Egan Bernal takes Tour de France victory

28 Jul 2019

Egan Bernal takes Tour de France victory

Tour de France - Stage 21: Rambouillet - Paris Champs-Élysées

Egan Bernal crossed the line on the famous Champs-Elysees to seal a momentous Tour de France victory.
 
At just 22 years old, Bernal is the youngest ever winner of the yellow jersey, and the youngest rider to win the Tour in over 100 years.
 
Victory marks the team’s seventh overall success at the world’s biggest bike race and fifth in a row. It also represents the first Grand Tour victory in the colours of INEOS – now the first trade team to win the race with four different riders.
 
2018 victor Geraint Thomas finished alongside the maillot jaune to secure an emphatic 1-2 finish, with an eventual winning margin for Bernal of one minute and 11 seconds.
 
Bernal becomes Colombia’s first-ever Tour de France winner and was roared home by a sea of yellow in Paris – now firmly established as a household name in his homeland. In addition to yellow, he also took home the white young rider's jersey by a commanding margin of almost 24 minutes.
 
Bernal and Thomas went into the race as co-leaders and received exceptional support from their Team INEOS team-mates across the three weeks. Jonathan Castroviejo, Michal Kwiatkowski, Gianni Moscon, Wout Poels, Luke Rowe and Dylan van Baarle all gave everything to help write another page in the team’s history. 
Egan Bernal

Egan Bernal

I should say thank you to all my team. Thank you G for the opportunity and all the team for the support and believing in me. Today I am the most happy guy in the world. I just won the Tour de France. I can’t believe it.
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Reaction

- Geraint Thomas

“Two years ago I was here with my arm in a sling, with a broken collarbone and devastated I wasn’t able to ride my bike and two years on, I’m disappointed not to have won a second Tour!

“I’m proud of how I managed to get myself into good shape. It hasn’t been a smooth run into the Tour or during it really, but this team is incredible and it was a pleasure to be a part of Egan’s first of many [victories] and to be stood on the podium in second is still a big achievement.

“I’m glad to be going home and closing the front door and switching off. Emotionally, mentally and physically it’s been draining and it’s still enjoyable - it’s the pinnacle of the sport and what you dream of when you were a kid, but at the same time it’s been hard work and I’m looking forward to switching off.”

- Sir Dave Brailsford

“I’ve been over to Colombia a couple of times in the last few years and the Colombians themselves, and where cycling sits in their culture, is unbelievable. 
 
“To be able to deliver their first ever Tour de France champion is something we’ve spoken about previously. I feel very proud. It’s a privilege to get to work with all these people – fantastic staff, fantastic new owners. 
 
“Riders who have won this – the calibre of Geraint or of Chris Froome – when those guys realise it’s the moment to support, they do. You don’t have to talk to them. They really understand the sport and they’ve got respect for each other have our guys – we’re a team. And they know that the team needs to win and they’ll put the team in front of themselves. Geraint’s demonstrated that once again like the great champion he is.

- Nicolas Portal

“It’s incredible. [Egan] was a junior a few years ago and he’s won the Tour de France. I think it’s great for cycling, this year has been a super Tour de France. 
 
“It’s been a big battle for all the teams. A few people commented that in the last 20-30 years it was the most exciting Tour. For a few days there was a small bunch with a few guys and really small gaps. We’re happy to win this one and to have first and second is incredible.”
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Overall standings:

1. Egan Bernal (Team INEOS) 82:57:00
2. Geraint Thomas (Team INEOS) +1:11"

3. Steven Kruijswijk (Jumbo-Visma) +1:31"
4. Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) +1:56"
5. Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) +4'05"