• Tour de France Stage 21, Créteil to Champs-Élysées

Cavendish claims green jersey as Evans is crowned

Mark Cavendish won again down the Champs Elysees to clinch the green jersey © Getty Images

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• News: Green jersey winner Cavendish hails 'my best Tour yet'
  
• News: Evans earns historic Tour win
  
• Profile: Mark Cavendish

Mark Cavendish won the final stage of this year's Tour de France to clinch the green jersey for the event's top sprinter, on a day that also saw Cadel Evans confirm the first Tour victory of his career.

The Manx sprinter claimed his fifth stage victory of this year's Tour and his third success Champs-Elysees success to ensure he was crowned the Tour's top sprinter, having started the day 15 points clear of nearest rival Jose Rojas.

Cavendish concluded with 334 points in the sprint classification, 62 ahead of Rojas and an impressive 98 ahead of third-placed Philippe Gilbert.

"I'm so happy, so proud of the guys to finish the Tour that way. We worked so hard for it," Cavendish, who is the first British winner of the title, said afterwards. "They changed the rules - five stage wins should be enough to win the green jersey, so it's probably worked.

"We've gone home with six stage wins, five for me and one for Tony [Martin], and that makes me super, super happy."

Evans, meanwhile, had grabbed the yellow jersey at the 11th hour with a blistering display in Saturday's time-trial, and the Australian was enable to enjoy a procession around Paris as he became the first southern hemisphere rider to win a Tour.

"The last three weeks have been amazing, a real pleasure," an emotional Evans said as he donned the maillot jaune.

Andy Schleck, who was overhauled by Evans in the time trial, eventually came second - one minute and 34 seconds adrift - with his brother Frank completing the podium.

Cadel Evans is crowned the winner of the Tour de France © Getty Images

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That meant long-time leader of the general classification Thomas Voeckler had to settle for a heart-breaking fourth, with the controversial Spaniard Alberto Contador left to rue some difficulties in the early part of the Tour as he could only finish fifth.

Elsewhere, Stage 19 winner Pierre Rolland kept the white jersey as the Tour's best young rider, while Sammy Sanchez - who finished a respectable sixth overall - had already been crowned as the year's top climber.

In the team classification, victory went to Team Garmin-Cervelo - despite the fact their top individual rider was American Tom Danielson in ninth.

Tour de France, Stage 21, Champs Elysees
1. Mark Cavendish (UK) HTC-Highroad - two hours 27 minutes two seconds
2. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling - at same time
3. Andre Greipel (Ger) Omega Pharma-Lotto - at same time
4. Tyler Farrar (USA) Team Garmin-Cervelo - at same time
5. Fabian Cancellara (Sui) Team Leopard-Trek - at same time
6. Daniel Oss (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale - at same time
7. Borut Bozic (Ser) Vacansoleil-DCM - at same time
8. Tomas Vaitkus (Lit) Pro Team Astana - at same time
9. Gerald Ciolek (Ger) Quick Step Cycling - at same time
10. Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra) Saur-Sojasun - at same time

General classification at end of 2011 Tour de France:
1. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team - at 83 hours 45 minutes and 20 seconds
2. Andy Schleck (Lux) Leopard Trek - at one minute 34 seconds
3. Frank Schleck (Lux) Leopard Trek - at two minutes 30 seconds
4. Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar - at three minutes 20 seconds
5. Alberto Contador (Spa) Saxo-Bank Sunguard - at three minutes 57 seconds
6. Samuel Sanchez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi - at four minutes 55 seconds
7. Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre - at six minutes five seconds
8. Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas - at seven minutes 23 seconds
9. Tom Danielson(USA) Team Garmin-Cervelo - at eight minutes 15 seconds
10. Jean-Cristophe Peraud (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale - at ten minutes 11 seconds

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