"Never stop believing, " said Landis from atop the victory podium.

NPR: American Landis Wins Tour de France

SYDNEY, Australia -- Peter Norman, who shared the victory podium while American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos made their famous"'black power salute" at the 1968 Mexico Olympics, has died aged 64.

CNN: Athlete on black power podium dies

" On the victory podium standing with Mario Andretti, the only living American F1 world champion, Hamilton called the event "probably one of the best, if not the best Grand Prix we've had all year.

WSJ: Formula One: Lewis Hamilton Wins U.S. Grand Prix in Texas

Michal Martikan of Slovakia took gold in the men's single canoe slalom , taking top spot on the podium 12 years after claiming victory in the Atlanta Games.

CNN: Host nation maintain diving dominance

Even as Team Astana put Contador and Armstrong on the podium and won the overall team victory, another team managed to dazzle fans around the world.

FORBES: Leadership Lessons From The Tour De France

Defending champion Sastre and Riis have gone their separate ways since last year's victory but both men will have high hopes of being top of the podium again in Paris.

CNN: 'Nervous' Armstrong eyes eighth Tour success

Lorenzo cruised to victory more than nine seconds clear of Alex de Angelis, who earned his first podium finish after starting fourth on the grid for San Carlo Honda Gresini.

CNN: Lorenzo capitalizes on Rossi's U.S. crash

Most recently, 15-year-old Scott Redding's debut victory last year will live long in the memory of any British fan and his podium on Sunday, which he rated as an even bigger achievement under the circumstances, will be equally cherished.

BBC: Matt Roberts' MotoGP column