Floyd Landis: The New Champion of the Tour the France

The American leader of the Phonak team Floyd Landis won the most unpredictable and exciting Tour de France of the last few years, despite his collapse five days ago in a stage in the Alps.

Landis margin of victory on Sunday was only 57 seconds after a three week race that had a length of 3,657 kilometers (2,270 miles). The Tour concluded with a 154.5-kilometer run from Sceaux-Antony, south of Paris, into the capital and eight laps of the Champs-Élysées. Over 120 of those kilometers, Landis conducted what has been described as "the comeback of the century".

Landis finished 57 seconds ahead of Oscar Pereiro of Spain, a former Landis teammate who currently rides for Caisse d'Epargne and who lost the yellow jersey in the time trial. Andreas Kloeden of Germany, riding for T-Mobile, finished third, one minute, 29 seconds behind Landis.

Floyd Landis is the third American to win the Tour de France after Greg LeMond, who won three times, and Lance Armstrong. After riding under the wing of Armstrong in three Tours until 2004, he joined Phonak and finished ninth last year in the Tour.

Landis's overall time is 89 hours 39 minutes 30 seconds meaning an average speed of 40.7 kilometers per hour.

After seven consecutive victories in the Tour de France, Lance Armstrong retired last July letting Landis occupy his spot in the podium's first place. Landis previous major victories were the Tour of California, Paris- Nice and the Tour de Georgia, all of them this year.

Floyd Landis won the Tour de France despite needing a hip replacement after an injury he suffered in a crash several years ago. This surgery could jeopardize his cycling career since he has affirmed it might take place later on this year.