Sam Bennett took victory on the Champs-Elysees after securing the green jersey on the final stage of the Tour de France in Paris as Tadej Pogacar rolled home in yellow to cap a remarkable closing weekend.
The 29-year-old hit a top speed of 66.1km/h in the bunch finish to beat world champion Mads Pedersen and take his second stage win of the Tour, having already wrapped up the points classification at the intermediate sprint of the 122km stage from Mantes-la-Jolie.
It made Bennett the first Irishman to win a major jersey at one of the three Grand Tours since Sean Kelly won green at the Tour for the fourth and final time in 1989.
Bennett launched his sprint early and briefly looked like he might be overhauled by the hard-chasing Pedersen, but he would not be denied in the race all sprinters want to win the most.
"I can't tell you how excited I am," Bennett said. "The green jersey and the Champs-Elysees, the world championships of sprinting. I never thought I'd be able to win this stage and to do it in green is so special.
"And to do it too with my dream team, Deceuninck-QuickStep - the way the boys rode all day was fantastic. It's just so amazing the feeling, I can't thank everyone enough."
President Michael D Higgins was among those to offer his congratulations.
"My congratulations to Sam Bennett, @Sammy_Be, on his win on the Champs Elysees today.
— President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) September 20, 2020
Winning two stages and the green jersey in one of the hardest Tours of recent years is an enormous achievement, and one that will be celebrated by all those who love cycling and Irish sport."
Pogacar meanwhile became the first Slovenian to win the Tour de France after he retained the overall leader's yellow jersey.
The Team UAE Emirates rider, who will celebrate his 22nd birthday on Monday, is the youngest man to win the race since Henri Cornet in 1904.
Pogacar, who pulled off a major upset when he claimed the yellow jersey from Primoz Roglic with a monumental performance in Saturday's time trial, also won the white jersey for the best Under-25 rider and the polka dot jersey for the mountains classification.
Roglic ended up second, with Australian Richie Porte taking third place.
Pogacar also won three stages in one of the most brilliant individual performances in recent Tour history, leaving Roglic's dominant Jumbo-Visma team stunned.
