More difficult weather re-arranged the Tour de France again, but a shortened Stage 20 confirmed that Colombia’s Egan Bernal is set to win the 106th Tour de France.
After the hailstorm cut short the second climbing stage in the Alps and gave Bernal the lead on Friday, the resulting mudslides cut short today’s stage to just 59.5 km with one major climb to the finish at Val Thorens.
A group of 29 riders (out of 155 starters) charged away and had a two-minute lead after 19 km, but that would shrink as the climb started. With 30 km to go and the climbing underway, four riders were at the front: Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali, Ilnur Zakarin (RUS), Michael Woods (CAN) and Tony Gallopin (FRA). Two more riders joined, but with 13 km left, Nibali attacked and no one could follow.
The five who were with Nibali all fell back and the main group caught up. France’s Julian Alaphilippe, who lost the race lead when Friday’s stage was cut short by the weather, finally fell off the pace with 13 km to go and ended in 26th place and will likely finish fifth at the Tour.
Nibali was not to be caught, but the peloton got within 10 seconds at the end, as Alejandro Valverde (ESP) finished second, Bernal fourth and teammate (and defending champ) Geraint Thomas (GBR) was fifth. With Alaphilippe dropping, the standards heading into Sunday’s flat stage are:
1. 79:52:52 ~ Egan Bernal (COL)
2. +1:11 ~ Geraint Thomas (GBR)
3. +1:31 ~ Steven Kruijswijk (NED)
4. +1:56 ~ Emanuel Buchmann (GER)
5. +3:45 ~ Julian Alaphilippe (FRA)
For Nibali, now 34, it was his sixth career stage win at the Tour de France, and his first since 2015.
Bernal will become the first Colombian rider to win the Tour, and at 22, it will likely not be his last. 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); 2:40:31; 2. S. Yates, 2:40:44; 3. Warren Barguil (FRA), 2:41:11; 4. Laurens De Plus (BEL), 2:41:29; 5. Kruijswijk (NED), 2:41:29.
Stage 20 (59.5 km; shortened due to mudslides): 1. Vincenzo Nibali (ITA), 1:51:53; 2. Alejandro Valverde (ESP), 1:52:03; 3. Landa (ESP), 1:52:07; 4. Bernal (COL), 1:52:10; 5. Thomas (GBR), 1:52:10.
28 July: Stage 21 (128.0 km): Rambouillet to Paris (flat)
