Colombian children no longer only dream of being James Rodríguez, Duván Zapata or Radamel Falcao
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Pogacar wins the chrono and virtually wins the Tour de France
Without believing it “without wanting to change my way of being because I am just a boy from Slovenia”, so simply and stunned by attending the first face-to-face press conference that was held on the Tour of videos, masks and social distance because of the coronavirus.
«I can’t believe it because I was already happy knowing that I was going to be second in Paris. I dont believe it. He came here for the first time and won the race. It is one of the best days of my life, “repeated Pogacar, with his yellow sweater, with his yellow mask, although seeing the world of blue and wonderful for a victory that tomorrow will confirm in Paris.
«On Wednesday it seemed that everything was ending at Col de la Loze where I was third. There were two runners ahead of me that day. It seemed that there the Tour ended and that it was only about surviving until Paris. And now this comes. I really don’t know what happened to Roglic. I only know that he hugged me when he finished. He is my friend. But both
we ran here to win.
At the age of 21, he became fond of this sport. “I remember that the first Tour I saw was 2009. I wanted to be like Contador and also like Andy Schleck.” At that time, when the Madrid cyclist won his second Tour against his Luxembourgish rival, Pogacar was only a 10-year-old boy.
«The truth is that I already stipulated all the preparation of the year for the Tour. The confinement was hard, but it was tried not to lose the calm and to realize a series of sessions not to lose the form at that time, “explained the yellow jersey.
Defeated cyclist
On the other side of the scene was Primoz Roglic who admitted, he had no other choice, his defeat against his young compatriot. «It has not been a good day and I can only congratulate Pogacar. I know that I have given everything so I can only say that I am proud to finish second in Paris and to be able to get on the podium. Such is life, “said the leader of the Jumbo with an air of being dejected.
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It was the day of Pogacar, the cyclist who ran his first professional race in Portugal in 2019. He went to the Vuelta al Algarve in February and won them all to show that a star had just been born. Last year he made his debut in the Vuelta and arrived in Madrid as the third overall.
The Irishman Sam Bennett won this Sunday in the last stage of the Tour de France, the traditional "sprint" of the Champs Elysees, which served to consecrate the triumph of the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar in the general.
09/20/2020
On at 21:26 CEST
This is the second stage victory for the Deceuninck rider, which also allows him to finish as the leader of the points classification.
The Irishman beat the Danish Mads Pedersen and the Slovak Peter Sagan.
A letter to Tadej Pogacar, a text to freedom
A prodigy in yellow
Valverde, Landa and Mas, leaders of the Spanish team in the Imola World Cup
One day after turning 22, Pogacar became the second youngest winner in Tour history, ahead of his compatriot Primoz Roglic and Australian Richie Porte, who will accompany him on the podium.
The euphoria of all Colombia for the first yellow jersey in the Tour signed by its new hero, Egan Bernal, moved to the Champs Elysees in Paris, at sunset, to greet the entrance of a 22-year-old young man called to mark an era in international cycling.
07/28/2019
On at 23:06 CEST
There was still a final process of 121 kilometers between Rambouillet and Paris for Bernal to get on the podium to listen to the Colombian anthem excitedly. After just over 3 hours of journey as a tribute, where there was no shortage of champagne toasts on the bike, the Tour champion woke up from a real dream: he had become the first Colombian and Latin American to win the Tour de France .
At the final party in Paris, where the race passed by the Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum, the Australian Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal), the "Pocket rocket", who signed the treble ahead of the Dutch Dylan Groenewegem (Jumbo Visma) and the Italian Niccoló Bonifazio (Direct Energie).
A victory that credited Ewan as the best sprinter of the 2019 Tour, a prestigious triumph, the jewel most sought after by the fastest men in the peloton.
PARIS WAS COLOMBIA
Bernal was the protagonist in the French capital, perched on the top of the podium accompanied by his Welsh partner Geraint Thomas, the same one who gave him the witness as the winner of the Tour, and who a year ago experienced the same sensation in such a distinguished setting. One step down, third, Dutchman Steven Kruijswijk enjoyed his moment of glory. This is the podium with the smallest difference in history between first and third: 1.31 minutes.
