Britain’s Chris Froome has won the 100th edition of the Tour de France.
Taking the title by more than four minutes, he linked arms with his team-mates as he crossed the line in Paris.
It is Britain’s second successive victory in the race – Froome’s Team Sky colleague Sir Bradley Wiggins became the first Briton to win it a year ago.
Marcel Kittel claimed the final stage in the twilight, with Manxman Mark Cavendish third in a hotly-contested sprint along the Champs Elysees.
Cavendish was attempting a 26th Tour stage win – and a fifth on the trot in Paris – which would have put him third on the all-time list behind five-time Tour winners Eddy Merckx (34) and Bernard Hinault (28).
But the Omega Pharma-Quick Step rider was third, as Germany’s Kittel won a fourth stage in this year’s race and Andre Greipel finished second, with more than 350,000 spectators lining the streets in the French capital.
Cavendish finished a wheel length behind Kittel after his lead-out team struggled.
But the Isle of Man rider has still managed two stage victories in this tour despite struggling with problems – including a bout of bronchitis.
Froome had finished runner-up last year, and became the favourite for this year’s race after Wiggins elected not to defend his title because of injury problems.
The 28-year-old brought the yellow jersey home in emphatic style, ahead of Colombia’s Nairo Quintana and Joaquim Rodriguez of Spain.
He had first taken the lead when he won the eighth of the 21 stages in a summit finish at Ax 3 Domaines in the Pyrenees.
The Briton, who was born and raised in Kenya, went on to win a further two stages on the way to his maiden Tour de France title.
He told ITV4: “Crossing the line with [the] guys brought tears to my eyes. I expected it to be big but this is something else.
“Dave [Team Sky manager Sir Dave Brailsford] has been talking about the future of cycling – the youngsters coming through and the way the sport is moving. I look at the last decade and the way sport is going – we’ve got something to be proud of.”
But in the first Tour since disgraced rider Lance Armstrong admitted to doping in his seven Tour de France wins, which have since been expunged from the records, Froome found himself having to answer questions about drugs in the sport.
He added: “I’m glad I’ve had to face those questions – after all the revelations of the last year. I’m glad that’s been channelled towards me.
“I’ve been able to deal with it. Cycling has changed – the peloton is standing together.”
In his victory speech, Froome dedicated his triumph to his mother Jane, who died of cancer in 2008, for giving him “hopes and dreams”.
“Without her encouragement to follow my dreams, I’d probably be at home watching this event on TV,” he said. “It’s a great shame she never got to come and see the Tour, but I’m sure she’d be extremely proud if she were here tonight.”
He also thanked his Team Sky colleagues for “burying themselves” for him during the gruelling race.
“I’d like to thank my team-mates, who have buried themselves day in, day out throughout this Tour to keep this yellow jersey on my shoulders, and the Team Sky management for believing in my ability and building this team around me.
“This is one yellow jersey that will stand the test of time,” he added, in a reference to doubters over doping suspicions.
His team-mate Geraint Thomas, who rode nearly all of the race with a fractured pelvis after crashing towards the end of stage one, enjoyed riding across the finish line arm-in-arm with Froome and the five other Team Sky riders who finished the gruelling race.
The Welshman, who missed last year’s Tour to focus on his Olympic track ambitions, said: “That was special.
“It was nice for all of us to come together, because it doesn’t happen every day. When you are a kid, you dream of riding the Tour and coming to Paris, but I never even thought that one day I would be part of a British team, with a British rider winning.
“You know, I missed that only last year but it more than makes up for it this year.”
Brailsford added: “The lads rode a fantastic race and I think there isn’t a better setting for cycling in the world, or any setting.
“The Champs Elysees, it’s an iconic place, and this year the sun is going down – it is very emotional you know.
“It is pretty intense the way we work, and we ask a lot of the guys, we ask a lot of the backroom staff, we ask a lot of the riders, and I think they give their all.
“I hope people are happy, but certainly the team and Chris are very very happy.”
Froome’s father, Clive, revealed how he felt relieved to see his son cross the line on Sunday night in Paris.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to bits. Rather like Chris, who was showing signs of relief, we also feel that way,” he told BBC World Service. “We feel like we have cycled every single kilometre. It was great to see him get over the line.”
