In Paris this Sunday, the Belgian cyclist Jasper Philipsen of Alpecin-Deceuninck claimed the coveted Champs-Élysées stage and brought home a prestigious victory on the final day of the Tour de France, a celebration nonetheless overshadowed by Jumbo-Visma’s triumph as Jonas Vingegaard secured the overall title after a dramatic race that culminated far from the sprint finish.
Philipsen seized the second stage with a powerful last-ditch surge at the massive finishing stretch, breaking away in the closing kilometers to seal Paris with just three kilometers to spare as the main peloton chased a stubborn escape. Vingegaard’s dream, meanwhile, was to stand atop the podium after 116 grueling kilometers that began at La Défense Arena and wove through the heart of the French capital before finishing on the iconic Champs-Élysées.
The historic route wound through the city’s grand streets, as the peloton neutralized the quartet formed by Max Schachmann, Antoine Duchesne, Olivier Le Gac, and Jonas Rutsch, preserving the race’s dramatic balance until the final laps.
At the last act near the Arc de Triomphe, Tadej Pogačar appeared to challenge until the very last kilometer, launching attacks alongside Geraint Thomas and Filippo Ganna of INEOS Grenadiers, a lineup long considered among the Tour’s strongest. Yet the group could not break the field, and the sprint decided the day. Wout van Aert, riding for Jumbo-Visma, crossed the finish line with his teammates to celebrate the Dutch squad’s grand tour success.
A sumptuous closing party marked a Tour that delivered everything: an innovative route, the return of the daunting pavé on the fifth day, and the legendary climb on La Planche des Belles Filles as a defining hill finish. Despite the evident dominance of the two Jumbo leaders, the race remained highly competitive, with fighters for nearly every jersey staying in contention until the final day and keeping the outcome uncertain for far longer than usual.
The uneventful, triumphant ride for 25-year-old overall winner Jonas Vingegaard culminated on a sunset podium in Paris, shared with Slovenian rider Tadej Pogačar of UAE Team Emirates, who had dreamed of a third straight Tour appearance at the top. Completing the podium was Britain’s Geraint Thomas of INEOS Grenadiers, securing third place after a challenging and storied campaign.
The 2022 Tour boosted Jumbo-Visma’s profile with six stage wins and signaled the strongest overall performance in years, a testament to depth and strategy across the team. Among the Spaniards, Luis León Sánchez (Bahrain Victorious) achieved a notable fourteenth-place finish, while Enric Mas of Movistar faced a difficult campaign, slipping from early favorites after the time trial and finding the climb to the top ten more elusive as the race wore on. The season’s pressure exposed gaps, but the Tour remained a showcase of resilience and tactical brilliance rather than a simple sprint to the finish.
Within the broader narrative, there was talk of a quiet concern in the peloton as Balearic travelers faced a difficult campaign, including fitness challenges and positive COVID-19 tests that underscored the unpredictable nature of modern grand tours. The result was a Tour that, despite the glitz of a final sprint on the Champs-Élysées, also highlighted the intense endurance and strategic depth of riders who adapt to the ever-changing demands of the race and the unpredictable Parisian weather that can swing a podium position in moments.