Tejay van Garderen

Vincenzo Nibali put his lungs and legs to work one last time, marching up to the winner's podium of the Tour de France and sighing deeply before the Italian anthem echoed over the Champs-Elysees.

Finally cracking broad smiles after weeks of no-nonsense racing, Vincenzo Nibali confirmed he will win the Tour de France after another impressive ride in a dramatic penultimate stage on Saturday.

Riding in his 10th Tour de France, three-time world champion Michael Rogers of Australia finally got his first stage victory in cycling's greatest race on Tuesday by leading a breakaway group to a downhill finish as the pack entered the Pyrenees.

Almost at the line, Jack Bauer and Martin Elmiger were exhausted but could see it coming -- their first Tour de France stage victory. Those last 50 meters, however, got in the way.

An injured wrist was just too much for Tour de France champion Chris Froome, in one of the most memorable and crash-marred stages in recent race history. Froome ended his repeat bid Wednesday, dropping out of cycling's big event and dropping a bombshell on his competitors after crashing twice in a rain-, mud-, sweat- and blood-soaked fifth stage through nerve-wracking cobblestones along France's border with Belgium.

Italy's Vincenzo Nibali outfoxed other Tour de France title contenders to win a hilly second stage through Yorkshire countryside on Sunday, wresting the overall race leader's yellow jersey.