Down but not out! Craddock completes sensational Tour de France

Thomas may have been crowned Tour de France winner in Paris but for Lawson Craddock to be on the Champs-Elysees at the same time was almost a sporting miracle.

Craddock suffered a nasty fall on stage one of this year's race, sustaining a nasty cut above his eye and a fractured collarbone.

Some riders would pack their bags, head to the nearest hospital and recover from such an injury.

But not Craddock, he turned his misfortune into an amazing way to raise awareness for a charity close to his heart.

Craddock launched a gofundme page to raise money for the Great Houston Cycling Foundation, with the Texan vowing to donate $100 for every stage he completed despite injury.

His story caught the imagination of fans across the globe and soon it was not just Craddock donating and thousands of well-wishers chipped in to help eclipse the $102,100 target.

Craddock toiled his way over the Roubaix cobbles, the iconic Alpe d'Huez and three gruelling days in the Pyrenees, but nothing could stop the 26-year-old achieving the unthinkable.

Having completed the final 166 kilometres on Sunday, Craddock was given an emotional welcome back to the EF Education First-Drapac bus, the fans inside and outside of the paddock applauding his return.

And it was that support that spurred him on, although the levels of donations still took him by surprise as Omnisport showed him the total had soared past $195,000.

"Oh my gosh. That blows my mind, I mean it's really hard for me to put into words exactly what it all means to me," an emotional Craddock said.

"For me that is why I was put in the Tour de France this year, I think that's the true reason why I was selected for the team and be put through this test, to bring awareness to something else bigger than me.

"There were a lot of times I didn't think I would make it, this race can be so challenging when you are healthy, with an injury like this you fight every day, you don't know if you can make it to the finish.

"You wake up with uncertainty but just a big thank you to the team and all the supporters out there for helping push me along the way."

The final etape through the streets of Paris in front of thousands of spectators completed a special three weeks for Craddock, even though he finished towards the bottom of the general classification.

He added: "For sure [it was a dream to be in Paris], the feeling is incredibly special even when you get to the Tour healthy, so when we turned and I saw the Arc de Triomphe for the first time and felt the cobbles, it was really special.

"Adrenaline was pumping a bit during the race, all the hard work that I put in, that got me here, I didn't feel it [the injury] so much during the race.

"But maybe in the morning I will."