Tour de France - Egan Bernal: There’s one hard stage remaining, I’ll give it all on the road
Jul 27 2019 01:14 am CET
Photo of Egan Bernal by Team INEOS
Team Ineos' Egan Bernal has taken the lead of the General Classification at the end of the 19th stage of the Tour de France after a chaotic day.
The day has been a rollercoaster of emotions for the Colombian rider as he started in the second position of the overall standing and after a change of pace in the Col de l'Iseran, he took the lead while Julian Alaphilippe struggled to keep with the rest of the favourites. At the crest of the climb, the rider was in virtual Yellow and the neutralisation of the stage due to extreme weather conditions confirmed that he was remaining at the top of the GC.
After the chaos of the organisation of the race deciding on the best way to go to award the final times of the stage, it was decided that they were going to be determined at the end of the climb of the Iseran, which Bernal crossed in the first position. And then, the Colombian was taken to Tignes to wear the Yellow Jersey for the first time in his short career.
"To be honest, I didn’t know what was happening," said Bernal after the podium ceremony. "I’ve been told in the radio that the race was finished and I said ‘no I want to keep going’. There were talking to me in English and I was not sure. Only after I stopped and my director told me that I was in yellow, I felt relieved.
"It’s incredible. I can’t believe it. I want to ride full gas tomorrow and then arrive to Paris and once I cross the line, I’ll start believing this is true. There’s one hard stage remaining. It’s a short one. I’ll give it all on the road. To become the first Colombian winner of the Tour de France would be amazing."
Bernal's emotions were evident on the podium, at the interviews and at the moments he was sharing with some of the family members that were there to live with him this memorable moment. "To get the Yellow Jersey and the lion has been the biggest feeling of my life, I felt like crying, I still can't believe it," said a tearful Bernal.
"I was very shy, I almost cry on the podium and I saw my dad and my girlfriend in front of me crying and all that filled me with joy."
Tour de France - Egan Bernal: There’s one hard stage remaining, I’ll give it all on the road https://t.co/vR1EV3CRbt |@TeamINEOS @Eganbernal#TDF2019
— CyclingPub (@CyclingPub) July 26, 2019
?A.S.O./Alex BROADWAY pic.twitter.com/Eiv56Nprsy
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