Tadej Pogacar won a second successive Tour de France on Sunday as Wout Van Aert claimed the final stage on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.

Tadej Pogacar all but became champion of the 2021 Tour de France on Saturday as the UAE rider protected his large overall lead in the stage 20 time-trial, ahead of the traditionally ceremonial final run to Paris.

Overall leader Tadej Pogacar again proved his dominance on the Tour de France as he won a second consecutive mountain stage in the Pyrenees on Thursday and said "it's a game for me."

Tadej Pogacar extended his lead by winning stage 17 of the Tour de France on Wednesday atop Pyrenean giant the Col du Portet, where he was followed over the line by Jonas Vingegaard and Richard Carapaz after the three played out an epic struggle.

Defending champion Tadej Pogacar survived a torrid day in the saddle as the Tour de France hit the Pyrenees on Sunday, the Slovenian holding on to the overall lead despite constant pressure from a clique of Ineos riders.

Germany's Nils Politt won stage 12 of the Tour de France on Thursday after early winds helped a breakaway build up a convincing lead over the main pack in the Rhone Valley and foil the best laid plans of the sprinters.

Raucous crowds cheered Wout Van Aert to a frantic stage 11 win on the Tour de France on Wednesday after a double ascent of Mont Ventoux.

Mark Cavendish won his third stage on the 2021 Tour de France on Tuesday to move within one of Eddy Merckx's all-time record of 34 wins on the world's greatest race.

Australian climber Ben O'Connor soared to a high-altitude stage win on the Tour de France on a cold, rainy Sunday that culminated in an energy-sapping 21km ascent to the ski resort of Tignes.

Defending champion Tadej Pogacar soared into the Tour de France overall lead on Saturday on an Alpine stage won by Belgian Dylan Teuns as British outfit Ineos's hopes were again battered.

Defending champion Tadej Pogacar fired out a defiant warning to would-be Tour de France title contenders by storming the individual time-trial on Wednesday while Mathieu van der Poel clung on to the overall lead after stage five.

Mathieu Van Der Poel won stage 2 of the Tour de France on Sunday to claim the overall leader's yellow jersey and strike a blow for his famous cycling family.

The Tour de France rolled out of the Atlantic port of Brest on Saturday, 24 teams of eight riders embarking on a 21-day trek across France with all eyes on defending champion Tadej Pogacar and a dramatic day of action assured on the opening stage.

The 2019 and 2020 editions of the Tour de France were won by two of the youngest riders in the history of the race. Tadej Pogacar and Egan Bernal are at the forefront of a new generation of young cyclists which are continually raising the bar and upsetting the established favorites. The 2021 Tour de France will be another battle between the dynamic youth and the experienced establishment.

The 2021 Tour de France route is one that will demand a truly versatile general classification contender. The opening stages in Brittany will test the mettle of the peloton with technical classics-style roads exposed to harsh coastal conditions. The parcours features high alpine and pyrenean passes, numerous sprint opportunities, and two significant individual time trials, which will prove decisive in the overall battle.