated, professional and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen".

But it was not difficult to see why Armstrong was willing to push the doping boundaries so hard. In 1996, he  had been diagnosed with testicular cancer, which had also spread to his brain and his lungs.

Following brain surgery and extensive chemotherapy, he was given the all-clear in February 1997, and the narrative of his life made his victories all the more extraordinary, cultivating an image of him winning brilliantly against all the odds.

Furthermore, Armstrong used his powerful positive message to set up the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which has raised $325m (£203m) through the sale of its yellow Livestrong bracelets.

That is all well and good outside of the sport - but, within it, the American had gained the reputation as a bully with an almost dictatorial cult of personality within his team.

And, while he denied his fellow team-mates were forced to comply with the doping programme, he did admit last night that the strength of his personality could have implied that.

He said: "Yes, I was a bully. I was a bully in the sense that I tried to control the narrative and if I didn't like what someone said I turned on them. We felt like we had our backs against the wall and I was a fighter."

Most relevantly, Armstrong continually strenuously denied using performance-enhancing drugs to anyone who dared suggested that he had, and even went as far as reversing his 2005 retirement decision to return to the sport between 2008 and 2011.

He backed up his denials with a crack team of lawyers who would come down hard on accusers in the courts, suing - among many others - the Sunday Times.

The newspaper paid £1m damages in its settlement outside of court but it has now counter-sued, and is just one of a whole slew of interested parties which Armstrong's lawyers will have to deal with.

Former team-mate Floyd Landis - who was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title for doping - has filed a federal whistle-blower lawsuit accusing Armstrong of defrauding the US Postal Service, which paid more than £18.7m to sponsor the team Armstrong competed for.

And the US Department of Justice is reportedly considering whether to join the lawsuit against him

Finally, having lied under oath in 2005, Armstrong could also face criminal charges of perjury - and he surely cannot expect all of this to go away because of a cosy chat show apology to Oprah.

Certainly, USADA would have much preferred him to have made his admission under oath, and it may yet still force him to do so.

For, rather than the sponsors and the newspapers, Armstrong has done most damage to the sport itself and its competitors.

That much was clear earlier this week when British Olympic gold medallist Nicole Cooke announced her retirement.

Cooke bowed out with a parting shot, saying she had been "robbed" of more success by drugs cheats, and the Beijing Olympics road race champion clearly had little sympathy for Armstrong.

She said: "When Lance cries on Oprah later this week and she passes him the tissue, spare a thought for all those genuine people who walked away with no rewards - just shattered dreams. Each one of them is worth a thousand Lances."

Indeed, and it is fair to say that this dark episode in the sport of cycling will never be forgotten. After all, the official Tour de France record simply now states: 1999-2005 - no winner.

See also: Lance Armstrong & Oprah Winfrey - the transcript.

Wiggins rides into Le Tour history books

BRADLEY WIGGINS became the first Briton to win the yellow jersey in the illustrious 109-year history of the Tour de France today.

The 30-year-old finished three minutes and 21 seconds clear of Team Sky team-mate and compatriot Chris Froome as British cycling ended a drought of more than a century by finishing with a 1-2.

It was not at all clear exactly how the host press and public would react to a British winner, considering the race is steeped in French history.

But, sad as it is for the passionate Parisians, Le Tour has not 'belonged' to France for some years now: in fact, the last home winner was Bernard Hinault in 1985.

Back then, Hinault was winning his fifth Tour and, at that point, the ninth French win in 11 years - but Le Tour is now very much an event of international status and, in fairness, the French press and public treat it as such.

Consequently, Wiggins has been affectionately cast in sports daily L'Equipe as some sort of eccentric Englishman and dubbed "Colonel Wiggo". He has also been appreciated for his rather quaint gentlemanly conduct.

That was in evidence on the Champs-Élysées today when he crafted an almost perfect set-up for another Sky team-mate, the "Manx Missile" Mark Cavendish. 

Cavendish duly delivered a fourth successive win on the most famous rue in Paris for his 23rd stage win in the race overall. 

But it was not only team-mates for which Wiggins has had a sense of fair play. On stage 14, his main rival Cadel Evans suffered a puncture after carpet tacks had been left on the tarmac in either an act of sabotage or rank stupidity.

Wiggins requested that the peleton held back and allowed defending champion Evans and the other affected riders to catch up so that they suffered no disadvantage for their misfortune. It seemed important to Wiggins that this was a fair win.

For, although his team Sky is funded by a multi-million pound operation, having a rich team is all, of course, in the rules.

Unfortunately, part of Le Tour has been overshadowed once again by the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Frank Schleck, of the RadioShack-Nissan team, was the highest-profile casualty of the testers this year.

However, Wiggins is on record as stating that dabbling in such methods was not worth his while - and, even in this cynical modern age, it seems churlish to doubt him.

Instead, a year off the booze has made the Londoner fitter than ever and reach the potential which his contemporaries agree had always been there.

Wiggins, a triple Olympic gold medallist no less, has today reached what he would surely consider to be his pinnacle.

This has of course been a gruelling victory - just as any Tour de France victory is - but, actually, the whole race in the last 21 days has gone about as smoothly as it could.
 
It actually started quietly in Belgium as Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara won the prologue stage, a time trial around Liege.

Wiggins, though, was handily placed in second, just seven seconds down, and importantly ahead of his main rival Australian Cadel Evans.

That position was maintained throughout the opening week as Le Tour ambled around flat ground in the north east of France.

But, as the race headed into Alps, it was inevitable that Wiggins would eventually take the lead in the general classification - and he duly made his move on stage seven.

Cadel, too, had a good first day in the mountains - and the BMC Racing Team rider slotted in just behind Wiggins, only 10 seconds down.

As such, another move was required but he again rose to the occasion in the second individual time trial which took the field from Arc-de-Senans to Besancon.

Wiggins won stage nine for his first ever Tour stage victory. More importantly, his time of 51'24'' meant he went 1'53'' ahead of Aussie Evans.

Froome also made a move in the time trial, ending the day in third place, only 2'07'' down on Wiggins. A rest day followed before an uneventful day on stage 10.

Then, on stage 11, which was still in the Alps, Wiggins and Froome effectively killed off Evans's challenge, with around half the race left.

Evans had actually tried to attack on the Col de la Croix de Fer, just over mid-point of the stage, but Team Sky reeled him back in.

Wiggins and Froome then took advantage of an exhausted Evans who ultimately ended the day 3'19" down on the leader.

Froome, who moved into second, briefly challenged Wiggins, before being advised on his team radio to back down. It was a testament to Team Sky's togetherness that Froome was happy to oblige.

Any thoughts that Wiggins did not deserve this crown, however, were soon dispelled by his performance in the final individual time trial on stage 19.

Already with a lead of 2'05" over Froome, and almost 10 minutes over sixth-placed Evans, Wiggins confirmed his status as the world's best time-trialist by taking his second stage of the year in 1hr 04'13".

The victory increased his lead over Froome to 3'21". Evans, almost 16 minutes behind, was no longer a threat.

In fact, no one was. All that was left for Wiggins was to enjoy his procession into Paris, sip the champagne, and receive the adulation from all quarters.

The congratulations included The Jam front-man Paul Weller who referred to Wiggins' "amazing achievement".

Weller's comments will have meant a lot to Wiggins, who is a well-known fan of the Mod culture... as his haircut and three-inch sideburns testify.

That may be quite a throw-back, but Wiggins' Tour de France win will now be forever marked in history. Britannia finally rules les rues!