2019 Tour de France Wrapup and Reflections

The 2019 Tour de France wrapped up on Sunday with the usual parade down the Champs d’Elysees. While the 2019 edition will be remembered for the race’s first Colombian champion, Egan Bernal, it also marked a strong showing from French riders with Julian Alaphilippe and Thibaut Pinot both standouts.

And controversy. But we’ll get to that.

A Win for Bernal and Colombia

It’s amazing to me that the Tour de France has not seen a winner from Colombia before now.

The 22-year-old Bernal, the youngest rider to win the race in 110 years, gave Team Ineos — formerly Team Sky — their seventh title in the last eight editions.

He beat team mate and defending champion Geraint Thomas of Britain by one minute 11 seconds, with Dutchman Steven Kruijswijk coming home third, 1:31 off the pace.

“It’s incredible, I don’t know what to say. I’ve won the Tour but I don’t manage to believe it. I need a couple of days to assimilate all this,” said Bernal.

“It’s for my family and I just want to hug them. It’s a feeling of happiness that I don’t know how to describe it.

This is the first Tour for us, Colombians. Many Colombians have tried before, we’ve had great cyclists in the past. But I’m the first one to win the Tour! Colombia deserves it.”

Also the winner of the white jersey for the best Under-25 rider, Bernal did not win a single stage, but he was first at the top of the Col de l’Iseran when the decisive 19th stage was stopped because of hailstorms and landslides in the Alps (See? Controversy).

At just 22 years of age, Bernal could see several additional Grand Tour wins in his future.

Future for Alaphilippe & France

France’s Julian Alaphilippe, who wore the yellow jersey for 14 days but cracked in the Alps and ended fifth overall, was the race’s most exciting rider.

The world number one, who had been fighting to become France’s first winner since Bernard Hinault in 1985, was voted this year’s most aggressive rider after also winning two stages.

“Alaphilippe changed the deal of this Tour de France, no question about it,” said Tour director Christian Prudhomme.

And yes, that 14 day run in the yellow jersey could have been 15 days. A very informal poll among friends and family shows that stopping the clock at the Col de l’Iseran and giving Bernal the stage win was viewed as patently unfair. Alaphillipe, known as one of the strongest descenders in the pro field could likely have made up some of his deficit. Bernal could have crashed. Anything could have happened in those last 30 kilometers!

Look, we all knew that Alaphilippe wasn’t going to win the overall. If he hadn’t lost the maillot jaune on Friday, it probably would have happened on Saturday. But the way he lost it was just not right.

The question remains: can he do this again? 14 days in yellow is nothing to sneeze at and shows a depth of fitness that was not expected. His compatriot Thibaut Pinot was right in the mix as well until dropping out with an injured leg. What will next year bring?

Watch for Mitchelton-SCOTT and Yates

Simon Yates came to the Tour with lowered expectations. He had flopped at the 2019 Giro d’Italia and was just supposed to be helping his twin brother Adam in the 2019 race. Instead, he dominated with strong breakaway efforts and his first two Tour de France stage wins while brother Adam seem to struggle every time the going got tough on a climb. Adam was also unable to keep up in a breakaway of lesser riders on the Galibier after the main contenders decided to ignore him and let him go.

Simon told the AFP he would next target the 2020 Olympic road race in Tokyo before turning his attention to the Tour de France in 2021.

For the team’s part, Mitchelton-SCOTT wrapped up their most successful Tour de France in its eight year history today, claiming four stage victories.

After winning just three stages in the last seven years, the Australian outfit won four stage victories from breakaways this year, with Simon Yates winning two stages and South African Daryl Impey and Italian Matteo Trentin each taking one apiece.

Ewan Emerges

After winning his first sprint Caleb Ewan said the photo-finish victory was ‘almost worth leaving Australia for’.

The 22-year-old ended the 2019 edition with three stage wins, one more than either Simon Yates or Julian Alaphilippe. In fact he lives in Monaco, and can put his three wins in the bank and look forward to winning more.

Politics at Ineos

Team Ineos’ “two leaders” philosophy dragged out way too long, with team principal Douglas Brailsford seemingly still grumbling about Bernal’s success as the race entered its’ third week.

When it  became clear that Geraint Thomas was not on fire in the way that Bernal was, the team should have thrown its’ full support behind the Colombian, but Brailsford still seemed to want everyone to ride for Thomas.

A win is a win. Just because the anointed team leader doesn’t get it doesn’t lessen it. Unless you do.