REACTION
After his Friday demonstration in the Iseran pass, almost no one imagined Egan Bernal to have a failure in the climb to Val Thorens. And there was no surprise on Saturday, the young Colombian confirming his takeover at the top of the Col de l'Iseran taking the 4th place of the stage, Saturday, the first of the favorites.
" I thought kilometer after kilometer, I thought 'one less' each time ""We still have to get to Paris, but there's only one step left, I still do not understand what's happening to me," said the Ineos team rider, who is still incredulous at the moment. win his first big Tour. "I'm a little calmer today (Saturday, than Friday) but it will take a few days to really understand.It's so amazing, I can not describe what happens to me today (Saturday). I felt good, I had good legs today (Friday), but I thought kilometer after kilometer, I said 'one less' every time I realized when I saw (the panel) arrived and that Geraint Thomas held out his hand to me, that's when I realized that I was going to win the Tour de France. "
After the last stage on Sunday, looking like a giant critérium, Bernal will become the first Colombian winner of the Tour de France. His compatriot Nairo Quintana (Movistar), Friday winner of the first alpine stage in Valloire, won him the Tour of Italy (2014) and the Tour of Spain (2016) but never managed to do better than second on the Tour (in 2013 and 2015).