Tour de France - Egan Bernal: I just want to get to the finish line in Paris
Jul 28 2019 12:36 am CET
Photo of Egan Bernal by Team INEOS
Team Ineos' Egan Bernal successfully defended the Yellow Jersey at the 20th stage of the Tour de France. The Colombian is the virtual winner of the 2019 edition of the French grand tour with one stage to go.
The British team did an outstanding job protecting the rider all the way through the last heavy climb of the current edition of La Grande Boucle. The Colombian crossed the finish line with the favourites and holding hands with his teammate Geraint Thomas, as his overall victory is almost confirmed.
"We’re now close to making it official. There’s one stage left, but normally if everything goes well, I can say that I’ve won my first Tour," said Bernal at the end of the stage. "The last climb has been very hard. Jumbo-Visma rode hard to make the podium. We were in a comfortable situation and I felt really well. I’m happy.
"It’s incredible to think that I have won my first Tour. 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. We already had the Giro, La Vuelta, but the Tour was missing and it’s a great honour to think that I’m the one achieving this.
The rider celebrated one more day with his family, which is with him in France. "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."
Tour de France - Egan Bernal: I just want to get to the finish line in Paris https://t.co/VfAydyhaRV |@TeamINEOS @Eganbernal #TDF2019
— CyclingPub (@CyclingPub) July 27, 2019
?A.S.O./Alex BROADWAY pic.twitter.com/0F5LSS8xvJ
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