12 Aug 2020
Bernal third in Dauphine opener
Related riders
Egan Bernal
Criterium du Dauphine - Stage one: Clermont-Ferrand › Saint-Christo-en-Jarez, 218.5km
Egan Bernal finished third on the opening stage of the Criterium du Dauphine, moving into the young rider jersey.
The Colombian also picked up four bonus seconds in the process on the punchy ramp up to the finish in Saint-Christo-en-Jarez, with Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) winning the opening test.
Team INEOS worked well to move Bernal into position, with Michal Kwiatkowski helping bring him to the fore as the race became stretched in the final kilometres. The pair were joined by Geraint Thomas and Pavel Sivakov as finishers in the lead bunch.
As expected it was a battle for position among the GC teams on the run-in, with Team INEOS working well in the closing stages.
As expected it was a battle for position among the GC teams on the run-in, with Team INEOS working well in the closing stages.
Reaction
- Michal Kwiatkowski
“It was great to be back at the front again. The most important thing now is to get the group to ride together and get used to it again. No one has forgotten how to do it, but it’s good to remind ourselves before the Tour starts how we should ride and where the key moments are in a such a hectic, key stage like today.
- Michal Kwiatkowski
“It was great to be back at the front again. The most important thing now is to get the group to ride together and get used to it again. No one has forgotten how to do it, but it’s good to remind ourselves before the Tour starts how we should ride and where the key moments are in a such a hectic, key stage like today.
“At the end of the day if you’re a rider as classy as Egan it is easy to position yourself in the bunch, but of course it’s a nice bonus when he can sprint for third and take some bonus seconds.
“We’ll see how the recovery after each stage will be and from here there are just under three weeks until the start of the Tour. We’re all ready to race.
“We’ll see how the recovery after each stage will be and from here there are just under three weeks until the start of the Tour. We’re all ready to race.
“I wish I could have done a stage race before Strade. It was a bit stressful and some pressure came from not knowing about your shape or that of your rivals. I was always there across those three races, but being in the game and then going for a win is still a huge difference. There was always this strange, almost junior feeling where you don’t know what to expect from those races.”
General classification:
1. Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) 5:27:32
2. Daryl Impey (Mitchelton-Scott) +4"
3. Egan Bernal (Team INEOS) +6"
4. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) +10"
5. Tadej Pogacar (UAE-Emirates) s.t.
26. Geraint Thomas (Team INEOS)
1. Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) 5:27:32
2. Daryl Impey (Mitchelton-Scott) +4"
3. Egan Bernal (Team INEOS) +6"
4. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) +10"
5. Tadej Pogacar (UAE-Emirates) s.t.
26. Geraint Thomas (Team INEOS)
