CYCLING: Stage 19 cut short thanks to a hailstorm that gives Colombia’s Egan Bernal the lead

Another win coming for Colombian star climber (and Tour de France winner) Egan Bernal?

It was happening all over again. A fabulous climb by 22-year-old Egan Bernal of Colombia over the highest peak of the 2019 Tour de France had him well in front, but race leader Julian Alaphilippe of France was cutting into the lead quickly on the descent, and getting ready for the final climb up to the finish line in Tignes.

But we’ll never know how the strategies would work out, because a bad hailstorm at the bottom of the descent caused the organizers to stop the stage on the way down, one of the few times this has happened in the Tour history.

So the decision was made to (a) stop the race to keep the racers from severe danger in riding through the snowy, flooded conditions on the way to Val d’Isere and (b) calculate the race standings at the crest of the Col de l’Iseran – the highest point on the Tour – and pick it up tomorrow.

That leaves Bernal, who rode brilliantly to the top of the Col de l’Iseran and forged a two-minute advantage, ended up with the race lead and with another climbing stage on Saturday, is now the overwhelming favorite to win the Tour.

Alaphilippe will rightly say that he was cheated out of a chance to catch up on the ride down the Col de l’Iseran, but there were no timing stops past the summit that would allow accurate placements and times.

The man expected to challenge Bernal in the Alps, France’s Thibaut Pinot, had to abandon the race early on with a left leg injury that simply was too painful for him to continue.

On the descent, Bernal was joined by Simon Yates (GBR), already the winner of two stages and with thoughts of a third, but this was wiped out by the stoppage of the race and reversion to the standings at the top of the Col de l’Iseran.

The jury issued the final standings, taking into account the time bonus for the top of the Col de l’Iseran, but no bonuses for the stage win:

1. 78:00:42 Egan Bernal (COL)
2. +0:48 ~ Julian Alaphilippe (FRA)
3. +1:16 ~ Geraint Thomas (GBR)
4. +1:28 ~ Steven Kruijswijk (NED)
5. +1:55 ~ Emanuel Buchmann (GER)

Said Bernal afterwards, “To be honest, I didn’t know what was happening. I’ve been told in the radio that the race was finished and I said ‘no I want to keep going’. There were talking to me in English and I was not sure. Only after I stopped and my director told me that I was in yellow, I felt relieved. It’s incredible. I can’t believe it. I want to ride full gas tomorrow and then arrive to Paris and once I cross the line, I’ll start believing this is true. There’s one hard stage remaining. It’s a short one. I’ll give it all on the road. To become the first Colombian winner of the Tour de France would be amazing.”

Bernal will be expected to pad his lead tomorrow in the final Alps stage and then cruise in to Paris on Sunday. Alaphilippe, after leading for so long, will have to fight to stay on the podium, as Thomas, Kruijswijk and Buchmann are all expected to be better climbers on Saturday. That would be a cruel end to a brilliant Tour de France for Alaphilippe.

Summaries so far:

UCI World Tour/Tour de France
France ~ 6-28 July 2019
(Full results here)

Stage 1 (194.5 km): 1. Mike Teunissen (NED), 4:22:47; 2. Peter Sagan (SVK), 4:22:47; 3. Caleb Ewan (AUS), 4:22:47; 4. Giacomo Nizzolo (ITA), 4:22:47; 5. Sonny Colbrelli (ITA), 4:22:47.

Stage 2 (27.6 km Team Time Trial): 1. Jumbo-Visma (NED), 28:57; 2. Team Ineos (GBR), 29:17; 3. Deceuninck-Quick Step (GER), 29:18; 4. Team Sunweb (GER), 29:23; 5. Team Katusha Alpecin (SUI), 29:23.

Stage 3 (215.0 km): 1. Julien Alaphilippe (FRA), 4:40:29; 2. Michael Matthews (AUS), 4:40:55; 3. Jasper Stuyven (BEL), 4:40:55; 4. Greg van Avermaet (BEL), 4:40:55; 5. Sagan (SVK), 4:40:55.

Stage 4 (213.5 km): 1. Elia Viviani (ITA), 5:09:20; 2. Alexander Kristoff (NOR), 5:09:20; 3. Ewan (AUS), 5:09:20; 4. Sagan (SVk), 5:09:20; 5. Dylan Groenewegen (NED), 5:09:20.

Stage 5 (175.5 km): 1. Sagan (SVK), 4:02:33; 2. Wout van Aert (BEL), 4:02:33; 3. Matteo Trentin (ITA), 4:02:33; 4. Colbrelli (ITA), 4:02:33; 5. van Avermaet (BEL), 4:02:33.

