04 Sep 2020
Mixed fortunes for GC pair
Related riders
Egan Bernal
Tour de France stage seven: Millau - Lavaur, 168km.
There were mixed fortunes for the INEOS Grenadiers' General Classification riders on a tumultuous seventh stage of the Tour de France which was animated by attacks throughout.
Egan Bernal finished eighth in a reduced bunch sprint, won by Wout van Aert (Jumbo Visma), after Bernal's teammates had split the peloton with a well-timed attack in the crosswinds.
The move with 35 kilometres remaining saw six Grenadiers hit the front of the bunch and push the pace to distance several of Bernal and Richard Carapaz's GC rivals.
Several other teams joined the attack, which saw a gap quickly grow as the pace intensified as the lead group neared the finish in Lavaur.
Unfortunately, Carapaz suffered a late puncture and was distanced from the lead group with 20 kilometres remaining, and despite the valiant efforts of Jonathan Castroviejo, was unable to bridge the gap.
The Ecuadorian rider joined the chase group, but they were unable to close the gap, finishing 1'21" behind Bernal's group.
The result moved the 2019 Tour de France winner up to fourth overall, which means he now leads the best young rider classification.
Egan Bernal finished eighth in a reduced bunch sprint, won by Wout van Aert (Jumbo Visma), after Bernal's teammates had split the peloton with a well-timed attack in the crosswinds.
The move with 35 kilometres remaining saw six Grenadiers hit the front of the bunch and push the pace to distance several of Bernal and Richard Carapaz's GC rivals.
Several other teams joined the attack, which saw a gap quickly grow as the pace intensified as the lead group neared the finish in Lavaur.
Unfortunately, Carapaz suffered a late puncture and was distanced from the lead group with 20 kilometres remaining, and despite the valiant efforts of Jonathan Castroviejo, was unable to bridge the gap.
The Ecuadorian rider joined the chase group, but they were unable to close the gap, finishing 1'21" behind Bernal's group.
The result moved the 2019 Tour de France winner up to fourth overall, which means he now leads the best young rider classification.
Reaction
Egan Bernal
"It was exactly the plan we had in the morning. We knew that after the city, there were two roundabouts and then tail-crosswind and when it’s like this when you go out of a roundabout, it’s difficult to take the wheel.
"We knew that we should be in first position there. The Team did a great job - it was just there in the final that Richie had the flat tyre, but we can’t control that. I’m really sorry for him because he has lost some time in the GC but in the end, we should be happy.
"The whole stage was stressful - you need to move to the front all the time. It was more a bit more intense before the split - when the split happened, the whole peloton worked really well, plus it was tailwind which really helped."
Egan Bernal
"It was exactly the plan we had in the morning. We knew that after the city, there were two roundabouts and then tail-crosswind and when it’s like this when you go out of a roundabout, it’s difficult to take the wheel.
"We knew that we should be in first position there. The Team did a great job - it was just there in the final that Richie had the flat tyre, but we can’t control that. I’m really sorry for him because he has lost some time in the GC but in the end, we should be happy.
"The whole stage was stressful - you need to move to the front all the time. It was more a bit more intense before the split - when the split happened, the whole peloton worked really well, plus it was tailwind which really helped."
Overall standings
1. Adam Yates (Mitchelton Scott) 30:36:00
2. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo Visma) +3”
3. Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) +9”
4. Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) +13”
5. Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo Visma) s.t.
21. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) +2'02"
1. Adam Yates (Mitchelton Scott) 30:36:00
2. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo Visma) +3”
3. Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) +9”
4. Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) +13”
5. Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo Visma) s.t.
21. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) +2'02"
