Tour de France 2023: the last sprint goes to Jordi Meeus

With the Tour already awarded, the last victory of 2023 comes in a sprint.

Jordi Meeus takes the last stage of the Tour de France 2023, the one that ended at the Champs Elysees with the already well-known triumph of Jonas Vingegaard. The Belgian won in a sprint, preceding on the streets of Paris his compatriot and far more favored Jasper Philipsen. Little bad for the latter, who remains the holder of the Green Jersey. As known, however, the Polka Dot Jersey went to Giulio Ciccone, the first Italian to succeed in the feat since Claudio Chiappucci (it was 1992).

The Grand Prix de la Montagne classification originated in the Tour de France in 1933, while the Maglia a Pois that distinguishes the leader was introduced in 1975. Seven, before Ciccone, were the top Italian climbers of the Grande Boucle: Gino Bartali in 1938 and 1948, Fausto Coppi in 1949 and 1952, Gastone Nencini in 1957, Imerio Massignan in 1960 and 1961, Giancarlo Bellini in 1976, Giovanni Battaglin in 1979 and (as mentioned) Claudio Chiappucci in 1991 and 1992.

Ciccone, born in Chieti on Dec. 20, 1994, has won three stages of the Giro d’Italia in his career, among others, in 2016 in Sesola, in 2019 in Ponte di Legno and in 2022 in Cogne, a Giro dell’Appennino in 2018, a Trofeo Laigueglia in 2020, and also won the climbers’ classification at the Giro in 2019 and in that same year he wore the Yellow Jersey for two days at the Tour at the end of stages six and seven.