Tour de France 2014: Stage 21 Winner, Results and Updated Leaderboard Standings

The 2014 Tour de France ended in a mass sprint on Sunday, as expected, with Vincenzo Nibali winning his very first Tour de France.

As for the day's race, none of the leaders were ever troubled. Germany's Marcel Kittel won Stage 21 on the iconic Champs-Elysees to take his tally to four stage wins, while Peter Sagan took his third consecutive green jersey.

Position	Rider	Team	Time
1	Marcel Kittel	Giant-Shimano	3:20:50
2	Alexander Kristoff	Katyusha	Same Time
3	Ramunas Navardauskas	Garmin	st
4	Andre Greipel	Lotto-Belisol	st
5	Mark Renshaw	OPQS	st
6	Berhnard Eisel	Team Sky	st
7	Bryan Coquard	Europcar	st
8	Alessandro Petacchi	OPQS	st
9	Peter Sagan	Cannondale	st
10	Romain Feillu	Bretagne	st

The road from Evry to Paris was one long celebration for the peloton, with the winners in every classification already determined. Event organisers congratulated overall winner Nibali right from the start, via the Tour's official Twitter account:

The four riders in the top jerseys (Nibali, Sagan, Rafal Majka and Thibaut Pinot) gathered for the traditional photos before cracking open the champagne, per ITV Sport:

With two French riders on the podium, the home crowds had plenty to celebrate. Things got even better when it became clear AG2R would emerge victorious in the team classification:

Not a single rider attempted to make a break before the pack arrived in Paris. The sprint teams took over from Astana at the head of the peloton as it became clear everyone was gunning for one final mass sprint.

Once the pack passed the gates of Paris, however, the race truly heated up.

Unsurprisingly, it was a French rider who started proceedings. Experienced veteran Sylvain Chavanel likely never expected to really break from the peloton, but his burst and (minimal) lead on the Champs-Elysees sent the local fans into delirium.

Dozens of riders tried to attack in the first round on the Paris track, with Jens Voigt and Christian Meier having most success early.

A big crash took place in the background, claiming several riders of AG2R, including the GC's No. 2, Jean-Christophe Peraud. The Guardian's William Fotheringham could hear the collective gasp of the French fans:

Yellow jersey holder Nibali made his voice heard, however, telling the peloton to wait for the Frenchman. Peraud's teammates helped overcome the 22-second gap quickly, but as soon as that train returned, the attacks continued.

The leading group of Chavanel never truly escaped the grasp of the peloton, who kept the pace high throughout the final 30 kilometres, looking for the sprint. Alexander Kristoff and Mark Renshaw both saw their preparations hindered because of mechanical issues, but it didn't stop them from finding strong positions in time.

Belgian football star and Chelsea winger Eden Hazard had an excellent vantage point as the peloton went into the final round:

The sprint trains organised themselves in the final five kilometres, and a mass sprint seemed as inevitable as it did at the start of the stage. Omega Pharma-Quick Step took control of the peloton and kept the pace high for Renshaw, with the likes of Kristoff and Bryan Coquard sitting in the Australian's wheel.

Giant-Shimano were forced to open very early, and it seemed like Kittel would be overtaken by Kristoff before the line. The German found a second gear, however, winning his fourth stage of the 2014 Tour de France.

Position	Rider	Team	Time
1	Vincenzo Nibali	Astana	89:58:46
2	Jean Christophe Peraud	AG2R	+7:52
3	Thibaut Pinot	FDJ	+8:24
4	Alejandro Valverde	Movistar	+9:55
5	Tejay van Garderen	BMC	+11:44
6	Romain Bardet	AG2R	+11:46
7	Leopold Konig	NetApp	+14:41
8	Haimar Zubeldia	Trek	+18:12
9	Laurens ten Dam	Belkin	+18:20
10	Bauke Mollema	Trek	+21:24

Position	Rider	Team	Points
1	Peter Sagan	Cannondale	431
2	Alexander Kristoff	Katyusha	282
3	Bryan Coquard	Europcar	271
4	Marcel Kittel	Giant-Shimano	222
5	Mark Renshaw	OPQS	211
6	Vincenzo Nibali	Astana	182
7	Andre Greipel	Lotto	169
8	Ramunas Navardauskas	Garmin	157
9	Greg van Avermaet	BMC	153
10	Samuel Dumoulin	AG2R	117

Position	Rider	Team	Points
1	Rafal Majka	Tinkoff-Saxo	181
2	Vincenzo Nibali	Astana	168
3	Joaquin Rodriguez	Katyusha	112
4	Thibaut Pinot	FDJ	89
5	Jean-Christophe Peraud	AG2R	85
6	Alessandro De Marchi	Cannondale	78
7	Thomas Voeckler	Europcar	61
8	Giovanni Visconti	Movistar	54
9	Alejandro Valverde	Movistar	48
10	Tejay van Garderen	BMC	48

Winner Nibali told VeloNews.com his win in the Vuelta a Espana was the most important mental victory of his career, but the Tour was undoubtedly the biggest:

"

For me the Vuelta was the most important because it showed me that I could aim to win big tours like the Giro and the Tour in the following years.

As an Italian it’s obvious that for me the Giro is very important but it’s also special for the Italian fans. But what makes the Tour so much bigger is the international attention it demands. It’s different, it’s bigger, it’s more beautiful.

The level of competition is also higher than the others, although I had great rivals in both the Giro and the Vuelta. ... I’ve taken my place in the history of the Tour and that’s very important, but those others also made their names in other great races, such as the classics

"

Cycling legend Greg LeMond spoke about Nibali's performance following the stage, via Peloton magazine:

The next major appointment on the cycling calendar will be the Vuelta a Espana, the last of the three main stage races of the season.

Chris Froome will be eyeing this year's edition as the perfect opportunity to salvage his season, and with Alberto Contador still recovering from injury, the Brit should be the overwhelming favourite when the Vuelta starts in four weeks.

France will celebrate the excellent performance of Pinot, who greatly impressed during this year's Tour. The 24-year-old Frenchman was more than capable in the high mountains and held his own during the time trial. Pinot will be the face of a new generation of French cyclists and the nation's best chance at breaking a Tour drought that has lasted almost three decades.