Page 22 - aruba-today-20190727

A22 SPORTS
Saturday 27 July 2019

Bernal storms _ literally _ into Tour yellow amid icy chaos

stage. On Friday, organiz-
ers first provided delayed
provisional standings and
then tweaked the results in
official standings that took
about three hours to final-
ize. Bernal now leads Ala-
philippe by 48 seconds. De-
fending champion Geraint
Thomas is third, 1:16 behind
Bernal — not 1:03 back as
organizers first announced.
Alaphilippe said he'd been
bracing to lose the lead
on the tough Alpine stage,
but no one had imagined it
would happen in such dra-
matic circumstances.
"I gave it all, I don't have
any regret," he said. "I've
been beaten by stronger
than me."
The sudden storm turned
summer into almost winter
in just minutes, with a dust-
ing of white covering what
had been lush summer
pastures of green. A snow-
plow driver tried to clear
away the slush, throwing
up waves of water, on the
road flooded with torrents
of water and ice.
It wasn't the first time that
Alpine weather had thrown
Tour organizers' plans into
Colombia's Egan Bernal wearing the best young rider's white jersey climbs Iseran pass during the nineteenth stage of the Tour de
France cycling race over 126,5 kilometers (78,60 miles) with start in Saint Jean De Maurienne and finish in Tignes, France, Friday, disarray. At the 1996 Tour,
July 26, 2019 what had been planned as
Associated Press a 190-kilometer (118-mile)
By JOHN LEICESTER and at the ski station of Tignes, I didn't want to stop," Ber- raising speeds of Bernal, stage from Val d'Isère to
SAMUEL PETREQUIN organizers decided that nal said through a transla- Alaphilippe and other rid- Sestrières was slashed to
AP Sports Writers riders' placings would in- tor on French television. ers on the downhill from the just 46 kilometers because
TIGNES, France (AP) — In stead be based on their "When they told me that I Iseran in part prompted the of snow, with both the Is-
an instant, and just as it was time at the top of the high- was the race leader and decision to stop the race eran and Galibier passes
becoming even more thrill- est mountain pass of this I had the yellow jersey, I there and then. not climbed as planned.
ing, the most exciting Tour Tour — the Iseran, at 2,770 couldn't believe it and I "We could see that they Black storm clouds could
de France in decades be- meters (9,090 feet) above still can't believe it." Orga- were taking risks and we be seen looming on the
came truly bizarre. sea level — which leading nizers scrambled to deal knew that they couldn't go horizon as Bernal went over
A violent hailstorm threw riders, but not all, had just with the disarray and riders much further," he said. "The the top of the climb.
cycling's greatest race into scaled when the race was clambered off their bikes, only thing that counts is the Although Bernal was all
chaos on Friday, forcing stopped. not immediately sure what riders' health and safety. It smiles as he stepped into an
organizers to cut short a And just like that, Colombi- was going on. Exception- was impossible." Ineos car, other contend-
nail-biting stage in the high an rider Egan Bernal found ally, there was no winner of Bernal, who races on the ers including Alaphlippe
Alps because riders were himself in the yellow jersey. Stage 19, because no one Ineos team, was 1:30 be- looked disappointed. The
speeding, unbeknownst to He flew away from Julian had reached the finish. hind Alaphilippe at the French rider waved his left
them, headlong toward Alaphilippe on the climb "This Tour is crazy," race di- start of the stage. Ahead of arm in disdain and swerved
a road that had suddenly and reached the top 2 rector Christian Prudhom- Saturday's final trek in the back and forth across the
become covered with ice minutes, 10 seconds ahead me said. "We would never Alps, the last competitive road. Colombian rider
and giant puddles and cut of the Frenchman, who have imagined a day like stage before a traditional Rigoberto Uran looked an-
in half by a rockslide. had held the race lead for this." processional ride to Paris, gry.
Concerned for riders' safe- a total of 14 days. Having made France the 22-year-old Bernal is But Marc Madiot, the man-
ty on mountain roads that Bernal was speeding down dream of having a first Tour now in an ideal position to ager of the Groupama-FDJ
can be dangerous at the hairpins on the other side, winner since 1985, and become the first Colombi- team, applauded the stop-
best of times, race organiz- with Alaphilippe hot on his having contributed more an to win cycling's biggest page.
ers made an on-the-spot trail, hoping to save his race than anyone to make this race. "Safety is the first priority
and extremely rare deci- lead, when they received Tour more memorable Prudhomme said riders' tim- and the decision to stop
sion that the stage couldn't the order to stop racing. than most with his punchy ings at the top of the Iseran the stage seemed to be
continue. "I don't really know what riding, Alaphillipe lost the were taken the old-fash- the only decision to make,"
The shockwave was im- happened. I was speed- race lead as the Champs- ioned way, with a watch. he said. "Imagine that the
mediate and heavy in ing, attacking, and every- Elysees in Paris was almost Normally, organizers fur- race had a continued and
repercussions. Unable to thing was going well and within touching distance. nish riders' placings almost a rider had plunged into a
reach the planned finish then they told me to stop. Prudhomme said the hair- immediately after each ravine."q