In review: The last five winners of the Tour de France

The Tour de France is one of the staples of the global sporting calendar. Every year, dozens of the world’s top cyclists descend on France to take part in a race of immense history and tradition, with the event first held in 1903. The sport has come a long way since then, but the anticipation and excitement surrounding the Tour de France remains undimmed through all the years since.

This year, there was doubt that the race would take place at all, with the coronavirus pandemic putting paid to so many sporting events this summer, not least Wimbledon and Euro 2020. And while the original dates of the Tour were forced into being changed, the 2020 race is now well underway, with cycling fans revelling in the familiar joy of watching non-stop Tour de France action on their TVs, and picking their favourites in the Tour de France odds.

To celebrate the return of everyone’s favourite race, we’ve delved into the not-too-distant past to look back at the last five editions of the Tour de France, and the winners of each.

2015: Chris Froome

It’s a sign of their dominance of cycling in recent years that each of the winners we look at on this list are from Team Sky/Ineos. Dave Brailsford and his team have seemingly cracked the code when it comes to the Tour de France, and in 2015 Chris Froome became the first British cyclist to win the Tour de France twice, having previously won it in 2013. Froome performed consistently throughout a dramatic race, and held his nerve to join the list of multiple Tour winners.

2016: Chris Froome

Froome secured another Tour victory a year later, ultimately winning by a comfortable margin of four minutes and five seconds over AG2R La Mondiale rider Romain Bardet. It was another exquisite performance from the Brit, as he achieved the exceptional feat of defending his Tour title amid a host of tough competitors.

2017: Chris Froome

Sensing a theme? Froome made it four Tour titles in total and three on the bounce in 2017, after winning a close contest in which second-placed Rigoberto Urán pushed him close, finishing runner up by just 54 seconds. “Each time I have won has been so unique, such a different battle to get to this moment,” Froome said. “They are all so special but this will be remembered as the closest and most hard fought.”

2018: Geraint Thomas

The Froome supremacy was broken in 2018, as Welshman Geraint Thomas emerged as the surprise winner, becoming the third British cyclist to win the yellow jersey. It was a dream come true for Thomas, and a fourth win in a row for Team Sky, as Brailsford’s men made it seven Tour wins since Sir Bradley Wiggins first won the event in 2012.

2019: Egan Bernal

Those seven wins became eight a year later, as Colombian rider Egan Bernal claimed his first yellow jersey. His Ineos teammate Thomas finished second by just over a minute, as Bernal experienced his first taste of Tour de France success. At 23, there is a lot of expectation on Bernal to continue to deliver as his career progresses, and it will be interesting to see how he fares in the years to come.