The Tour de France ended Sunday with a win by young Slovenian racer Tadej Pogacar. Meanwhile, three Monaco-based cyclists had their time in the spotlight during the world famous race.

This year saw masked teams being presented at the opening ceremonies in Nice, a positive coronavirus test for Director of the Tour Christian Prudhomme, and a surprise win by a relative unknown.

In a Tour de France filled with odd moments, one thing is for sure: there is a new set of young guns who have hit the scene and are making road racing exciting again.

Tadej Pogacar, the first Slovenian to win the yellow jersey and the youngest winner of the Tour de France in a century, has made his dream come true on the eve of his 22^nd birthday, which he celebrated on Monday.

Monaco residents Caleb Ewan, Sam Bennett and Richie Porte all had their days in the sun, as well along the way.

26-year-old Australian sprinter Ewan, who currently rides for UCI World team Lotto-Soudal, won podium victories at stages three and 11. In stage three, he blasted past Bennett at the last second for the top spot and had an equally narrow win in stage 11 showing his determination and a bit of flair for the dramatic.

Sam Bennett, the 29-year-old Irish cyclist who races for UCI World team Deceuninck-Quick Step, took to the podium twice as well, at stages three and five. He also took the green jersey in this stage, becoming the first Irishman to do so since Sean Kelly in 1989. 

Meanwhile, Monaco-based Richie Porte became only the second Australian to secure a podium finish at cycling’s biggest race.
The 35-year-old’s bid looked under threat when his bike got a puncture towards the end of stage 18, one of the toughest of this year’s 21 stages. But the race’s final three stages proved smooth-sailing and Porte finished third.