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The 2019 Tour de France podium, with the youngest winner of the Yellow Jersey in the history of the race, Egan Bernal, ahead of his Ineos team mate Geraint Thomas and Dutchman Steven Kruijswijk, was constructed throughout three weeks of twists and turns. Julian Alaphilippe’s long period in yellow of added unexpected excitement, as did Thibault Pinot’s dazzling display before he retired two days from Paris. It was mission business as usual for Peter Sagan, who won his record setting 7th green jersey, while the sprinters had to take, in some part, a back seat to Caleb Ewan, who scored three stage victories in his Tour debut, including the most prestigious one on the Champs-Elysées. Romain Bardet, not quite in the hunt for the overall win (15th), still finished his 7th Tour on the podium and on a high note, with his first polka-dot jersey.
The French on a mission
The wait continues. No one still knows the name of the eventual successor to Bernard Hinault, the last French rider to win the Grande Boucle in 1985. But all throughout the 2019 edition, two Frenchmen put themselves in a position to be a more and more credible contender, albeit in two very different ways. One of today’s top specialists when it comes to one-day classics and stage victories, Julian Alaphilippe seized his first opportunity, near the town of Epernay, slipping on the Yellow Jersey. No one thought he would wear it for such a long time. Although he relinquished it to Giulio Ciccone for a brief moment, the French rider quickly replied at Saint-Etienne, where he retook the overall lead, with the perspective of remaining in Yellow just until the Pyrenees. He wasn’t satisfied to just hold on to the GC lead and increased his advantage over Geraint Thomas after the first major mountain range. He then set best time on the Pau time trial, stayed with the favourites on the Col du Tourmalet and barely flinched on the slopes of Prat-d’Albis before the rest day. Julian Alaphilippe eventually weakened in the Alps, on a terrain where he logically ceded his place to Egan Bernal, while an entire nation or nearly so seemed to be pushing him to Paris in that same jersey.

Meanwhile, the best chance for France was Thibaut Pinot, who was forced to ride at a distance after losing 1:40 when he got caught out by crosswinds on the Albi stage, although his chance to turn the race in his favour seemed quite real after his forceful ride up the slopes of the Col du Tourmalet. Fourth overall as the Tour reached the Alps, the French rider was among the favourites after displaying top form and a conquering temperament. And yet it was his form that stopped him, in this case a muscle tear in his left leg that left him no choice but to retire on the Tignes stage that could have been his day to star. But it was not to be for Pinot.
A new podium was produced on two shortened but decisive stages, on route towards Tignes and Val Thorens, with Egan Bernal in the role of a Columbian super-hero, followed by his Ineos team mate Geraint Thomas and Steven Kruijswijk, whose Jumbo-Visma team was omnipresent on the Tour. It was they who managed to eject Julian Alaphilippe from the podium, while he was still 2nd overall at the foot of the final climb to the highest ski station in Europe.

Sagan, the record

There was no fight for the green jersey! Sure, the classification was led for a day by the winner of the opening stage, Mike Teunissen, but it was Peter Sagan who slipped on the green jersey the following day and never took it off just until the podium on the Champs-Elysées. Once again, the Slovak focused all his attention on collecting points as he rode in the breakaways to fight for the intermediate sprints, strung together strong finishes behind the fastest sprinters to score everywhere he could. An astute connoisseur of the subtleties of this competition, the three-time World Champion only won one stage, in Colmar, but finished nine stages in the Top 5.
In all, Sagan won by a commanding 68-point advantage over Caleb Ewan, and broke Erik Zabel’s record in claiming his seventh green jersey in Paris. Along the way, the 12th stage won by the Bora-Hansgrohe rider put him on equal footing with the former German sprinter, which also ties him with two other legendary sprinters, Robbie McEwen and Mario Cipollini.
The dots for Bardet
The polka-dot jersey had a distinctly Belgian accent right from the start in Brussels. First with Greg Van Avermaet, who went in search of it on the Mur de Grammont where his outstanding Flandrien qualities stood out. Then with Tim Wellens, who found a role that ideally suited his all-rounder make up, capable of battling in the breakaways on rolling stages. Employing clever tactics, the member of the Lotto-Soudal team maintained the advantage in the King of the Mountains classification for 15 days, which none of his compatriots had done since Lucien Van Impe.
Wellens though reached his limits when the race entered the Alps. Although he managed to join the breakaway that saw him to score his last points as he passed the Col de Vars in the lead, it was Romain Bardet who made the most of the Valloire stage to take the lead in the climbers classification. The two remaining stages promised a wide-open battle for the polka-dot jersey, but they being shortened helped the Frenchman, who was not at peak form, to easily defend his position. He admitted luck was on his side to allow him to keep the polka-dot jersey and step on the podium on the Champs-Elysées for the fifth time in seven Tour participations.

