Bernal seals maiden Tour crown for Colombia
VAL THORENS, France – Climbing phenomenon Egan Bernal was poised to become the first Colombian to win the Tour de France and the youngest race champion in 110 years when he retained the overall lead after Saturday’s 20th stage, a 59-km ride from Albertville.
The Team Ineos rider, 22, finished fourth in the stage won by 2014 champion Vicenzo Nibali, the only man to interrupt the British outfit’s reign on the Tour since 2012.
His teammate and defending champion Geraint Thomas is second overall ahead of Dutchman Steven Kruijswijk after France’s Julian Alaphilippe cracked in the final ascent to the ski resort of Val Thorens.
Sunday’s final stage from Rambouillet to Paris is a largely processional ride with only the final sprint being contested.
Bernal, who claimed the yellow jersey when he was the first at top of the Col de l’Iseran in Saturday’s truncated 19th stage, was never bothered in a stage that had been shortened due to landslides on the initial course.
“It’s incredible to think that I have won my first Tour,” he said. “I just want to get to the finish line in Paris tomorrow and after I’ll be calmer. Colombia is on the verge of winning its first Tour - I feel this is not only my triumph but the triumph of a whole country.
“My dad couldn’t talk at first but when he managed, he congratulated me. He was about to cry. For us, it’s a dream. We used to watch the Tour on TV and we thought it was something unreachable. As a kid, you think ‘how cool it would be to be there one day’, but it looked so far away. Here we are and I’m very emotional.”
Three Colombians will feature in the top 10 as former podium finishers Rigoberto Uran and Nairo Quintana lie seventh and eighth overall, respectively.
Alaphilippe cracked with 14km to go in the final 33-km climb ending 2,365 meters above sea level and slipped from second to fifth overall.
Bernal is 1:11 ahead of Thomas, who was always bested by the Colombian in the mountains and never looked in a position to threaten him on his favorite terrain.
Kruijswijk is 1:31 off the pace.