Tour de France glory came Vincenzo Nibali's way as the Astana man took home the championship crown on Sunday. German fans had a reason to smile as Marcel Kittel of the Giant Shimano team emerged victorious in Stage 21, the last one this year.
Alexander Kristoff of the Katusha team and Ramunas Navardauskas of Garmin-Sharp stood second and third respectively in Stage 21.
Nibali now has clinched victory in the three Grand cycling events - the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana. This win means he becomes the sixth rider to emerge victorious in all the three Grand cycling events.
Furthermore at the end of the stage Nibali led second place Jean-Christophe Peraud by seven minutes and 37 seconds. Jan Ulrich's winning lead of nine minutes in 1997 is the only one higher than Nibali's.
The 29-year-old Italian was over the moon after the win as he admitted to the title victory being a little surreal. "This is the most beautiful moment of my life. It is even more beautiful than I imagined. I dedicate this success to my team and my family. It's like a fairy tale," Velonews quoted Nibali as saying.
Nibali said he still has plenty to offer, as he hoped to acquire more winners' trophies in the future. "After winning the Vuelta, the Giro and the Tour, I'll keep focusing on Grand Tours but I'd also like to crown it all with a world champion's rainbow jersey one year," he said, according to BBC Sport.
The Vuelta triumph he thought to be very crucial, for it gave him the confidence to do well in the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France 2014.
The Giro d Italia title was very close to Nibali's heart as he came up trumps in his home country. "The Giro was an important competition for the Italian public," he said.
In the final stage, between Evry and Paris, where sprinters are expected to have a field day, Marcel Kittel was the favourite to come out as victor and the German did not disappoint.
Alexander Kristoff provided Kittel a stiff challenge but in the end Kittel managed to fend him off and brought up his fourth win in Tour de France 2014. Kristoff, at one point, had to deal with a flat tyre.
"Kristoff really held against me. I tried to pass him. At one moment, he couldn't accelerate any more, and that was my moment. I'm super proud and very happy," Kittel said.
French fans had a reason to cheer as two of their countrymen --Jean-Christophe Peraud and Thibaut Pinot --stood second and third respectively among the General Riders
. Stage 21 results
1. Marcel Kittel [Ger/Giant-Shimano] 3hrs 20mins 50secs
2. Alexander Kristoff [Nor/Katusha]
3. Ramunas Navardauskas [Lit/Garmin-Sharp]
4. Andre Greipel [Ger/Lotto-Belisol]
5. Mark Renshaw [Aus/Omega Pharma - Quick-Step]
Final classification
1. Vincenzo Nibali [Ita/Astana] 89hrs 59mins 06secs
2. Jean-Christophe Peraud [Fra/AG2R] +7mins 37secs
3. Thibaut Pinot [Fra/FDJ.fr] +8mins 15secs
4. Alejandro Valverde [Spa/Movistar] +9mins 40secs
5. Tejay van Garderen [US/BMC Racing] +11mins 44secs
