Bjarne Riis was not too tired for this ride - a couple of victory laps on the Champs Elysees.
Waving a large Danish flag before thousands of cheering and singing compatriots, Riis on Sunday became the first from his country to win the jewel of cycling, the Tour de France."This is a fantastic day for me," said Riis, his eyes clouded with tears. "This is the greatest day of my life."
After 21 stages, five countries and 2,352 miles, the Tour de France no longer was the property of Miguel Indurain. The Spaniard, bidding to become the first man to win the race six times, finished 11th overall.
Riis received a private letter from the Danish prime minister after the race, and the celebration kept right on going. The 32-year-old rider was to be honored today in a parade in downtown Copenhagen before flying to Atlanta to race in the Olympics.
He and Indurain will be among the professional cyclists competing in the Olympics for the first time - in the road race July 31 and the individual time trial Aug. 3.
"Everything was good and now Atlanta will be the next big thing," he said.
The Tour de France ended with eight laps around the famed Champs Elysees before a crowd numbering in the hundreds of thousands, the conclusion to a grueling trek that started 23 days ago in the Netherlands on June 29.
The final 92-mile leg from Palaiseau to Paris ended with a classic sprint to the Place de la Concorde. Italy's Fabio Baldato edged Frederic Moncassin of France to win the stage, with Dutch rider Jeroen Blijlevens third.
Riis won with aggressive riding in the Alps and the Pyrenees, getting good support from his strong Telekom team.
"Everything went perfect for me," he said.
Germany's Jan Ullrich, also of the Telekom team, finished second overall, just 1:41 behind Riis, in his first Tour.
Richard Virenque was third, the first French racer to finish among the top three since Laurent Fignon was runner-up to Greg Lemond in 1989.
Americans fared poorly this year. Lance Armstrong withdrew during the sixth stage and George Hincapie pulled out after crashing in the 14th stage.
Only Frankie Andreu of Dearborn, Mich., completed the race, finishing 111th.
Indurain suffered through the first week of a race marred by cold winds and rain and lost more than four minutes to the leaders in the French Alps and another 10 minutes in two climbing stages in the Pyrenees.
He rode into Pamplona, Spain, on July 17 as a national hero, but he ultimately proved no match for Riis.
Riis frustrated other top riders with unrelenting attacks in the mountains. World road race champion Abraham Olano of Spain and Mapei teammate Tony Rominger of Switzerland were second and third behind Riis going into the Pyrenees earlier this week.
In Wednesday's 164-mile stage, the toughest of the race, Riis sealed his victory.
Among the throng at the Champs Elysees was Kim Knudsen, who paid $350 to fly into Paris from Copenhagen with 50 other Danes on Sunday morning.
"This is the biggest thing in Denmark," said Knudsen, his face painted with the red and white stripes of the Danish flag. "Riis is a hero."
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Tour beats Indurain
PARIS (AP) - It was a sight not seen on the Champs-Elysees for six years: the Tour de France cycling race ending with Miguel Indurain nowhere near the lead and with no hope of again reigning as champion.
Indurain, who had won five consecutive Tour de France titles, did not hold the overall leader's yellow jersey for a single day this year. He finished in 11th place, 14 minutes and 14 seconds behind champion Bjarne Riis of Denmark.
"The Tour is beating me this year," Indurain said earlier this week. "I have to lose one time."