Lance Armstrong became the most successful rider in the history of the Tour de France when he won the race for the sixth time on the Champs Elysees on Sunday.
The Texan crossed the line with the rest of the 147 riders left in the Tour after three weeks and 3,500 km of racing, at the end of the 163-km last stage from Montereau to Paris won by Belgian Tom Boonen.
German Andreas Kloeden was second overall, six minutes and 38 seconds behind the U.S. Postal team leader and Italian Ivan Basso was third, 6:59 adrift.
Thanks to his victory, Armstrong, who won five stages in this Tour, eclipsed former five times Tour winners Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Jacques Anquetil and Miguel Indurain.
Boonen outsprinted the main bunch to snatch his second stage victory this year, but it was not enough for the Belgian to prevent Australian Robbie McEwen from winning the points classification green jersey for the second time.
McEwen won the green jersey in 2002.
The King of the Mountains classification went to Frenchman Richard Virenque, who won the distinctive polka dot jersey for a record seventh time.
Russian Vladimir Karpets won the white jersey for the best young rider while the team classification went to Kloeden's and fourth-placed Jan Ullrich's T-Mobile team.
Usually a relaxed ride through the outskirts of Paris to the Champs Elysees, the final stage was a little bit more animated than usual as Italian Filippo Simeoni attacked three times to try and spoil Armstrong's show.
The Domina Vacanze rider and the Texan are involved in a bitter legal battle and Simeoni was out for revenge after Armstrong forced him back into the main bunch after he had tried to attack in Friday's 18th stage.
Lance Armstrong
Born: September 18, 1971 in Texas, U.S. Brought up by his mother Linda.
1989: Competed in the junior world cycling championships.
1991: U.S amateur champion.
1992: Competed in the Barcelona Olympics, finishing 14th in the individual road race. Turned professional.
1993: Raced in the Tour de France, winning a stage at Verdum. Won the one-million dollar Triple Crown in the U.S and the World Championships in Oslo, Norway.
1995: Won the 18th stage of the Tour and dedicated it to his fallen team mate Fabio Casartelli who had died in a crash earlier in the race. Won the San Sebastian Classic.
1996: Twelfth in road race and sixth in individual time trial at Atlanta Olympics. Diagnosed with testicular cancer and given less than a 50 percent chance of survival. Underwent surgery and chemotherapy.
1999: Won the Tour for the first time, taking four stage wins on the way.
2000: Earned a second Tour victory beating previous winners Jan Ullrich and Marco Pantani. Won bronze medal for individual time trial at Sydney Olympics.
2001: Became only the fifth man in 88 editions of the Tour to win three or more times in succession following Louison Bobet (1953-55), Jacques Anquetil (1961-64), Eddy Merckx (1969-72) and
Miguel Indurain (1991-95).
2002: Took his fourth Tour title -- one short of the record held by Anquetil (France), Merckx (Belgium), Bernard Hinault (France) and Indurain (Spain). Armstrong won four stages and
wore the yellow jersey continuously after taking it on stage 11.
2003: Named sportsman of the year at the Laureus World Sports Awards. Took the Tour de France yellow jersey on the eighth stage to L'Alpe d'Huez. Won a record equalling fifth Tour.
2004: Won record-breaking sixth Tour de France. Took over the yellow jersey after winning the 15th stage.