In a first, the Tour de France winner wore a face mask on the podium Sunday, bright yellow to match the color of the iconic jersey so snug on his young shoulders.

But at least there was a winner.

Three weeks ago, when 21-year-old Tadej Pogačar set off with 175 other competitors that he ended up beating, not even race organizers were sure they would make it through the storm of France's worsening coronavirus epidemic and reach Paris.

“Really, I was scared we wouldn't get to the end,” race director Christian Prudhomme conceded at the finish.

And so it was that Pogačar, up there on that podium, backlit by the pink hues of a Paris dusk, not only became the Tour's youngest champion in 116 years but also a symbol of resilience, of can-do, of learning to live with — but not surrendering to — the virus still causing so much pain.

Sure, it all felt weird, as so many things do these days. Example: Pogačar's mask puffed in and out, like an octopus glued to his face, as he sang the anthem of his native Slovenia, played in his honor.

Slovenian Tadej Pogačar set to win Tour de France at just 21

But so liberating and invigorating, too, in this most horrid of years.

The rumble of the riders' wheels hammering over the cobblestones of Paris' Champs-Elysees. Alive, like heartbeats, on the famous boulevard that during lockdown just months ago was deserted.

The applause from the roadside crowds that, when they were all confined indoors, cheered only for doctors and nurses, coming out on their balconies each night to yell “Bravo!"

In towns and villages across France, that word has been heard again, over and over, these past weeks — this time for the Tour's riders as they zoomed past in a kaleidoscope of colored jerseys, the yellow one most prized of all.

And against the virus that doesn't care how old or young its victims are, how hopeful it seemed that the Tour's winner should come from the same generation asking itself: What is life going to be like for us?

“It's super. I adore that," said Lea Tilhac, a 23-year-old student who got to the Champs-Elysees hours early to be sure of being among the 5,000 people allowed to line its length, the socially-distanced limit this year. “It shows there's a future.”

Pogačar: from prodigy to superstar

For Pogačar, the future now looks brighter than ever. The victory on the eve of his 22nd birthday and the way he went about it during 3,482 kilometers (2,164 miles) of racing — with an intoxicating mix of youthful insouciance and steely grit — transformed him from prodigy into cycling superstar, a Tour rookie so talented he KO'd the race on his first attempt.

He is Slovenia's first winner and the Tour's second-youngest behind Henri Cornet, who was just shy of 20 when he was crowned in 1904.

Pogačar sealed the win in a high-drama time trial on Saturday, the last real day of racing for the title. In an astounding reversal, he dethroned race leader Primož Roglič, his countryman who had held the yellow jersey for 11 days. Pogačar held it for just one day, the last and most important, on the processional ride to the finishing line in Paris, with yellow bike to match.

On the podium, Pogačar's mask hid his smiles, but the creases around his eyes gave them away.

“This is just the top of the top,” he said. “It's been an amazing three-week adventure."

With jets trailing plumes of red, white and blue smoke above Paris as the riders raced, organizers could finally breathe free. None of the 176 starters, or 146 finishers, tested positive for the virus in multiple batteries of tests, validating the hermetic bubble of measures that shielded them from infection and the decision to postpone the race from July to September, but not to cancel it.

The only COVID-19 positives touched a handful of team employees and Prudhomme, the director, even as infection numbers soared across the country.

Prudhomme was back after a week of self-isolation. Wearing a mask, he signaled the start of Sunday’s stage at Mantes-La-Jolie 

Tiger Woods was scheduled to host the event in December

Last Updated: 19/10/20 10:00pm

 

Tiger Woods was scheduled to host the event in Hero World Challenge

The Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas has been cancelled due to travel restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The event, hosted by Tiger Woods, was scheduled to take place at Albany, Bahamas from December 3-6 and slated to bring together 18 of the top golfers in the world.

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Prize money won by the players is not included in money rankings on any of the global professional tours but the event offers world ranking points.

