Cadel Evans became the first Australian to finish on the Tour de France podium when he came second to Spain's Alberto Contador.

Evans, who rides for the Predictor-Lotto team, went into the final stage, a 146km ride from Marcoussis to the Champs Elysees in Paris, trailing Contador by 23 seconds.

The gap remained unchanged as Italy's Daniele Bennati of the Lampre-Fondital team won the finale in a bunch sprint.

"We had our plan a, b, c," Evans said.

"The sprinters' teams, they were really going fast.

"If they're doing 60(km/h), we might be able to go away but when they're doing 70-plus, you can't get away from them."

Evans had clawed back one minute and 27 seconds on Contador during the penultimate stage, a 55.5km time trial from Cognac to Angouleme.

But it was always going to be hard for Evans and his team-mates to make up time on a final stage with just two small climbs offering little chance to break away.

The last stage is traditionally a procession until the sprinters fight it out on the 10 laps of the Champs Elysees and Sunday's stage was true to form.

Evans finished the stage in 35th spot, one place ahead of Contador with both riders five seconds behind Bennati.

Afterwards, Evans could finally begin to reflect on his achievement.

"Now it's all over and we've ridden around the Champs Elysees and stayed upright, it's starting to sink in," he said.

"It will probably take a week or a month or so, I don't know, it's that hard a race you don't have time, to be honest.

"It hasn't hit me yet."

Evans made his Tour debut in 2005, finishing eighth overall and last year equalled the Australian-best finish with fifth place, which Phil Anderson achieved twice, in 1982 and 1985.

Three riders, none of them in contention for the yellow leader's jersey or the green jersey of the sprint champion, took off ahead of the bunch to contest the first intermediate sprint for points before returning to the peloton.

Simon Gerrans, the only other Australian left in the race from the six who started, was part of a 10-man breakaway which took a 45-second lead over the peloton as they lapped around the Champs Elysees.

The AG2r Prevoyance rider won the second intermediate sprint, but the break was caught with 6km remaining and Gerrans finished 96th, 15 seconds off the stage winner.

Gerrans finished the Tour in 94th place overall.

Contador's Discovery Channel team-mate Levi Leipheimer finished third overall, 31 seconds off the pace.

Belgian Tom Boonen won the green sprinter's jersey ahead of South Africa's Robbie Hunter and German Erik Zabel.

Colombia's Juan Mauricio Soler won the polka-dot jersey for the best climber.

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