ADVERTISEMENTChris Froome has won his fourth Tour de France — his third in succession.
The Team Sky rider successfully crossed the line on the Champs Elysée after a tour of more than 3,500km.
Froome’s victory extends Team Sky’s domination of the race as the British outfit has now won five of the last six titles.
Champagne
ChrisFroome</a>!! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TDF2017?src=hash">#TDF2017</a> <a href="https://t.co/3TwHef6DuR">pic.twitter.com/3TwHef6DuR</a></p>— Le Tour de France (LeTour) 23 juillet 2017
The 32-year-old is now one title behind Belgian Eddy Merckx, Spain’s Miguel Indurain and French duo Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault.
He is the first to win three consecutive titles since Indurain, who prevailed from 1991-95. The disgraced Lance Armstrong’s seven titles since then have been erased from the record book.
Colombian Rigoberto Uran finished second overall, 54 seconds behind, and France’s Romain Bardet, runner-up last year, was third, 2:20 off the pace after both riders lost time to Froome in Saturday’s final time trial.
Sunday’s largely processional stage from Montgeron — where the first Tour started in 1903 — to the Champs Elysées in Paris was won by Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen in a bunch sprint.
Cloud of uncertainty
Froome entered the Tour under a cloud of uncertainty regarding his form, having not won a race this season.
However, he beat his rivals in the opening time trial to take an early advantage.
Froome benefited from his rivals’ meekness when they waited for him after he suffered a mechanical failure at a key point of a climb. The Team Sky leader lost the yellow jersey in a short but brutal uphill finish in Peyragudes.
He reclaimed it when Fabio Aru lost time two days later. Froome suffered yet another mechanical in the 15th stage and at one point trailed his rivals by 45 seconds but he managed to catch them to salvage his overall lead, which he cemented with third place in the final time trial.
History is made as
chrisfroome</a> wins <a href="https://twitter.com/LeTour">letour for a fourth time. Congratulations on 3 superb weeks of racing, Chris. #TDF2017pic.twitter.com/QMGdpGlpwL— Le Tour de France UK (@letour_uk) 23 juillet 2017