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Mark Cavendish proved once again he is the fastest man in cycling by scorching to Champs-Elysees success.

Cavendish secured a sixth stage triumph of this year's Tour - and 10th in his career - in emphatic style, romping home to win by quite a distance and become the first Briton to prevail on the most famous avenue in Paris.

The Columbia-HTC star's fellow Briton Bradley Wiggins, of Garmin Slipstream, finished in the peloton to claim fourth place overall and match the best finish by a British rider on the Tour.

But the day really belonged to Contador, the Spaniard who now has two Tour victories to his name.

The 26-year-old came home unscathed after a ceremonial trek into the French capital and raised his arms in pure joy as he crossed the line in among the peloton.

"On a personal level, I had a difficult Tour and now I'll be sure to enjoy this win. I'm extremely happy. The last day was great," Contador told the race's official website, www.letour.com.

"At times I felt like a child again. I feel a great sense of relief, a release of tension."

With the 21st and final stage boiling down to a sprint finish, there was no change in the leading positions, meaning second-placed Andy Schleck and third-placed Lance Armstrong joined Contador on the podium.

But it did give Manxman Cavendish another opportunity to demonstrate his peerless sprinting credentials.

Columbia controlled the finish, with the American veteran George Hincapie then Mark Renshaw leading out Cavendish perfectly.

As he swung round the corner from Place Concorde onto the Champs-Elysees, Cavendish had stolen a march on sprint rival and green-jersey holder Thor Hushovd and bolted clear.

The margin of victory was huge and so good was the work of lead-out man Henshaw that the Australian actually finished second, way clear of the sprint specialists behind him.

"I've always said that I wanted to win on the Champs-Elysees," said Cavendish, who completed the Tour for the first time.

"Every sprinter dreams of putting their hands up in the air as they cross that line, seeing the Arc de Triomphe in the foreground and it's an amazing feeling to do so. It didn't disappoint at all.

"My team rode perfectly. It's not me winning it, it's the team."

The third-placed finish of Armstrong, 37 and a seven-time Tour champion, capped an unprecedented comeback four years after retiring.

He was beaten by more than five minutes overall by Contador, his Astana team-mate whose spat with the American was very public throughout the Tour.

"I came here to do my best and I came across some guys who were clearly better than me," Armstrong was quoted by the BBC Sport website as saying.

"I don't have any regrets. I got put out a couple of times but, considering my age and recent racing, it's not a bad performance overall."

Italian Franco Pellizotti was crowned King of the Mountains while Schleck's second place was enough to secure him the white jersey awarded to the best-placed young rider.

Hushovd ended up finishing only 10 points clear of Cavendish in the battle for the green jersey. It is the second time the Norwegian has won the sprinters' prize.

"I think I won this jersey because I'm more experienced," Hushovd said.

"I know how to win it. I've done it before and I fought for the jersey for many, many years.

"Cavendish is the fastest sprinter but I'm the most consistent one. That's why I won this jersey."