Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) has rounded out his Tour de France by completing an unusual display of dominance when he put over a minute into his biggest rivals in the stage 21 TT into Monaco despite taking the opportunity for a finishing straight victory salute.
He became the first rider since Marco Pantani 26 years ago to win the Giro and Tour in the same season; that Pantani achievement in the EPO era and coming before Pogačar was born.
In the final 33.7km TT today, which went up the climb of La Turbie and over the top of Col d'Eze, the Slovenian was 1:03 up on Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and 1:14 faster than world champion Remco Evenepoel (Soudal QuickStep).
That meant the top three in the TT was the same as the final general classification podium. Pogačar, taking his sixth stage win of the race today, claimed that overall victory by 6:17 from Vingegaard, with Evenepoel 3rd overall at 9:18.
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Ireland's Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), who was 9th in the 25.3km TT on stage 7 to Gevrey-Chambertin, did not display the same poke today, and perhaps did not fully commit to the effort as he started the stage 26th overall with little to gain.
He finished today's stage in 110th at 7:43 and that result, clearly well below his usual level, saw him finish his first Tour de France in 27th overall, 1hr 56mins 12s off the race winner. Today's result is irrelevant for Healy, who had a stunning Tour de France.
His career took another big step forward over the last three weeks, when he was one of the most aggressive riders in the race. Though he did not secure the stage win he was looking for, he proved confident and strong throughout the race.
His efforts in the final days turned to helping team mate Richard Carapaz, who claimed a stage win and the climbers' classification.
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Ireland's only other rider to start the Tour three weeks ago in Florence, Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), saw his first Tour since 2020 end on stage 17, when he abandoned. The sprinters' opportunities were over the previous day, when Bennett was 4th into Nîmes.
However, his withdrawal is a setback, as Bennett is still trying to attain his former powers again and completing a full three-week race, even at the back in the mountains in the last week, may have helped those efforts.
In terms of the big three, Pogačar was simply the runaway winner. He looked at times like he was toying with Vingegaard and Evenepoel, even though they are among the handful of phenomenal talents of their generation.
And though Pogačar rode, and won, Giro d'Italia back in May, he showed no signs of fatigue catching up on him as the Tour wound its way to its conclusion in Monaco today. Indeed, he appeared to get stronger as the race continued, winning the final three stages.
In Vingegaard, Pogačar went up against a weakened defending champion; a reversal of last year's scenario. The Dane suffered a very serious crash back at the start of April and did not have the chance for even a day or two of racing before the Tour began. However, the Tour completes his recovery and he will be hot favourite to win La Vuelta, should he choose to ride.
? A special tribute to @MarkCavendish, provided by Tony Parker ?
? Un hommage spécial à @MarkCavendish, remis par Tony Parker ?#TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/AEaGOXxKzC— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 21, 2024
Evenepoel was one of the big winners of this Tour de France. Many expected the Belgian to experience a bad day - maybe more than one - that would knock him out of the fight for the general classification podium. Instead, he was consistent throughout, though it is hard to see how he will ever beat a fully fit Vingegaard or Pogačar in any Grand Tour.
Other notable achievements included Eritrean Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) becoming the first black African to man a stage at the Tour, and then taking two more and the points classification. Evenepoel won the young rider classification while Carapaz was a popular winner of the polka jersey; the racers' racer getting the rewards he deserved.
Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan Team) took the 35th Tour stage win of his career, one more than Eddy Merckx, and more than any other rider in the history of the sport. UAE Team Emirates won the team classification and the super combativity award went to Carapaz.
