The Tour de France 2013 reached its dramatic conclusion on Sunday, July 21, with Stage 21 taking the riders 133.5 km from Versailles to the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Marcel Kittel won the final stage in a sprint, while Chris Froome secured overall victory in the 100th edition of the Tour de France.
Tour de France 2013 Stage 21: Kittel Wins in Paris as Froome Claims Yellow
Froome finished the race as the overall champion with a total time of 83 hours, 56 minutes and 40 seconds. Nairo Quintana finished second overall, 4 minutes 20 seconds behind Froome. Quintana also secured both the King of the Mountains and young rider classifications.
At the other end of the day's battle, Marcel Kittel produced another powerful sprint to win Stage 21 and completed a remarkable four-stage victory haul during the 2013 Tour.
Table of Contents
- Tour de France 2013 Stage 21
- Froome Secures the Yellow Jersey
- Kittel Wins the Final Stage
- The Final Stage Race
- Key Attacks and Breakaways
- Final General Classification – Top 20
- Points Classification – Top 3
- King of the Mountains – Top 3
- Young Rider Classification – Top 3
- Team Classification
- Froome's Historic Tour Victory
- Stage 21 Summary
- FAQ
Tour de France 2013 Stage 21
The final stage began at Versailles before heading toward Paris. The stage included two Category 4 climbs early in the route, at Côte de Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse and Côte de Châteaufort.
The riders then made their way toward the traditional Parisian finish. As part of the 100th edition celebrations, the finale took place in the evening, creating a distinctive atmosphere around the Champs-Élysées and Arc de Triomphe.
The stage began with 170 riders at the sign-on, while 169 survivors eventually reached the Paris finish.
Froome Secures the Yellow Jersey
Chris Froome entered the final stage with a commanding advantage in the general classification.
The Sky rider remained the overall leader despite losing 53 seconds to Marcel Kittel on the final stage. Froome crossed the line alongside Sky teammate David López, while Quintana finished in the front group. Froome's final winning margin was 4 minutes 20 seconds.
Froome finished the Tour with an overall time of 83h 56' 40".
His victory made him the second British winner of the Tour de France and the first rider born in Africa to win the yellow jersey.
Kittel Wins the Final Stage
The final stage ended with the expected sprint battle on the Champs-Élysées.
Omega Pharma-Quickstep controlled much of the closing kilometres, while Argos-Shimano, Lotto-Belisol and Cannondale were also prominent at the front of the peloton.
With approximately 300 metres remaining, Marcel Kittel launched his sprint. The German held off challenges from Mark Cavendish and André Greipel to win Stage 21.
.Kittel finished the 133.5 km stage in 3h 06' 14".
It was Kittel's fourth stage victory of the 2013 Tour. He had also won stages in Bastia, Saint-Malo and Tours.
The Final Stage Race
The opening part of Stage 21 followed the traditional relaxed atmosphere associated with the final day of the Tour. Riders took part in celebrations and photographs before the competitive action intensified in Paris.
Team Sky led the peloton toward the Champs-Élysées, with Richie Porte given the honour of leading the group for the first lap. The riders then completed 10 laps of the Champs-Élysées.
Mark Cavendish, who had won the previous four Paris stages, suffered a front-tyre puncture with 53 km remaining but returned to the peloton within three kilometres.
Several riders attempted to escape during the approach to Paris. Marcus Meyer, David Millar, Juan Antonio Flecha and Julien El Fares formed an early move. Millar and Flecha later became the principal escapees and held an advantage at the intermediate sprint.
Key Attacks and Breakaways
The breakaway battle continued deep into the Parisian finale.
With 36 km remaining, Omega Pharma-Quickstep began moving riders toward the front of the peloton. Millar continued alone after Flecha was caught.
Millar still held a 30-second advantage with 25 km to go and resisted the chasing peloton until 18 km remained.
Another attack followed when Jérémy Roy moved clear. Later, Manuel Quinziato, Alejandro Valverde and Bram Tankink formed another small group.
The escape was finally caught with 6.5 km remaining, setting up the decisive sprint on the Champs-Élysées.
