25 Jul 2011

Tour de France won by Australian

8:56 am on 25 July 2011

Australian Cadel Evans has won the Tour de France.

Evans, 34, stayed safe in the peloton in Sunday's final stage which ended at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, to take the title by 1 minute 34 seconds.

He took the lead for the first time on Saturday, with a brilliant ride on the final time trial around Grenoble.

Evans is the oldest Tour winner since 1923 and previously finished second in 2007 and 2008.

He is the first Australian rider to win the event.

Evans says a lot of people did not believe he could do it, but there were enough who did.

Luxembourg brothers Andy and Frank Schleck were second and third.

Before setting off on Sunday, riders removed their helmets and observed a minute of silence in tribute to those who were killed in Norway.