Geraint Thomas won his maiden Tour de France title on Sunday after safely completing the final stage into Paris.
The 32-year-old Welshman is Britain’s third winner following Bradley Wiggins in 2012 and four-time champion Chris Froome.
It is Team Sky’s sixth Tour de France win in seven years.
Tour convention dictates that the yellow jersey is not challenged on the final stage, so Thomas was able to sip champagne along the way and cross the finish line arm-in-arm with Froome in the middle of the peloton.
‘When I rode on the Champs-Elysees for the first time in 2007, that was insane – just to finish the race and just to be a part of it,’ Thomas told ITV.
‘To now be riding round winning it is just incredible. It’s just a whirlwind. I seem to be floating around on cloud nine.
‘Maybe when I’m 70, sat in a corner of a pub telling some 18-year-old what I used to be, it will sink in. It’s incredible, the stuff of dreams.’
Alexander Kristoff won the sprint finish on the Champs-Elysees to win stage 21, beating Dutchman Tom Dumoulin by one minute and 51 seconds. Froome finished third.
Final standings:
1. Geraint Thomas (GB/Team Sky) 83hrs 17mins 13secs
2. Tom Dumoulin (Ned/Team Sunweb) +1min 51secs
3. Chris Froome (GB/Team Sky) +2mins 24secs
4. Primoz Roglic (Slo/Team LottoNL-Jumbo) +3mins 22secs
5. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned/Lotto NL-Jumbo) +6mins 08secs
6. Romain Bardet (Fra/AG2R La Mondiale) +6mins 57secs
7. Mikel Landa (Spa/Movistar) +7mins 37secs
8. Daniel Martin (Ire/UAE Team Emirates) +9mins 05secs
9. Ilnur Zakarin (Rus/Katusha-Alpecin) +12mins 37secs
10. Nairo Quintana (Col/Movistar Team) +14mins 18secs
Stage 21 result:
1. Alexander Kristoff (Nor/UAE Team Emirates) 2hrs 46mins 36secs
2. John Degenkolb (Ger/Trek-Segafredo) same time
3. Arnaud Demare (Fra/Groupama-FDJ)
4. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor/Team Dimension Data)
5. Christophe Laporte (Fra/Cofidis)
6. Maximiliano Richeze (Arg/Quick-Step Floors)
7. Sonny Colbrelli (Ita/Bahrain-Merida)
8. Peter Sagan (Svk/Bora-Hansgrohe)
9. Andrea Pasqualon (Ita/Wanty-Groupe Gobert)
10. Jasper de Buyst (Bel/Lotto-Soudal)
