Champs-Elysees for two. Van Aert wins the stage, Pogacar takes the story.

The last sprint of the Tour de France It's like the last time trial: It's not the most specialized who wins, but the one who has recovered best. He knows it well Daniele Bennati, last Italian to race on the Champs-Elysees in 2007.

«That's exactly what I thought when Van Aert won – says the Tuscan – that must also say thanks to a great Teunissen, for how he launched it. Deceunick? Maybe they were feeling too confident this time."

Fruit “Cav”

That straight road is treacherous and very long. Before leaving they thought about it for a long time. Teunissen pushed Van Aert to the point where he could explode his sprint and at that point the others behind him couldn't even get out of his slipstreamThe Belgian champion is too strong. Or simply... Cavendish's film was destined to stop in front of two factsThe first is that the British rider in the green jersey has dragged himself up all the climbs of the last two weeks, trying to stay within the maximum time and without big opportunities to recover. Like yesterday Kung, a specialist but exhausted. While Van Aert winning the time trial he proved that he is still at a thousandThe second is probably more tied to the cabal than to scientific evidence. And it says that perhaps Merckx's record wanted to resist for another year and perhaps, who knows, it will resist forever.

Going to Tokyo right away

“Actually, I can't believe it,” Van Aert says immediately after catching his breath. This Tour de France was fantastic. It was a crazy rollercoaster.. Finishing with three wins in my pocket is totally beyond my expectations. A victory like this is priceless and now I will have to rush to the airport to catch my flight to TokyoI have to say thank you to my small team and especially to Mike Teunissen, who put me in a perfect position before the sprint. It was crucial to be in a good position after the last right-hand corner. I was sure Mike could do it and he did it perfectly."

Champions do that. And now go figure out if it's the cross that made him great on the road or if he's simply great wherever you put himIf he manages to metabolise these efforts well and absorb the transition to Japan, He'll definitely bring home a gold medal from over there.

Another green one

Cavendish first hesitated to take the right wheel, slipping into Morkov's pockets, then he couldn't manage to change pace. Maybe a weight was even lifted. The green jersey and four stage wins are certainly more than anyone would have ever expected in February, when he was struggling in the first sprints trying to find his feeling again.

"Ten years later, wearing the green jersey again," he says, "it's fantastic, I feel younger. The support from the crowd was incredible throughout the Tour de France. Returning to Paris is an honor. I'm back, and it's a dream." A child's dream comes true after a lot of hard workIf one of my victories can inspire ten kids to take up cycling and maybe race the Tour de France in the future, that will be the most important thing for me."

And now the King

No offense to Pogacar's fans, whose victory is not a given, even if compared to last year, we've had plenty of time to get used to it. In the crazy crowd setting of the circuit on the Champs-Elysees, the yellow jersey spun like a metronome, illuminating the surroundings with its splendor. The UAE Team Emirates finished with a full complement of players, a nice response to those who painted them as a group of little substance.

«It's simply It's crazy to be back here in yellow – says Pogacar on the sidelines of the podium – and with an incredible teamWe had fun today, and now it's time to celebrate. It was nice to take it easy this morning. We had fun chatting with each other. Then we arrived here on the cobblestones of the Champs-Elysees and the race began again at full speed, like every day.I can't express how happy I am. I'll stay motivated for the next few years, but we'll think about the future later... Last year I felt strong emotions, this time they are very different. The new Cannibal? I don't like comparing myself to other riders; everyone has their own style and personality.Every rider is unique. And I am Pogacar. I enjoy life, I work hard, I love riding my bike. Those are the things that matter."