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Will Frischkorn’s Tour de France diary, stage 21
Here's a picture that reflects the amazing day now behind me. It was amazing. The feeling riding onto the Champs was unlike anything I've ever felt on a bicycle before in my life. Tired legs turned into a feeling of nothing but excitement. And now we're in the middle of a celebratory dinner and I've already consumed far too much bubbly. Thanks everybody for following the past few weeks!
Stage 21 – By the numbers
Stage 21 stats
Stage 21, Étamps to Paris, 143km
WeatherHot and humid with partly cloudy skies and moderate wind, temperatures in the mid 80s Stage winner
Quick Step’s Gert Steegmans salvaged a disappointing Tour for his Belgian team by winning one of the most prestigious sprints in cycling along the Champs Elysees. Yellow jersey
Race leader Carlos Sastre held his overall lead, with no major change on classification.
Carlito’s Way: The Tour’s Improbable Winner
Carlos Sastre has a reputation of being a cool customer under pressure. After 11 seasons as a pro, nothing rankles the 33-year-old veteran too much. From doping scandals that nearly toppled his CSC team after captain Ivan Basso was implicated in the Operación Puerto doping scandal to the death of his brother-in-law, José María “El Chaba” Jiménez in 2003 at just 32, he’d seen it all.
How Garmin-Chipotle keeps its riders fresh for the Tour
Anyone can attest it’s hard to sleep when you’re hot. It's a fact that Garmin-Chipotle physiologist Allen Lim knows well. It’s why, among other things, regulating his riders’ temperatures on and off the bike is key to keeping them as fresh and fast as possible. This concept plays into both short-term and long-term performances; the former being a stage performance and the latter being the whole of the three-week race like the Tour de France.
Credit Agricole’s Dmitri Fofonov tests positive for banned stimulant
Kazakhstan's Dmitri Fofonov has tested positive for a banned stimulant, his Credit Agricole team said on the final day of the Tour de France. Fofonov finished the race in 19th overall, 28:31 behind race winner Carlos Sastre. Credit Agricole manager Roger Legeay said Fofonov told the team he bought a product over the Internet to fight cramps. He has been suspended and may be fired, Legeay said.
Sastre: the seventh Spanish Tour winner
Carlos Sastre became the seventh Spaniard to win the Tour de France yellow jersey when he wrapped up overall victory on Sunday, taking his country's total to 11 wins.
Live Coverage – Stage 21 Tour de France, 2008
- 01:31 PM: Good day and welcome
to VeloNews.com's Live Coverage of the 21st - and final - stage of the 95th Tour de France, a 143-kilometer ride from Etampes to the classic Tour finish on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.