Italy's Vincenzo Nibali wins Tour de France

Race leader Astana team rider Vincenzo Nibali of Italy celebrates on the podium after the 208.5km 19th stage of the Tour de France cycling race between Maubourguet and Bergerac, July 25, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

Armstrong, Ullrich and Virenque were caught in nearly a generation of doping scandals. Armstrong, in cycling's biggest scandal, admitted to doping and was stripped of his record seven Tour titles.

Nibali and many others in the peloton say that era is past. But his own victories in the 2010 Vuelta and the Italian Giro last year were tarnished by doping involving other riders. Cycling's governing body has made great efforts to halt drug use, but few cycling experts believe the pack is fully clean.

Authorities in Italy and France have been among the most aggressive in cracking down on doping, and the victory of an Italian, followed by two Frenchmen, could be a sign the peloton is getting cleaner.

Some suggested that Nibali was just the best among the riders still in this Tour. Colombia's Nairo Quintana, who won the Giro d'Italia in May, didn't ride. Bradley Wiggins, the 2012 Tour winner, was passed over so his Sky Team could focus on Froome. Then Froome and Contador pulled out.

But even before they left, Nibali had a two-second lead on them by winning Stage 2. Then, in Stage 5 after Froome crashed out, the Italian excelled on cobblestone patches that slowed Contador, who lost more than 2 1/2 minutes to Nibali. The Spaniard felt compelled to attack.

On a downhill in Stage 10, Contador fractured his shin. But Nibali - known as "The Shark of the Strait" in a nod to the waterway near his hometown of Messina, Sicily, and his attacking style - didn't stop there.

He went on to win that stage, up to the super steep La Planche des Belles Filles. It was the first of three stages with uphill finishes that he won, adding one in the Alps and another in the Pyrenees - each time dealing small but cumulatively significant blows to contenders.

This 101st Tour began in Yorkshire, England, and guided riders over 3,664 kilometers (2,277 miles), with high-mountain rides in the Vosges, Alps and Pyrenees.

Tejay van Garderen, the top US rider, said on Twitter this was the hardest of his four Tours. He finished fifth overall, 11:24 behind Nibali, after climbing a spot in Saturday's time trial.

Nibali said the Tour layout was "almost made to measure for me." He also noted that crashes are part of the race, and he's been such a victim in the past.

As he stepped down from the podium, Nibali hurled the winner's bouquet into the crowd, and a fan handed him an inflatable shark. Many waved French and Italian flags.

"I think it's very important for cycling in Italy because at the moment there isn't a lot of trust," said spectator Massimo Solaroli, a 47-year-old physical education teacher from the Italian town of Imola. "We don't believe an Italian champion can win an important race without doping."

But Nibali, he added, gives reason for hope.

"I think he can be a good champion for all the people, not only for Italian people, because he's very humble," he said.