• Second consecutive triumph for Pogačar
  
• Great performances from both Mark Cavendish and Julian Alaphilippe
  
• Spectacular start to the partnership with UAE Team Emirates

The Richard Mille brand and RM 67-02 variations glinted in the Paris afternoon sun this Sunday as the peloton attacked the world’s most famous cobbles. Richard Mille friends Tadej Pogačar, Mark Cavendish and Julian Alaphilippe can all be proud of their achievements during the 2021 Tour de France which was also a triumph for the new partnership between the brand and UAE Team Emirates. The 3-week event came to a spectacular finish on the Champs Elysées, barely a hundred meters from the flagship Paris Richard Mille boutique.

It was the second consecutive Tour de France title for Tadej. “This time I took the yellow jersey earlier on. It’s been quite different.” In 2020 he had clinched victory only at the eleventh hour. This year, however, the Slovenian powerhouse stamped his authority at the end of Week 1, never to look back. Tadej not only held on to yellow, but he also won white for the best Under-25 and the polka-dot jersey for the mountain classification. No rider has won three jerseys since Eddy Merckx way back in 1969.

Richard Mille support was clearly visible throughout the Tour on bikes and kits as riders battled whatever France’s breath-taking geography, landscapes and gruelling meteorological conditions threw at them. Tadej’s victory also cements the teaming up earlier this year between Richard Mille and UAE Team Emirates. The Team committed to cycling in 2017 and has attracted world class performances ever since.

Youth was not the only winner. Experience shone through in the incredible comeback of Tour favorite 36-year-old Mark Cavendish. The Manx cyclist took the green jersey by winning the Tour’s Points Classification. Cavendish came to the Tour as a last-minute call-up and managed to win four stages, bringing him to a career total of 34 - whilst equaling Eddy Merckx’s long-standing record. “It’s an absolute dream to be back,” he commented, “it’s wonderful after a decade to pull on again the maillot vert.” Also sporting the RM 67-02 was family member Julian Alaphilippe. The leading French competitor in this year’s Tour raised a deservedly loud cheer by winning the very first étape in front of the Brittany home crowd.

With no time to spare, Pogačar headed off into the Paris sunset for Tokyo as firm favourite for the Olympics road race this Saturday. That’s before an August spent battling the Vuelta in Spain and then, further down the line, Denmark for the kick-off of the 2022 Tour de France. Richard Mille will be accompanying this great champion for the foreseeable future!