Spain’s former Tour de France champion Carlos Sastre announced on Thursday that he is retiring from the sport at the age of 36.

The GEOX-TMC rider told a news conference at a Madrid hotel he had made the decision last year.

“The time has come to end this cycle,” said an emotional Sastre, winner of the Tour de France in 2008.

Cadel Evans sealed victory in the 2011 Tour de France after a trouble-free final stage to Paris that saw Mark Cavendish take his third consecutive sprint win on the Champs-Élysées.

In the finishing sprint, Cavendish enjoyed a fine lead-out from his HTC-Highroad squad across the Place de la Concorde.

Cadel Evans is set to become the first Australian winner of the Tour de France after overcoming his overnight deficit to Andy Schleck in the penultimate stage time trial Saturday.

BMC leader Evans started the 42.5km race against the clock with a 57-second deficit to Schleck in the overall standings but easily erased that on his way to second place behind stage winner Tony Martin of Germany. Last years winner Alberto Contador had a strong ride for third in the stage.

Frenchman Pierre Rolland of the Europcar team won the 19th stage of the Tour de France, a 109.5 km ride from Modane to the summit of Alpe d’Huez on Friday.

Luxembourg’s Andy Schleck, of Leopard-Trek, took possession of the yellow jersey from Frenchman Thomas Voeckler, who lost over two minutes on the final climb of the race.

Andy Schleck closed to within 15 seconds of the yellow jersey with an audacious breakaway victory on the Col du Galibier in the Tour de France.

Schleck was only denied the overall lead by a late surge up the climb from yellow jersey wearer Thomas Voeckler.

He finished second to the world champion in the rain of stage 16 but when the Tour de France returned to Italy, it was Edvald Boasson Hagen who achieved another coup for Norway. The young rider attacked the final ascent and used it as his launch pad for a winning surge that allowed him to finish 40 seconds ahead of the best of his former escape companions, Bauke Mollema.

World champion Thor Hushovd of Norway led a three-man breakaway to win a rainy 16th stage of the Tour de France on Tuesday, as overall race leader Thomas Voeckler lost crucial seconds against two top race favourites. This is Thor’s 2nd stage win in this years Tour.