The Danes' turn to celebrate in Paris

ASKED what he expected when the Tour de France arrived on the Champs Elysees yesterday, the Dane Bjarne Riis, who became the first Scandinavian to win the world's biggest bike race, commented: "All Denmark will be there, apart from two people. The queen ... and one border guard."

He wasn't far wrong. Coaches with DK number plates lined the back streets off the world's finest boulevard after disgorging an estimated 50,000 fans - a fair turnout for a country of only five million people. Among the crowd were the Danish ambassador to France, and the Danish minister of sport.

A quiet man on and off the bike, whose major interests outside cycling are said to be collecting French wines and records by middle of the road singer Roger Whitaker, Riis is loved for his modesty, and the patriotism he has shown in taking two victories in his country's national title. Ironically, he lives in Luxembourg and has a summer cottage on Denmark's west coast.

The abiding image of this Tour will remain Riis' jutting jaw, agonized face and shining pate during the two attacks which won him the race, on the mountain top finishes at Sestrieres in Italy, and Hautacam in the Pyrenees.

While the power of five times winner Miguel Indurain is disguised by perfect style - somewhat less perfect than usual as he suffered to 11th place this year - the Dane is all brute strength and sheer determination as he attacks in the mountains.

"He deserves this victory for the way he has gone out and taken it at the hardest points of the race," is how five times winner Bernard Hinault sees Riis's victory. It has been hard work all the way since Riis quit Denmark in 1985 to race in Luxembourg, stung by his non selection for the Los Angeles Olympics, and the comment of a local trainer that he was not good enough to make it.

"I worked part time and didn't have enough money to live off," he recalls. "It didn't matter because I wanted to be a good cyclist. I learned the hard way. I said I would either make it or stop. The second turning point came a few years later when Riis had established himself as a good team man, but lacked the confidence to go further.

In 1993, that all changed when he took a stage in the Tour and finished fifth. His team manager of the time, Giancarlo Ferretti, recalls: "He had it in his head that he was a team man, but he was a rider who could win races, although I never thought he could win the Tour. His fifth place was the spur which made him think he could win the Tour. He believed in himself more than anyone else and he is the only one who deserves credit for what he has achieved."

The only sticky moment in Riis' Tour came in Saturday's time trial. Clearly on a bad day, at one point he was losing time to his second placed team mate Jan Ullrich at such a rate that it seemed a major upset might be on the cards. Riis held on, but Ullrich moved to less than two minutes behind. This is the first time two riders from the same team have finished in first and second since 1986.