Vingegaard claims Tour de France

Jonas Vingegaard blossomed into a dominant leader over three weeks of epic racing to win his first Tour de France title Sunday.

The former fish factory worker from Denmark dethroned defending champion Tadej Pogacar in cycling’s biggest race.

Vingegaard, who was runner-up to Pogacar in his first Tour last year, excelled in the scorching heat that enveloped France this month and came out on top of a thrilling duel with Pogacar, the big favorite at the start of the race.

Jasper Philipsen won Sunday’s last stage — a mainly processional ride around Paris to the Champs-Elysees.

Vingegaard’s official overall margin of victory was 2 minutes 43 seconds. Geraint Thomas, the 2018 Tour champion, was 7:22 off the pace in third.

Lorena Wiebes of the Netherlands sprinted to victory in Paris in the first stage of the women’s Tour de France, which returned after a 33-year absence.