SOUTH AFRICAN TOUR SUN 25, 0:00

WINNER

Wild Coast Sun Challenge

DANIEL VAN TONDER

10/3

JACO AHLERS

5/1

ADILSON DA SILVA

10/1

THRISTON LAWRENCE

11/1

JAYDEN SCHAPER

14/1

MJ VILJOEN

18/1

JACQUES BLAAUW

20/1

KEITH HORNE

22/1

ULRICH VAN DEN BERG

25/1

HENNIE DU PLESSIS

25/1

NEIL SCHIETEKAT

28/1

JEAN-PAUL STRYDOM

28/1

JACO VAN ZYL

33/1

MALCOLM MITCHELL

40/1

OLIVER BEKKER

45/1

JAKE ROOS

50/1

HENNIE OTTO

50/1

TRISTEN STRYDOM

50/1

PIETER MOOLMAN

66/1

PETER KARMIS

66/1

JACO PRINSLOO

80/1

LUKE JERLING

80/1

ANTON HAIG

80/1

HEINRICH BRUINERS

80/1

DEON GERMISHUYS

80/1

ALEX HAINDL

90/1

OCKIE STRYDOM

100/1

JAKE REDMAN

100/1

FREDRIK FROM

100/1

ANTHONY MICHAEL

125/1

RUPERT KAMINSKI

125/1

MADALITSO MUTHIYA

125/1

CHRISTIAAN BASSON

125/1

DYLAN MOSTERT

125/1

MICHAEL PALMER

150/1

GORDON NEALE

150/1

KYLE BARKER

150/1

LOUIS ALBERTSE

150/1

KEENAN DAVIDSE

150/1

CLAYTON MANSFIELD

150/1

RUAN KORB

150/1

RUAN CONRADIE

175/1

ANDREW CURLEWIS

175/1

COERT GROENEWALD

200/1

RUAN DE SMIDT

200/1

ANDRE NEL

200/1

CHRIS SWANEPOEL

200/1

CLINTON GROBLER

200/1

DYLAN NAIDOO

200/1

MERRICK BREMNER

200/1

JAMES HART DU PREEZ

200/1

PAUL BOSHOFF

250/1

MICHAEL HOLLICK

250/1

JACQUES DE VILLIERS

250/1

LYLE ROWE

250/1

WYNAND DINGLE

250/1

CALLUM MOWAT

300/1

WALLIE COETSEE

300/1

LUKE BROWN

300/1

ALBERT VENTER

300/1

DERICK PETERSEN

300/1

JJ SENEKAL

300/1

KEAGAN THOMAS

300/1

LUCA FILIPPI

400/1

JARED HARVEY

400/1

HENNIE OKENNEDY

400/1

COLIN NEL

400/1

DOUG MCGUIGAN

400/1

NIKHIL RAMA

400/1

PHILIP GEERTS

400/1

MATTHEW SPACEY

400/1

HAYDEN GRIFFITHS

500/1

ANDRE DE DECKER

500/1

GIDEON VAN DER VYVER

500/1

BYRON COETZEE

500/1

PH MCINTYRE

500/1

ROURKE VAN DER SPUY

600/1

JAMES KINGSTON

600/1

QUINTIN WILSNACH

600/1

TOTO THIMBA

600/1

DESNE VAN DEN BERGH

750/1

RICHARD JOUBERT

750/1

CAMERON MORALEE

750/1

TEAGHAN GAUCHE

750/1

ANDREW VAN DER KNAAP

750/1

JACQUIN HESS

750/1

ROBERTO LUPINI

750/1

STEFAN WEARS-TAYLOR

750/1

RICHARD ODONOVAN

750/1

DWAYNE BASSON

750/1

ANDREW WILLIAMSON

1000/1

RYAN TIPPING

1000/1

ALLISTER DE KOCK

1000/1

SEAN BRADLEY

1000/1

EVANCE VUKEYA

1000/1

JARED BURNARD

1000/1

AUBREY BECKLEY

1000/1

LINDANI NDWANDWE

1000/1

PEETIE VAN DER MERWE

1000/1

MAKHETHA MAZIBUKO

1500/1

JASON SMITH

1500/1

JASON ROETS

1500/1

JACK DUTHIE

1500/1

MARTHIN SCHEEPERS

1500/1

TUMELO MOLLOYI

2000/1

MOHAMMAD RAUF MANDHU

2000/1

SP MTHETHWA

2000/1

SIYANDA MWANDLA

2000/1

JAMES PENNINGTON

2000/1

THANDA MAVUNDLA

2000/1

SHALAN GOVENDER

2500/1

LEON VISSER

2500/1

"This decision was made with the health and well-being of all tournament constituents and the Albany community in mind," the organisers said.

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"We look forward to hosting 18 of the top players in the world and welcoming tournament guests to Albany, Bahamas next year."

Sweden's Henrik Stenson is the defending champion at the event, where recent winners also include world No 2 Jon Rahm, Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson and Jordan Spieth.