Tour de France stage 19 reactions: Steven Kruijswijk, Emanuel Buchmann, Romain Bardet, Simon Yates
Jul 27 2019 05:54 am CET
Photo by ASO/Alex BROADWAY
Bad weather conditions forced the neutralisation of the 19th stage of the Tour de France and at the end of the day, Ineos' Egan Bernal climbed to the top of the overall standing. Steven Kruijswijk, Emanuel Buchmann, Romain Bardet and Simon Yates shared their thoughts at the end of this exceptional day.
Steven Kruijswijk (Jumbo-Visma)
"To continue the stage was certainly not an option with that hail and the landslides. It’s a pity because we were riding very well. The plan was to sent Laurens into the break and it worked out. I felt good and tried it on the l’Iseran. When Bernal countered, I wasn’t able to follow. Laurens was very strong and then kept on pulling all the way to the top, so that we could take some time back knowing that it was still a long way to the finish. Of course, I was going full-throttle on the Iseran but had I known that they would finish the stage there, I would have put in an even bigger effort. It’s a pity that Bernal took extra seconds on Alaphilippe there and I did not. This is bad luck, but it’s not the end just yet. We will go all out again tomorrow, although bad weather will probably have its effect again."
Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-hansgrohe)
"It was a strange situation and one I had never encountered before, to be told on race radio to stop. Initially, there was a bit of disbelief in my group but then we talked about it, realised we all had the same information, so we stopped. I think it was obvious to everybody that it wasn't possible to ride through the hail and mud. I was feeling very well today and maybe in the final climb there could have a possibility for me but we can't change the situation. Given this, the race will come down to what happens tomorrow. I'm still confident, I feel strong and I'd like to thank Gregor for his help today. He was strong and managed to hold on with me for a long time. It's important to be fully focused tomorrow."
Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale)
"We didn’t know there were terrible weather conditions. I heard it through the radio but I was riding in a relax mode. My race was already done and I was saving energy for tomorrow. Considering the experience of the people who took the decision to stop the race, it’s for sure the right decision for the health of the riders. I’ve had a bad day today. Hopefully, I’ll feel better tomorrow and I’ll have to be better tactically."
Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott)
"The climb was filthy, it was long, there was no oxygen. I was feeling good, I just got tailed off in the end there but I came back on the descent so I was looking forward to trying for the stage. It was a disappointing day in the end. I tried to be there in the front but you can’t change the weather, that's how it goes sometimes. Tomorrow is another day, another hard day, another short day and we will try again."
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