I was watching the race for the last 60km. I am British. Yes, the commentary team was very biased and intensely irritating if you weren’t British. Yes I can see how Cavendish rubs people up the wrong way. But as a British cycling fan it was just awesome to watch. I have watched years and years and years of TDF races with not one British cyclist in it. To see how David Brailsford and his team have built up British cycling to this point and the planning and execution that went into the race it is very impressive. I must admit that I was sorry to see Thor’s race ruined by the crash, and I will be sorry to see Thor lose the rainbow jersey, because he put in a huge year as world champion. As much as I marvel at the sprinting genius of Cavendish, Thor’s two solo victories in the TDF were exceptional and he is the polar opposite in personality to Cavendish.
But putting patriotism, national pride and personalities to one side, what I find fascinating about Cav’s victory lies far below the surface of this one race. If you look at where British cycling was when Brailsford started, and what he has now achieved it is a demonstration of what can be done with a small group of people with a clear focus and absolute dedication to the task. Take a look at the Cycling medal tables from Atlanta 96 and compare it to Athens or Beijing. Take a look at British road cycling results from the 90’s and then the last few years. It’s not because the British are a great cycling nation, its not because of massive Billionaire type investment. It’s the dedication of a small group of people to excellence.
Sorry if this is biased. I am British. 
what’s more amazing is how they turn a bunch of trackies into people who can compete in all sorts of races. Wiggo and Cav were once Madison Champions.