Later than usual, Ineos team takes control of Tour de France
TIGNES, France — After nearly three weeks of complete uncertainty at the Tour de France, things are back to normal, with an Ineos rider in the yellow jersey.
Never in its six previous victories at cycling’s marquee event did the super-rich British team have to wait so long before taking control of the race. But two days before the Tour ends on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, new race leader Egan Bernal and his teammates finally did it Friday during a memorable stage that was turned upside-down by a hailstorm.
The dramatic weather conditions made the road to the ski resort of Tignes too dangerous and forced organizers to stop Stage 19. But before they called it a day, Ineos riders had already made the pack explode en route to the Col de l’Iseran, the Tour’s highest point at 9,090 feet. Times were taken at the top of the mountain, were Bernal was 2 minutes, 10 seconds faster than previous leader Julian Alaphilippe, enough to wipe away the Frenchman’s race lead.
With only one tough stage remaining before the processional ride to Paris on Sunday, the 22-year-old Bernal is now in an ideal position to become the first Colombian to win the Tour, and the youngest champion since World War II.
“When they told me that I was the race leader, I could not believe it,” said Bernal. “I wanted to cry.”
Until this week, Ineos — the former Team Sky — had showed unfamiliar weaknesses in the absence of its natural leader Chris Froome, who missed the Tour this year because of injury. The team was particularly weak in the Pyrenees, where it could not apply its usual strategy of setting up a fast tempo at the bottom of climbs. In the Tourmalet, Ineos riders were unable to ride at the front, leaving their two leaders — Bernal and defending champion Geraint Thomas — exposed to their rivals’ attacks.
With cycling observers already speaking about a decline, Ineos started to put things back on track in Thursday’s first big Alpine stage to Valloire, where Bernal managed to gain 32 seconds on Alaphillipe.
They completed the job on Friday in an impressive display of force. Jonathan Castroviejo ensured a fast pace at the bottom of the Iseran before Dylan Van Baarle took the baton from his teammate at the front.