Paris - Among the many winners of this year's Tour de France, an argument could be made that the race's biggest winners finished 112th and 130th in the standings. But when Fumiyuki Beppu and Yukiya Arashiro return to their native Japan they will no doubt be welcomed as heroes, because they are the first riders from their country ever to have finished the Tour de France.
Before this year only two Japanese riders - Kisso Kamawuro, in 1926 and 1927, and Daisuke Imanaka, in 1996 - rode in the Tour de France, but neither made it to the Champs Elysees in Paris.
Beppu and Arashiro both placed in the top 10 in several stages and lured thousands of their compatriots to travel to France to watch the closing stages.
"Our good results motivated us," Beppu told the daily L'Equipe. "When I suffer in the mountains I think of (Arashiro) and tell myself, I can't give up because both of us have to finish."
Seven-time Tour champion Lance Armstrong also won big by finishing third. After a are tirement' of more than three years from the sport, Armstrong impressed his rivals, his fans and his detractors with his performance and his racing savvy.
But he did more than that: he made many friends, particularly among the French, who had despised him earlier.
Perhaps it was because they saw him struggling, or simply because he didn't win - for the French respect champions, but love also-rans - or because he was uncharacteristically accessible and relaxed.
His appearance on the course or at the start of a stage always provoked applause and encouragement from the spectators, a far cry from the jeers that used to greet him in France.
"That means a lot to me," Armstrong said Sunday. "We have had a complicated relationship. But I love this country."
Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme said, "Armstrong was more human than before... When he was warming up for the time trial (on Thursday) he was fooling around with the children."
The big winner, of course, was Spain's Alberto Contador, who proved that he was by far the best rider of his generation. Dominant in the mountains, fast in the time trials, the Astana rider never showed a sign of weakness.
In addition, he had to deal with unsubstantiated doping rumours and a persistent rivalry with his teammate Armstrong for team leadership.
As his team manager Johan Bruyneel said, "Cycling is not very complicated.... it's always the strongest who wins the Tour."
Andy Schleck of Luxembourg, who finished second, will also go home pleased with his Tour de France.
Not only did he win the white jersey for best young rider in the race, but he was the only rider in the pack who managed to stay with Contador in the mountains.
Finally, Great Britain's Bradley Wiggins proved in this Tour de France that he was more than a speedster. Having lost 8 kilos over the winter, the multiple track world champion proved himself to be a redoubtable climber as well.
As a result, he came within 37 seconds of becoming the first British rider ever to finish in the top three of the Tour de France.
Finally, lovers of a clean sport were winners this year, for not a single rider tested positive for a banned substance during the race.
