Green Glory For Brit As Tour De France Ends

Mark Cavendish has become the first ever Briton to win the green jersey in the Tour de France.

The sprinter from the Isle of Man won the final stage of the race on the Champs Elysees in Paris to sprint his way into the history books.

It was the fifth stage win for the 'Manx missile' at this year's tour, bringing his total number of victories at the event to 20.

He won the 21st stage for the third successive year.

The 26-year-old's achievement places him sixth in the all-time rankings for the most stage wins at the Tour de France.

He told Sky News: "I'm really happy. I've got the green jersey. It's what I've wanted for the last two years, the last three years and finally it's happened."

The riders crossed the finish line having competed in 21 stages over the past three weeks, for a total of 3,430km (2,132 miles).

While Cavendish ultimately made his victory appear easy, it was anything but.

He lost one stage to former teammate and rival Andre Griepel, and finished outside the time limit on the last two mountain stages.

This resulted in a total deduction of 40 points. He came into the 21st stage with a 15 point lead.

His team carried out a textbook finish with the lead out train delivering their man to the line and to his place in history.

Also celebrating was Cadel Evans, from Australia, who secured his place as the overall winner.

Evans had virtually secured the yellow jersey with his ride in the time trial in Grenoble a day earlier.

It is only the second time that a British rider has won one of the three prestigious jerseys - yellow, polka dot and green - in an event that dates back 108 years.

Robert Millar won the polka dot jersey for Britain in 1984.

This year the polka dot - awarded to the best climber - was taken by Olympic champion Samuel Sanchez of Spain, while the best young rider was Pierre Rolland of France.