PARIS (dpa-AFX) – Jonas Vingegaard treated himself to a glass of champagne on his Tour d’Honneur before he was frenetically celebrated by thousands of compatriots in red and white on the magnificent Champs Élysees boulevard. The slender boy from the fish factory in Jutland reached the goal of his dreams after 3343.8 kilometers on Sunday. 26 years after the now badly tainted triumph of Bjarne Riis, Danish Dynamite reigned supreme again at the Tour de France in Paris. “It’s been an incredible three weeks, a dream,” said Vingegaard after dethroning seemingly invincible defending champion Tadej Pogacar.
The tour, which ended on Sunday with Jasper Philipsen’s victory in the sprint royale in front of Dylan Groenewegen and Alexander Kristoff, saw the transformation of a man once plagued by self-doubt and nervousness into a sovereign winner. In the Alps and Pyrenees he didn’t reveal any weaknesses – and has long felt a desire for more. “I want to win more,” said the 25-year-old, who also showed himself to be a great sportsman while waiting for him in the mountains after Pogacar’s fall. “We have a good relationship. We’re not friends, but we respect each other.”
