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The 2017 Tour de France was the 104th edition of the Tour de France, one of the cycling grand tours. The 3,450km long race commenced with an individual time trial in Dusseldorf, Germany on 1 July, and concluded with the Champs-Elysees stage in Paris on the 23rd of July. A total of 198 riders from 22 teams entered the 21-stage race.
The 2017 Tour de France was won by Great Britain’s Chris Froome of Team Sky, his fourth overall victory. Second and third respectively were Rigoberto Uran and Romain Bardet. Team Sky’s Chris Froome made history by winning the Tour de France for a fourth time on Sunday. This win however, is widely regarded as his toughest Tour win yet.
The Team Sky leader, who described this year as the “closest and most hard-fought battle”, sealed victory on Saturday, and rolled on the Champs-Elysees with teammates in a largely ceremonial stage. At the end of the three weeks, 21 stages and more than 3,500km, Froome finished with a broad grin alongside his teammates, who wore a special kit to celebrate with their usual blue stripe replaced by a yellow one.
Froome had won the 2013, 2015 and 2016 editions and sits fifth overall in the all-time listof Tour victors behind greats Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.
Britain’s Simon Yates won the best young rider award, beating his nearest rival, Louis Meintjes by 2’06”. Dlyan Groenewegen won the final stage but Froome was already winner, no matter his position. Froome was able to enjoy the celebrations on the 103-kilometres stage from Montgeron to the Champs-Elysees before LottoNL-Jumbo’s Groenewegen won in a sprint from Lotto-Soudal’s Andre Greipel.
Froome’s final margin of victory over former teammate Rigoberto Uran was 54 seconds, making this the seventh-closest finish in Tour history. Waiting for the Team Sky rider at the finish line were his wife Michelle and young son Kellan. Just minutes after winning his fourth Tour de France title, Chris Froome said
“I’m Speechless. It’s just an amazing feeling. The Champs-Elysees never disappoints. There’s something magical about it when you’ve spent three weeks thinking about it being in this position. It’s so rewarding every time”.
Sir Dave Brailsford, the Team Sky principal, has said he believes Chris Froome can match the greats of the sport and add a fifth Tour de France to his collection next year.
The General Classifications Are:
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