It was a proud day for UAE Team Emirates as their rider Louis Meintjes finished eighth overall, ahead of two-time winner Alberto Contador, and second in the youth classification as the Tour de France drew to a close.

UAE Team Emirates’ Tour debut had a number of memorable moments including Diego Ulissi’s and Darwin Atapuma’s podium finishes in stage 15 and 18 respectively.

There were other fine efforts as well, including Laengen’s performance during stage six where he won the most aggressive rider accolade and Atapuma winning the same award following his performance in stage 18.

Commenting on the end of Le Tour, South African rider Meintjes said: “I think it was a good Tour, we came here with the goal of a solid performance in the GC and we tried our best.

“I don’t think eighth place is a bad result, however you always want to improve. It was a good few weeks with lots of great memories. Now we will have a week of rest in order to recover and refocus for the remainder of the season.”

Briton Chris Froome secured his fourth Tour de France title at the end of the 21st and final stage which was won by Dylan Groenewegen in Paris yesterday. Contador, meanwhile, finished behind Meintjes in ninth.

Sky’s Froome sits fifth overall in the all-time list of Tour victors behind greats Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.