The 2013 Tour de France champion crashed before the start of stage one but got away with a grazed knee.
“It is a race that can go wrong right up until the end,” added Froome’s father. “I can’t help but chuckle to think he was the first rider in the Tour to have an accident and fall off his bike.”
Froome’s fiancee Michelle Cound revealed the Kenya-born rider’s determination to succeed despite being written off by some.
“He was always the guy who wanted to get across to Europe and do the Grand Tours like the Tour de France,” Cound told BBC Sport. “A lot of the people he was competing against thought it was a pipe dream but he always thought he could make it.
“People are saying Chris has come from nowhere but it has taken him more than 10 years to become an overnight success.”
David Kinjah, the rider who introduced Froome to road cycling in the Kikuyu township when the future champion was 11, revealed his joy at the result.
“Even though we don’t see each other so much any more, he has lived my dreams,” Kinjah told BBC Sport. “He is wearing the yellow jersey every day and I almost felt like I was wearing it myself.”
Spanish rider Alberto Contador, the two-time Tour winner who was stripped of his 2010 victory for doping offences, believes Froome is the target for everyone else to catch.
“We just have to analyse what has happened,” he told French TV. “Outperforming Froome is a new motivation to continue.”
The final stage started as a procession, as is the tradition, and the 170 riders headed off from Versailles with Rodriguez celebrating his third place overall by handing out cigars to fellow podium finishers Froome, donning a yellow bike, and Quintana.
The Brit was also handed a glass of celebratory champagne as he rode alongside a Team Sky car with its branding coloured in yellow, while he was surrounded by team-mates in special yellow-tinged sunglasses.
The sun was beginning to set as they arrived in the centre of Paris and Froome made sure his trusty wingman Richie Porte led the Sky team over the finish line of the Champs-Elysees on the first of 10 circuits.
A few riders attempted breakaways, included Britain’s David Millar, but they were swallowed up by the peloton and it was left to the sprinters to contest the final straight.
Kittel, who has been called the “next big thing” by Cavendish triumphed and said: “I can’t believe it.
“It was a dream of mine to win on the Champs Elysees and now I’ve done it. I’m so proud.
“It’s nice compliments from a guy like Mark. He’s a nice guy and he actually wished me good luck before the start of today’s race. That was really sporting.”
Results of stage 21:
1. Marcel Kittel (Ger) Argos-Shimano 3 hours, 6 minutes, and 14 seconds
2. Andre Greipel (Ger) Lotto-Belisol +0
3. Mark Cavendish (GB) Omega Pharma-Quick Step +0
4. Peter Sagan (Svk) Cannondale +0
5. Roberto Ferrari (Ita) Lampre-Merida +0
Overall classification – final standings
1. Chris Froome (GB) Team Sky 83 hours, 56 minutes, and 40 seconds
2. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar +4:20
3. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Katusha +5:04
4. Alberto Contador (Spa) Saxo-Tinkoff +6:27
5. Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Saxo-Tinkoff +7:27
Selected others:
33. Daniel Martin (Ire) Garmin +1:13:08
39. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC +1:30:14
40. Nicolas Roche (Ire) Saxo-Tinkoff +1:34:17
77. Peter Kennaugh (GB) Team Sky +2:33:46
113. David Millar (GB) Garmin +3:14:25
135. Ian Stannard (GB) Team Sky +3:38:49
140. Geraint Thomas (GB) Team Sky +3:43:34
148. Mark Cavendish (GB) Omega Pharma-Quickstep +3:52:04
King of the mountains jersey – final standings
1. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar 147
2 Chris Froome (GB) Team Sky 136
3. Pierre Rolland (Fra) Europcar 117
4. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Katusha 99
5. Christophe Riblon (Fra) AG2R 98
Green points jersey – final standings
1. Peter Sagan (Svk) Cannondale 409
2. Mark Cavendish (GB) Omega Pharma – Quickstep 312
3. Andre Greipel (Ger) Lotto 267
4. Marcel Kittel (Ger) Argos-Shimano 222
5. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha 177
