The warm sky over Paris was yellow, the last rays of summer sun making for a glorious golden sunset.
Fans dotted around the Champs-Elysees sporting yellow t-shirts, Slovenians feeling at home on the famed avenue.
However, for all the beauty on offer around the French capital on Sunday, it was the iconic yellow jersey on UAE Team Emirates star Tadej Pogacar that mattered most.
His crowning moment as the Tour de France’s youngest winner since 1904 and it’s first from Slovenia. A new star was born.
It wasn’t meant to be this way, though.
Leading up to Saturday’s penultimate stage, an uphill 36km time trial, Primoz Roglic looked untouchable. His iron-like grip locked on to the leader’s jersey.
With nothing to lose, and trying to block out the fact that Roglic had beaten him in the Slovenian national road championships back in June, Pogacar rode his heart out.
There was no marginal gains, no motor in his bike, no push to the finish line from any spectators. Just sheer power and aggression.
In the end, the showdown wasn’t even close. Trailing by 57 seconds, Pogacar pulled off one of the most astonishing rides in Tour history to place a further 59 more seconds on his compatriot.
Roglic could only manage fifth place, sinking to the ground in disbelief that victory had been snatched from him.
In his debut Tour, Pogacar redefined the regular script of a young rider. He should have been buried deep in the peloton, making his mistakes and learning his ways.
Instead, he has come to dominate the global stage thanks to his mentors at the Emirati racing team. His dizzying rise to the top podium is faster than anyone expected.
He won the Tour de l’Avenir in 2018, and stormed through his rookie season, capped by three stages victories and a podium at Vuelta a Espana last September.
In this year’s Tour, he clinched stunning stage wins at Laruns and Grand Colombier, adding to his impressive time-trial victory at La Planches des Belles Filles on Saturday, reminiscent of Greg LeMond’s triumph back in 1989 Tour.
What makes Pogacar so special is his natural talent. His success is fuelled by a mix of courage, self-confidence and the love of racing. Off the bike, he is a well-mannered, shy and tremendously nice guy.
For most Tour de France champions it takes time for their incredible achievement to sink in. For Pogacar, it may take a little longer because of his tender age. He only turns 22 on Monday.
When he returns back to Ljubljana later this week, he will be greeted by thousands of fans and mobbed by the Slovenian media. The President may even invite him to parliament to accept a special award. He will be a national treasure.
Any time he goes to a local coffee shop, he will be snapped in pictures by fans. Every sports fan will want a piece of him. Brands will want his face plastered across billboards nationwide.
His Tour success will see his name ranked among top Slovenian athletes like NBA stars Luka Doncic and Goran Dragic, Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak and Olympic ski champion Tina Maze.
Only a modest winner like him will be able to keep his feet on the ground.
But irrespective of what perks the tag of 2020 Tour de France champion brings, it’s on the bike where he will want to be remembered most.
In what is destined to be the start of a stellar career, he joins Egan Bernal and Remco Evenepoel as the rising stars pushing the likes of Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas out of the picture. The young riders set to light up the sport.
UAE Team Emirates is certainly a nice fit for Pogacar now, a side that provides him with the freedom, positivity and belief of expressing himself in marquee races.
The trust placed in him by management early on has only furthered his development and allowed him to blossom into an exceptional young rider.
As the years wind on, more pressure will fall on his teammates shoulders following this historic victory in France. There will be more expected of them to set the pace and show authority in the peloton.
Dictating that speed at the front to prevent fast attacks will be key in the Grand Tours. However, judging by the quality on their roster, UAE Team Emirates will shine with whatever challenge is presented to them.
With the classy Pogacar at the helm, they boast the most exciting rider in the sport, a man who has the potential to dominate the next decade.
