Chris Froome crossed the Paris finish line as the first Briton to win the Tour de France twice after three weeks of gruelling racing.
Froome, 30, also won cycling’s showpiece in 2013.
He bested Nairo Quintana of Colombia to the yellow jersey by a margin of 72 seconds.
The final stage was 10 laps of a 7 kilometre course around Paris. Heavy rain meant Froome won the race the first time he crossed the finished line on the course – provided he completed the 10 laps.
He managed to stay on his cycle in the horrendous weather even though he a paper bag and plastic water bottle stuck in his gears.
Early winner
Although he had to complete the niceties to become champion in Paris, Froome actually won the race a long time back, after the 10th stage.
A fantastic burst of speed and endurance saw him race to the top of mountain La Pierre-Saint-Martin that shattered the opposition and put him three minutes clear of the field.
Although his rivals pulled back some of the time, as long as Froome maintained his momentum and stayed on his bike, realistically there was little they could do to prevent him winning.
After the phenomenal mountain climb, Froome’s haters were out in force accusing him of enhancing his performance with drugs.
He also had to endure spectators throwing bottles, food and garbage at him at various points ion the race.
Jersey winners
But he kept his composure, concentrated on his goal of winning and pedalled to victory.
Besides the coveted yellow jersey, three others are awarded in the race:
Peter Sagan won the green jersey for consistently taking high places on each stage
Froome also won the polka jersey as king of the mountains – the first time the yellow and polka have been taken ion the same year since Belgian Eddie Merckx took the double in 1970
Quintana won the white jersey as the best young rider. He cannot ride in the category from next year as at 26 years old he will be classified as veteran.
The race started in July in the Dutch city of Utrecht.