Credit: Nuestro Stories
When he became the first-ever Latino to win the Tour de France in 2019, young Colombian Egan Bernal said he was the “happiest guy” in the world.
“I just won the Tour de France, and, yeah, I can’t believe it,” the 22-year-old told the press after winning the prestigious cycling race. A solid ride had given him the crown.
“This is the Tour, this is the Tour, there is nothing more important than the Tour de France, and I want to take this jersey back to Colombia,” Bernal said after completing the grueling 3,409 km three-week marathon.
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It was quite a victory for the young Latin American cyclist. He is the youngest to win the tour since Henri Cornet won the second Tour in 1904.
The Tour de France was the dream of Henri Desgrange, a French cyclist and journalist who established it in 1903. The race has been running every year except during the World Wars.
The Tour de France Attracts the Best
The Tour is the most prestigious cycling race in the world, but it is also one of the most difficult. Although there are two other major bicycle races – the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España – the Tour de France is the one that attracts the best riders. It takes place for three weeks each July; it usually is staged in some 20-day-long stages.
The Tour typically comprises 20 professional teams of nine riders each. It covers some 3,600 km (2,235 miles), mainly in France, with occasional and brief visits to such countries as Belgium, Italy, Germany, and Spain. It ends in Paris, on the Champs Elysées.
Latinos Are a Force to Be Reckoned With
Before Bernal came Raúl Alcalá, the first Latino and Mexican to participate in the Tour de France in 1987 and the first to win the young rider classification. He finished ninth in the overall category of the Tour.
Two years before Alcalá made Mexico proud, two Colombians – Lucho Herrera and Fabio Parra – celebrated their victories. The two riders, the first ones in the history of the tour representing Colombia, won the mountain and the young rider classifications.
The most recent Latino winners are also all Colombian, winning in the same mountain category. These are Santiago Botero in 2000, Mauricio Soler in 2007, and Nairo Quintana in 2013. Although they are 13 years apart, these riders have stood out most for their climbing strength and are why Colombian cyclists are called Los Escarabajos.
Even though Spaniards are not Latinos but Hispanics, their victories in the Tour de France are worth noting. Miguel Induráin has five consecutive wins – between 1991 and 1995 – and is the Spaniard who has won the French competition the most.
To end on a rather sad note, Bernal suffered a horrible accident this year, is still recovering, and will not participate in any of the three grand tours of 2022.
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