Chris Froome wins 2nd Tour de France

Team Sky rider Chris Froome of Britain (C), in the race leader's yellow jersey, celebrates his overall victory with team-mates after the 109.5-km (68 miles) final 21st stage of the 102nd Tour de France cycling race from Sevres to Paris Champs-Elysees, France, July 26, 2015.[Photo/Agencies]

But knowing the title was his, he didn't have to panic when a paper bag got stuck in his back wheel. He simply stopped and changed bikes. He also had time to raise a glass of Champagne in the saddle and stop to put on a raincoat under the iconic yellow jersey.

While sprinters dashed ahead for the stage win - snatched by Andre Greipel, his fourth and Germany's sixth at this Tour - Froome and his teammates, wearing yellow stripes on their shorts and helmets, linked together for their slow-motion, chorus-line finish.

"This is your yellow jersey as much as it is mine," Froome said.

Their powerful riding, chasing rivals in the mountains and protecting Froome on flats, was vital. So, too, was the meticulous planning of Dave Brailsford, the organizational brains at Froome's Team Sky, which has far surpassed its goal in 2009 of nurturing Britain's first Tour winner within five years.

In a repeat of 2013, Quintana was again runner-up. But the margin was much smaller this time: 1 minute, 12 seconds, the tightest win since 2008.

Third-placed Alejandro Valverde, Quintana's Movistar teammate from Spain, made the podium for the first time, moving up from fourth last year.

For all the pre-Tour talk of a possible four-way battle between Froome, Quintana, 2014 champion Vincenzo Nibali and two-time winner Alberto Contador, only the 25-year-old Colombian - who again won the Tour's white jersey as best young rider - gave the yellow jersey a run for his 450,000 euros ($494,000) in prize money.

"He's a great rival," Quintana said. "He suffered a lot to win."

With more experience and more smarts in the first week when he lost too much time, Quintana would have posed a bigger threat and perhaps come closer to becoming the first Colombian winner.

This Tour was mountain-heavy, suiting Quintana's climbing strengths. Future Tours could have more time trials, which Froome excels at. Their developing rivalry, with youth on Quintana's side against the 30-year-old Froome, could help the sport win back fans disgusted by the systematic deceit of Armstrong's era.

"I have lots of years ahead of me," Quintana said.

Totaled up, Quintana took more time off Froome on the Tour's high mountain climbs than the other way around.

Yet the Colombian didn't have to contend with the scrutiny, doubt and thinly-veiled suggestions of doping that Froome was forced to respond to on an almost daily basis, mostly with patience but also with bristle as the race wore on.

Such was his strength, it's no longer a stretch to imagine Froome soon joining the elite group of seven riders who won three Tours or more. The record of five wins - achieved by Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain - is still far off.

Froome says he would like to keep competing "as long as my body will allow me." His aim is at least another six years.

"I love the sacrifices, the training, the hard work. That's what gets me out of bed in the mornings. I'm not trying to do it for a specific amount of Tour titles or fame," he said after sealing his win in the Alps. "I love riding my bike. I love pushing my body to the limit. I love the freedom that cycling gives you."