Spain's Carlos Sastre wrapped up his maiden Tour de France triumph on Sunday following the final stage of the race into Paris.
Sastre, a 33-year-old climbing specialist who rides for the CSC team, became the eighth Spaniard to win the race's yellow jersey and the third in a row after Oscar Pereiro (2006) and Alberto Contador (2007).
Silence-Lotto's Cadel Evans was runner-up for the second consecutive year, the Australian finishing 1min05sec behind Sastre after failing to eradicate a 1min34sec deficit to the Spaniard in the penultimate stage time trial.
A surprise third place went to Gerolsteiner's Bernhard Kohl of Austria, who stepped onto the podium in Paris wearing the polka dot jersey for the race's 'King of the Mountains'.
Last year's winner, Colombian Mauricio Soler, quit the race before the halfway stage after a number of crashes.
Sastre's CSC team had cause for further celebration, having topped the teams' classification and seen Andy Schleck win the white jersey for the best placed rider aged 25 and under.
Schleck's older brother Frank - the Luxembourg champion - finished in sixth place overall having worn the yellow jersey for two days in the Alps.
Belgian Gert Steegmans of the Quick Step team won the final stage, claiming his second career stage win on the race, but his first on the Champs Elysees.
He was led out to the finish in commanding fashion by several of his teammates before driving for the line on his own in the final 150 metres, where he beat Germany's Gerald Ciolek of the Columbia team.
Spaniard Oscar Freire, of Rabobank, came home in third to secure his first green jersey for the race's points classification.
Final Standings
1. Carlos Sastre (Spain / Team CSC ) 87h 52m 52s
2. Cadel Evans (Australia / Silence - Lotto ) +58s
3. Bernhard Kohl (Austria / Gerolsteiner ) +1:13"
4. Denis Menchov (Russia / Rabobank ) +2:10"
5. Christian Vande Velde (U.S. / Garmin - Chipotle ) +3:05"
6. Frank Schleck (Luxembourg / Team CSC ) +4:28"
7. Samuel Sanchez (Spain / Euskaltel ) +6:25"
8. Kim Kirchen (Luxembourg / Columbia ) +6:55"
9. Alejandro Valverde (Spain / Caisse d'Epargne ) +7:12"
10. Tadej Valjavec (Slovenia / AG2R ) +9:05"
Tour de France winners since WWII:
2008 Carlos Sastre (Spain)
2007 Alberto Contador (Spain)
2006 Oscar Pereiro (Spain) **
2005 Lance Armstrong (U.S.)
2004 Armstrong
2003 Armstrong
2002 Armstrong
2001 Armstrong
2000 Armstrong
1999 Armstrong
1998 Marco Pantani (Italy)
1997 Jan Ullrich (Germany)
1996 Bjarne Riis (Denmark) *
1995 Miguel Indurain (Spain)
1994 Indurain
1993 Indurain
1992 Indurain
1991 Indurain
1990 Greg LeMond (U.S.)
1989 LeMond
1988 Pedro Delgado (Spain)
1987 Stephen Roche (Ireland)
1986 LeMond
1985 Bernard Hinault (France)
1984 Laurent Fignon (France)
1983 Fignon
1982 Hinault
1981 Hinault
1980 Joop Zoetemelk (Netherlands)
1979 Hinault
1978 Hinault
1977 Bernard Thevenet (France)
1976 Lucien Van Impe (Belgium)
1977 Thevenet
1974 Eddy Merckx (Belgium)
1973 Luis Ocana (Spain)
1972 Merckx
1971 Merckx
1970 Merckx
1969 Merckx
1968 Jan Janssen (Netherlands)
1967 Roger Pingeon (France)
1966 Lucien Aimar (France)
1965 Felice Gimondi (Italy)
1964 Jacques Anquetil (France)
1963 Anquetil
1962 Anquetil
1961 Anquetil
1960 Gastone Nencini (Italy)
1959 Federico Bahamontes (Spain)
1958 Charly Gaul (Luxembourg)
1957 Anquetil
1956 Roger Walkowiak (France)
1955 Louison Bobet (France)
1954 Bobet
1953 Bobet
1952 Fausto Coppi (Italy)
1951 Hugo Koblet (Switzerland)
1950 Ferdi Kubler (Switzerland)
1949 Coppi
1948 Gino Bartali (Italy)
1947 Jean Robic (France)
* Denmark's Bjarne Riis was erased from the list of winners by organisers last year after admitting to doping during his 1996 victorious ride. He has been re-instated this year.
** American Floyd Landis was stripped of the title after testing positive for elevated levels of testosterone during the 2006 race.