"Divine youth treasure"wrote Rubén Darío, another Latin American glory. The treasure of youth is represented today by a boy from Bogotá raised in Zipaquirá, called to mark an era in cycling. His physical conditions, his mentality and the results obtained so young, are an indication of weight.
Bernal, who started riding a bicycle at age 5 and competed for the first time at age 9 winning a race, bears destiny in his name, in which he must believe, since the fall that broke his collarbone before the Giro forced him to think about the Tour. He assumes that the accident is the one that has brought him glory in Paris.
In Colombia it is a "Shinto", since Egan comes from the Greek "champion", as his godfather wanted him to be called. After winning the 2018 Tour of California and this year the Paris Nice and Tour of Switzerland, the best was expected of him, but as Geraint Thomas says, "not so fast".
MOVISTAR BEST TEAM
The winners of the various classifications paraded on the podium in Paris. The consolation of the French, who dreamed very high with Alaphilippe and Pinot, was dressed by Romain Bardet with the mountain jersey. Little spoils for a country that has not seen victory in the Tour since Bernard Hinault’s last lesson in 1985.
On points, the Slovak Peter Sagan achieved the historical record of 7 green jerseys, surpassing the 6 of the German Erik Zabel. The triple World Champion also won a stage win.
The best young man could not be other than Egan Bernal. Since the white jersey was introduced in 1975, Colombian cyclists have obtained 4 victories. Nairo Quintana wore it in 2013 and 2015, Fabio Parra in 1985 and Álvaro Mejía in 1991.
Egan, from letters to the bicycle
Follow live the last stage of the Tour de France
And by team collective stone for the Movistar of Eusebio Unzue. The telephone squad arrived with ambitions in the general classification with Mikel Landa and Quintana and had to be confirmed with the team award. A balm was Quintana’s victory at Valloire and having placed three men in the top ten.
From Barranquilla to Santa Marta, but especially in his native Zipaquirá, all of Colombia has taken to the streets to celebrate the triumph of Egan Bernal in the Tour de France. And it is not for less, since the coffee grower has become the first Colombian to win the gala round in its entire history.
07/29/2019
On at 21:47 1xbet betting app CEST
The greatest achievements of a cyclist from the tricolor nation in the French race had been the second places of Nairo Quintana in 2013 and 2015 and that of Rigoberto Urán in 2017, but nothing compared to this. The young climber of only 22 years old has driven his countrymen crazy, who consider this triumph as one of the great milestones in Colombian sport.
Zipaquirá, a population of only 125,000 inhabitants 42 kilometers from the capital, wept with joy at the triumph of its prodigal son. In the city they place Bernal, their new hero, at the height of two of the great characters for Colombians such as the liberator Simón Bolívar and the writer Gabriel García Márquez.
A land that in recent times was better known for Pablo Escobar than for its beautiful places and for its historical characters because Netflix ‘resurrected’ the one who was once the most dangerous drug trafficker in the world needed to remind the rest of the planet that that time it already happened.
That it is a united people and that celebrates the great feats as if each and every one of the citizens were brothers. Bernal’s achievement has awakened his fellow citizens, who turn to their own.
HELMETS IN THE PLAZA
The town of Egan was the epicenter of Colombia last Sunday. While Bernal toasted with teammates and rivals in the last stage, Zipaquirá’s Independence Square was filled with compatriots of the flaming winner of the 2019 Tour de France.
Many of them arrived at the place of the celebration by bicycle, with their respective jerseys and helmets; others, with newspaper clippings in which they echoed the news or with posters of their new idol in which it was already possible to read what the Colombians wanted so much: ‘Egan champion’.
Entire families, children and the elderly, all of them with tears in their eyes that represent how Colombia lives sport, whatever it may be. Something that produces a certain envy to countries that only mobilize for the beautiful sport.
Colombian children no longer only dream of being James Rodríguez, Duván Zapata or Radamel Falcao. Coffee-growing kids also fantasize about wearing a jersey and helmet. Like Egan Bernal, the latest coffee star who, as if that weren’t enough, has a hopeful future. The future of the champion looks very good.
NATIONAL HERO
Colombia is a party. And that is why the government will award Bernal the Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit.