Who won the 2014 Tour de France? Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali

Italy's Vincenzo Nibali was named the winner of the 101st Tour de France today, after finishing first in the final stage on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.

 

The 29-year-old from Sicily took the lead in Sheffield during the second stage, and from that moment on dominated the competition, wearing the race leader's yellow jersey for 18 days of the 21 day competition. 

 

When it came to the final stage, the tradition of the Tour is that the leader should not be challenged, so at that point Nibali just had to reach the finish safely.

 

He has shown steady progress throughout the years, with his Tour de France track record suggesting this moment might come: in 2008 he came twentieth, in 2009 he came seventh, and in 2012 he came third.

 

Nibali previously won the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a Espana, and this latest win has made him the sixth man ever to win all three Grand Tours.

 

He is also Italy's first winner in 16 years. Marco Pantani was the last Italian to take the title in 1998.

 

France's Jean-Christophe Peraud came in second place, 37 seconds behind Nibali. Two of the most likely contenders at the start, Chris Froome and Alverto Contador, had to leave the competition because of crash-related injuries.