Stage 6 (160.5 km): 1. Dylan Teuns (BEL), 4:29:03; 2. Giulio Ciccone (ITA), 4:29:14; 3. Xandro Meurisse (BEL), 4:30:08; 4. Geraint Thomas (GBR), 4:30:47; 5. Thibaut Pinot (FRA), 4:30:49.

Stage 7 (230.0 km): 1. Groenewegen (NED), 6:02:44; 2. Ewan (AUS), 6:02:44; 3. Sagan (SVK), 6:02:44; 4. Colbrelli (ITA), 6:02:44; 5. Jasper Philipsen (BEL), 6:02:44.

Stage 8 (200.0 km): 1. Thomas de Gendt (BEL), 5:00:17; 2. Pinot (FRA), 5:00:23; 3. Alaphilippe (FRA), 5:00:23; 4. Matthews (AUS), 5:00:43; 5. Sagan (SVK), 5:00:43.

Stage 9 (170.5 km): 1. Daryl Impey (RSA), 4:03:12; 2. Tiesj Benoot (BEL), 4:03:12; 3. Jan Tratnik (SLO), 4:03:22; 4. Oliver Naesen (BEL), 4:03:22; 5. Stuyven (BEL), 4:03:22.

Stage 10 (217.5 km): 1. Wout van Aert (BEL), 4:49:39; 2. Viviani (ITA), 4:49:39; 3. Ewan (AUS), 4:49:39; 4. Matthews (AUS), 4:49:39; 5. Sagan (SVK), 4:49:39.

Stage 11 (167.0 km): 1. Ewan (AUS), 3:51:26; 2. Groenewegen (NED), 3:51:26; 3. Viviani (ITA), 3:51:26; 4. Sagan (SVK), 3:51:26; 5. Jens Debusschere (GER), 3:51:26.

Stage 12 (209.5 km): 1. Simon Yates (GBR), 4:57:53; 3. Pello Bilbao (ESP), 4:57:53; 3. Gregor Muhlberger (AUT), 4:57:53; 4. Tiesj Benott (BEL), 4:59:21; 5. Febio Felline (ITA), 4:59:21.

Stage 13 (27.2 km Indiv. Time Trial): 1. Alaphilippe (FRA), 35:00; 2. Thomas (GBR), 35:14; 3. De Gendt (BEL), 35:36; 4. Rigoberto Uran (COL), 35:36; 5. Richie Porte (AUS), 36:45. Also in the top 25: 9. Joey Rosskopf (USA), 36:01; … 17. Chad Haga (USA), 36:22.

Stage 14 (117.5 km): 1. Thibaut Pinot (FRA), 3:10:20; 2. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA), 3:10:26; 3. Steven Kruijswijk (NED), 3:10:26; 4. Emanuel Buchmann (GER), 3:10:28; 5. Egan Bernal (COL), 3:10:28.

Stage 15 (185.0 km): 1. S. Yates (GBR), 4:47:04; 2. Pinot (FRA), 4:47:37; 3. Mikel Landa (ESP), 4:47:37; 4. Buchmann (GER), 4:47:55; 5. Bernal (COL), 4:47:55.

Stage 16 (177.0 km): 1. Ewan (AUS), 3:57:08; 2. Viviani (ITA), 3:57:08; 3. Groenewegen (NED), 3:57:08; 4. Sagan (SVK), 3:57:08; 5. Niccolo Bonifazio (ITA), 3:57:08.

Stage 17 (200.0 km): 1. Matteo Trentin (ITA), 4:21.36; 2. Kasper Asgreen (DEN), 4:21:13; 3. Van Avermaet (BEL), 4:21:17; 4. Bauke Mollema (NED), 4:21:17; 5. Teuns (BEL), 4:21:17.

Stage 18 (208.0 km): 1. Nairo Quintana (COL), 5:34:15; 2. Romain Bardet (FRA), 5:35:50; 3. Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ), 5:36:53; 4. Lennard Kamna (GER), 5:37:23; 5. Damiano Caruso (ITA), 5:37:15.

Stage 19 (126.5 km; stopped due to weather; no official stage results): 1. Bernal (COL); no time; 2. S. Yates, +0:05; 3. Warren Barguil (FRA), +0:41; 4. Laurens De Plus (BEL), +0:50; 5. Steven Kruijswijk (NED), +0:50.

27 July: Stage 20 (130.0 km): Albertville to Val Thorens (high mountains)
28 July: Stage 21 (128.0 km): Rambouillet to Paris (flat)