PARIS — Lance Armstrong's kids were dressed in yellow. He was not.

When the seven-time Tour de France champion returned to the Tour podium yesterday, his family was there. His fans were there. And so was rival and teammate Alberto Contador — wearing the coveted and hard-won yellow jersey.

Four years after his seventh Tour win, Armstrong capped his return from retirement with an impressive third-place finish. He had his clan on hand — son Luke, twin girls Grace and Isabelle, his mom, Linda, ex-wife, Kristin, and his girlfriend Anna Hansen, with their baby Max, sporting bright yellow shoes.

Still, it was Contador who cruised down the Champs-Elysees to win the Tour for a second time yesterday after 2,141 miles over three weeks of racing. He repelled challenges in the mountains, excelled in the two time-trials — winning a pivotal race against the clock in the 18th stage — and won the first Alpine stage.

Andy Schleck of Luxembourg was second overall.

Contador said his biggest battle, however, was against his own Astana team.

"It has been an especially difficult Tour for me, but I savor it and it is more special because of it," he said.

Asked on French TV what the hardest moment was in this race, Contador replied: "It was in the (team) hotel," without elaborating.

Yesterday, Armstrong, 37, and Contador, 26, shared glasses of champagne on the ride into Paris. But it seemed to be more about keeping up appearances than a genuine celebration: After a few sips, they tossed away their glasses, half-drunk.

"I'm realistic, I did everything I could," Armstrong said before the final stage. "For me, and even more for my kids, it's probably a healthy thing for them to see, because they saw their dad that never lost, and the kids in their class (say) 'your dad never loses,' so it's good for them to see dad get third and still be cool with that and still be happy."

Mark Cavendish of Britain collected his sixth stage win after the 101.9-mile course ride from Montereau-Fault-Yonne to the Champs-Elysees.