Ewan, up to the challenge

They call him the “Pocket Rocket” due to his diminutive size and his explosive style that are reminiscent of Mark Cavendish, the Tour stage win leader, still competing, with 30 victories. Caleb Ewan was chomping at the bit to participate in his first Tour de France. He was even eyeing a strong start, with a Yellow Jersey guaranteed to go to a sprinter in Brussels. But the Australian’s debut was more laborious than planned. Always close but not really in contention, he took four top three results and as many frustrations in the mass sprints in Brussels (3rd), Nancy (3rd), Chalon-sur-Saône (2nd) and Albi (3rd), before stepping on to the stage-winner podium in Toulouse.
It was in the Haute-Garonne prefecture where Ewan’s trajectory joined that of “Cav”, who also began to win Tour stages at the age of 25, in 2008. Winner in Toulouse like Cavendish, the young Australian did it again a few days later in Nîmes, where his role model did the same 11 years earlier. Above all, Caleb Ewan finished his Tour de France in grand style on the Champs-Elysées. During his first visit to the City of Light, when he was just 17, he went to the Champs Elysées, that avenue that is so very special to all the sprinters, promising to, one day, raise his arms. That’s done, at the first attempt. And Caleb Ewan has fired the warning shot in the direction of Peter Sagan. He is now the Slovak’s most serious rival for the green jersey in the coming years.
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Fotos: Gerhard Plomitzer – www.plomi.smugmug.com

Distance: 128 km
Climbs: 2
Points for the polka dot jersey: 2
Points for the green jersey: 70
Neutralised start: 18:05
Real start: 18:10
Estimated finish: 21:10 – 21:29
Village opening: 15:00

In attendance:
– Gérard Larcher, President of the Sénat
As part of the 100 years of the Yellow Jersey celebrations, the Tour de France invites 2 500 cycling enthusiasts to take part in the Randonnée du Tour de France ride, just a few hours before the riders contest the finish (13:30pm). Fabian Cancellara will ride it!
The sun dominates in the late afternoon, cloudless sky until arrival. Temperatures range from 24 to 21°C. Wind from the west northwest 10 to 15 km/h, gusts 30 km/h.
Rambouillet
Stage city for the 3rd time, sous-prefecture of Yvelines (78), 26 000 inhabitants (Rambolitains)
This year, Rambouillet is welcoming the Tour de France for the third time, following 2012 and 1966. That year, the joker in the pack of the Ford France team, Lucien Aimar, managed to keep hold of his Yellow Jersey by a little more than one minute ahead of Jan Janssen.
The Olymic Games in 2024 will be the games for all the French, but many events will take place in the Yvelines department: horse-riding, pentathlon but also, naturally, cycling!
Paris Champs-Élysées
Traditional finish city of the Tour de France, 45th finish on the Champs-Élysées, capital of France and chef-lieu of the Région Île-de-France, common-departement and Prefecture (75), 2 250 000 inhabitants (Parisiens)
The Yellow Jersey appeared on the Tour de France in 1919, exactly 100 years ago. In this first Tour de France following the First World War, the route included a loop from Paris to Paris and also visited Strasbourg, to mark the reclamation of this city from the Germans.
This year, the Louvre Museum and its emblematic pyramid will receive a visit from the pack. Though significantly castigated on its inauguration in 1989, this year the Louvre Pyramid is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary.
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Due to the difficult weather conditions expected tomorrow and land slides noticed, the course of the 20th stage of the Tour de France will be modified.
After taking off from Albertville, the stage will go on the N90 road to head directly to Moutiers and then go on the initial end of stage at the N90 – D915 roundabout, 36kms from the finish.
The start will be given in Albertville at 2.30pm for a total distance of 59kms.
All the intial sporting points will be withdrawn except the KOM standings at the finish in Val Thorens.
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Distance: 59.5km
Climbs: 1
Points for the polka dot jersey: 40
Points for the green jersey: 20
Neutralised start: 2.30pm
Real start: 2.35pm
Estimated finish: 4.35pm – 4.54pm
Village opening: 10.30am
Sunny at first, partly cloudy from Aussois to Tignes. Risk of isolated showers or thunderstorms, more likely over mountaintops. Hot temperatures at first, 32°C, then less hot between 20 and 26°C, and about only 13°C at the Iseran pass. Irregular and changing wind, between 10 and 30 kph.

Albertville
Stage city for the 5th time, sous-prefecture of Savoie (73), 19 700 inhabitants (Albertvillois)
For a long time, the riders on the Tour de France contented themselves with passing through Albertville, but more recently, they have regularly stopped off here, with a more than decent level of success for French riders. In 2012, Pierre Rolland won, whilst in 2016, Romain Bardet grabbed the stage victory as well as second place in the GC.
Albertville combines skiing and educational excellence. The Lycée Jean Moulin high school plays host to France’s SSHN elite skiing school. This establishment allows pupils to combine training, competition and studies. It has seen the greatest French champions pass through its doors.
Val Thorens
Stage city for the 2nd time, mountain resort of Savoie (73), attached to the common of Les Belleville, 3 100 inhabitants (Bellevillois)
The Tour de France already climbed up to the summit of Europe’s highest ski resort in 1994. At the end of an unbridled stage, Colombian Nelson Rodríguez tasted triumph. 68 riders finished after the cut-off time, before being reintegrated into the race.
Val Thorens was elected best ski resort in the world for the 5th time in November 2018. With 1.8 million votes, it beat other internationally renowned resorts such as Kitzbühel or Verbier. Val Thorens was also deemed best French ski resort for the sixth consecutive year.