Carlos Sastre of the CSC team became the third successive Spaniard to win the Tour de France after finishing safely in Sunday’s final stage.
Sastre’s victory follows triumphs for Oscar Pereiro in 2006 and Albert Contador last year. Contador’s Astana team were not invited to this year’s race because of their past doping record.
Australian Cadel Evans finished second overall, 58 seconds behind Sastre, who effectively secured victory on Saturday after resisting Evans in the decisive time-trial. Austrian Bernhard Kohl was third, 1:13 off the pace.
”It’s a dream coming true, I have been waiting so long for this,” said Sastre.
Towards the end of the last stage the peloton split and Sastre was in a group that lost seven seconds to Evans and Kohl, but the Spaniard had plenty of time in hand.
The 33-year-old Sastre took the overall leader’s yellow jersey by winning Wednesday’s last Alpine stage atop l’Alpe d’Huez, one of the Tour’s renowned climbs.
Spaniard Oscar Freire took the green jersey for the best sprinter and Kohl won the polka dot jersey for the best climber.
Belgian Gert Steegmans of the Quick Step team prevailed in a bunch sprint to win the 21st and final stage, ahead of German Gerald Ciolek and Freire.
The 95th edition of the race was hit by doping affairs.
Spaniards Manuel Beltran and Moises Duenas Nevado, as well as Italian Riccardo Ricco, tested positive for the banned blood-booster EPO.
Ricco’s Saunier Duval team left the race when the rider’s positive test was announced just before the 12th stage. – Reuters