Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) won the Tour de France on Sunday evening, while Marcel Kittel (Giant-Shimano) won the sprint on the Champs Elysees for the second consecutive year. Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) was second in the final stage, with third going to Garmin-Sharp’s Ramunas Navardauskus.

"I want to thank the whole team," Kittel said. As to the record seven German stage wins, "I think it is unbelievable, a wake-up call for all Germans that they can be proud of us."

Nibali won four stages on his way to his maiden Tour victory, adding it to his titles in the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a Espana.

There were, as virtually always, no changes in the rankings on the final day. Nibali claimed the title by nearly eight minutes over his nearest rival, Jean-Christophe Peraud (AG2R), with Thibaut Pinot (FDJ.fr) third at nearly eight and a half minutes down.

The green jersey went to Peter Sagan (Cannondale), who wore it since the second stage, despite not winning any stages. Rafal Majka (Tinkoff-Saxo) took home the polka-dot jersey of the best climber, while Pinot was the best young rider.

The closing stage followed its usual pattern, from very relaxed celebrations to a casual ride to all-out on the Champs Elysees. A trio established itself as a break group, but never got more than 24 seconds ahead, while Peraud suffered some horrifying moments when he crashed and had to be brought back up by four teammates. The escapees never had a serious chance, as the sprint teams worked hard for their chance to win the most prestigious sprint stage.