Final General Classification – Top 20
Chris Froome won the 2013 Tour de France general classification after completing the race in 83h 56' 40". Nairo Quintana finished second, while Joaquim Rodríguez completed the overall podium.
| Pos. | Rider | Team | Time / Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Froome | Sky Procycling | 83h 56' 40" |
| 2 | Nairo Quintana | Movistar Team | +4'20" |
| 3 | Joaquim Rodríguez | Katusha Team | +5'04" |
| 4 | Alberto Contador | Team Saxo-Tinkoff | +6'27" |
| 5 | Roman Kreuziger | Team Saxo-Tinkoff | +7'27" |
| 6 | Bauke Mollema | Belkin Pro Cycling | +11'42" |
| 7 | Jakob Fuglsang | Astana Pro Team | +12'17" |
| 8 | Alejandro Valverde | Movistar Team | +15'26" |
| 9 | Daniel Navarro | Cofidis | +15'52" |
| 10 | Andrew Talansky | Garmin-Sharp | +17'39" |
| 11 | Michał Kwiatkowski | Omega Pharma-Quick Step | +18'59" |
| 12 | Mikel Nieve | Euskaltel-Euskadi | +20'01" |
| 13 | Laurens ten Dam | Belkin Pro Cycling | +21'39" |
| 14 | Maxime Monfort | RadioShack-Leopard | +23'38" |
| 15 | Romain Bardet | AG2R La Mondiale | +26'42" |
| 16 | Michael Rogers | Team Saxo-Tinkoff | +26'51" |
| 17 | Daniel Moreno | Katusha Team | +32'34" |
| 18 | Jan Bakelants | RadioShack-Leopard | +35'51" |
| 19 | Richie Porte | Sky Procycling | +39'41" |
| 20 | Andy Schleck | RadioShack-Leopard | +41'46" |
Points Classification – Top 3
Peter Sagan won his second consecutive green jersey after collecting 409 points.
| Pos. | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Sagan | Cannondale | 409 |
| 2 | Mark Cavendish | Omega Pharma-Quick Step | 312 |
| 3 | André Greipel | Lotto-Belisol | 267 |
King of the Mountains – Top 3
Nairo Quintana won the King of the Mountains classification and claimed the polka-dot jersey with 147 points.
| Pos. | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nairo Quintana | Movistar Team | 147 |
| 2 | Chris Froome | Sky Procycling | 136 |
| 3 | Pierre Rolland | Team Europcar | 119 |
Young Rider Classification – Top 3
Nairo Quintana also won the Young Rider Classification in his debut Tour de France.
| Pos. | Rider | Team | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nairo Quintana | Movistar Team | 84h 01' 00" |
| 2 | Andrew Talansky | Garmin-Sharp | +17'39" |
| 3 | Michał Kwiatkowski | Omega Pharma-Quick Step | +18'59" |
Team Classification
Team Saxo-Tinkoff won the team classification with a recorded total time of 251h 11' 07".
Super-Combative Rider
Christophe Riblon of AG2R La Mondiale was named the Super-Combative rider of the 2013 Tour de France.
Froome's Historic Tour Victory
Froome's victory was the defining story of the 100th Tour de France.
The British rider had dominated the race over the previous three weeks, winning three stages, including the mountain-top finish at Mont Ventoux.
His victory also had a significant historical dimension. Born in Nairobi and having begun cycling in Kenya as a child, Froome became the first rider born in Africa to win the Tour de France.
The final celebrations were staged against some of Paris's most recognisable landmarks. The riders passed the Arc de Triomphe, while Froome received the final yellow jersey beneath the illuminated monument.
The 100th edition therefore ended with two major stories: Kittel winning the final sprint and Froome completing his journey to the yellow jersey.
Tour de France 2013 Stage 21 Summary
| Stage | 21 |
|---|---|
| Date | July 21, 2013 |
| Distance | 133.5 km |
| Route | Versailles – Paris Champs-Élysées |
| Stage Winner | Marcel Kittel |
| Stage Time | 3h 06' 14" |
| Overall Winner | Chris Froome |
| Overall Time | 83h 56' 40" |
| Overall Runner-up | Nairo Quintana |
| Winning Margin | 4'20" |
| Points Classification | Peter Sagan |
| King of the Mountains | Nairo Quintana |
| Young Rider Classification | Nairo Quintana |
| Team Classification | Team Saxo-Tinkoff |
| Super-Combative | Christophe Riblon |
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Stage 21 of the Tour de France 2013?
Marcel Kittel of Team Argos-Shimano won Stage 21 in a sprint on the Champs-Élysées.
Who won the Tour de France 2013?
Chris Froome won the 2013 Tour de France with an overall time of 83h 56' 40".
Who finished second in the 2013 Tour de France?
Nairo Quintana finished second overall, 4 minutes 20 seconds behind Froome.
Who won the green jersey in 2013?
Peter Sagan won the green jersey with 409 points.
Who won the King of the Mountains classification?
Nairo Quintana won the polka-dot jersey with 147 points.
Who won the white jersey in 2013?
Nairo Quintana won the Young Rider Classification.
How long was Tour de France 2013 Stage 21?
Stage 21 covered 133.5 km, from Versailles to the Paris Champs-Élysées.