Shropshire Star

Tour de France 2017 – wrap

A fourth success for Chris Froome while Thomas Voeckler said goodbye to the Tour de France.

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Chris Froome sealed his fourth Tour de France title in Paris on Sunday and immediately set his sights on a record-equalling fifth, while Dylan Groenewegen recorded his first career Tour stage win by beating Andre Greipel on the Champs-Elysees. That brought the curtain down on the 104th edition of cycling’s biggest race

On and on and on

Adam Hansen has started and finished every grand tour since the 2011 Vuelta a Espana
Adam Hansen has started and finished every grand tour since the 2011 Vuelta a Espana (Ian Parker/PA)

Adam Hansen rolled over the line in Paris to extend his own record of consecutive grand tours completed to 18. The 36-year-old Australian has started and finished every grand tour since the 2011 Vuelta a Espana, having long since broken the previous record of 12 consecutive grand tours set by Spaniard Bernardo Ruiz in the 1950s.

“I think it’s mostly for the love of the sport,” Hansen told Press Association Sport. “I like to finish what I start. It wasn’t intentional to do it from the start but I like it now. I just want to build on it. It’s something special because this is one of the most difficult sporting events in the world.”

Hansen’s Tour has been free of dramas but the record was put in peril during the Giro d’Italia in May when he suffered a broken bone in his hand in a stage 14 crash. However, he rode through the pain to reach Milan. “Sometimes you do consider pulling out when things get tough,” he said. “It’s always nice to be at home, so it does cross your mind, but I always just want to finish.”

Marry me!

As the peloton took it easy through the early stages of the day, with champagne glasses clinking and handshakes all around, AG2R La Mondiale’s Cyril Gautier flagged down a passing camera bike with a very important mission. He unfolded a page torn from the race roadbook on which he had scrawled “Caroline, do you want to marry me?”

Sad face

Cycling, and particularly the Tour de France, will not seem the same again after the retirement of Thomas Voeckler, who called it a day after finishing the stage. The 38-year-old has become world famous for his array of facial expressions when he is putting in the effort on the bike – a frequent sight on the Tour as he could rarely resist a breakaway.

It was a face full of emotion as he contemplated his future as an ex-professional. “It was difficult after the finish,” Voeckler said. “It was obvious to me to put an end to my career. I’ve been riding for 25 years. I will begin another life. Thank you for everything.”

Quote of the Day

“It’s my first victory in the Tour de France, in the perfect place. It’s the perfect day. It’s a dream. It’s an amazing feeling” – Groenewegen revels in his first Tour stage win.

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