Bernal snatches yellow from Alaphilippe as landslide, icy snow forces mid-stage cancellation
A dramatic day a the Tour de France on Stage 19 saw the GC lead change hands and chaos reign after a freak storm

In a bizarre conclusion to the nineteenth stage of the Tour de France, the race was stopped with 30-kilometres to race because of a landslide and icy snow on the downhill of the penultimate climb.
#TDF201 S19
This is why the race was stopped. pic.twitter.com/ky2hxe2X5R— Trek-Segafredo (@TrekSegafredo) July 26, 2019
#TDF2019 La course semble être arrêtée sur @LeTour du fait de la neige. Quand va-elle repartir? #alleztotaldirectenergie pic.twitter.com/6xuS46pGcc
— Team Total Direct Energie (@TDE_ProCycling) July 26, 2019
Egan Bernal, who was first over that climb, Col de l’Iseran, was not awarded the stage victory but assumed the yellow jersey from Julian Alaphilippe by virtue of his time gap cresting the mountain. It appears that yet another Tour de France is heading towards a Sky/Ineos victory, seven in eight years with four different riders.
The Course
The profile went upward right from the start in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, with two early Cat. 3s and a Cat 2 climb before the HC Col de l’Ilseran and the summit finish up at Tignes. It was the penultimate day in the Alps.
A short and intense stage starting from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, taking the riders over Col de l'Iseran (one of the five classified climbs on the route) and finishing atop Tignes, is what awaits the #TDF2019 peloton today. pic.twitter.com/Q26u31tPZA
— Deceuninck-QuickStep (@deceuninck_qst) July 26, 2019
Pinot Abandons
Michael Woods was active early and joined a dangerous breakaway that formed on the first two climbs. His seventh place on Thursday after his inclusion in the breakaway saw him leap ten places on GC to 36th.
Behind, fifth-place Thibaut Pinot was struggling with a left calf problem, something of which his team was obviously aware, as there were no teammates around him. Having visited the medical and stopped for care, the Frenchman abandoned in tears. Pinot’s Groupama-FDJ team tweeted, “Thibaut suffers from a muscle injury in his left thigh. He finished the 18th stage with significant pain and had difficulty walking in the evening. His condition did not improve on Friday.”
😢 It’s over for Thibaut Pinot who suffers too much. Extremely sad.
😢 C’est fini pour @ThibautPinot qui souffre trop pour continuer. Un moment très difficile pour lui et son équipe.#TDF2019 pic.twitter.com/qr7Bab0iPk
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 26, 2019
The most dangerous riders in the 29-strong breakaway were 9th place Rigoberto Uran and 10th place Alejandro Valverde. Damiano Caruso was in the escape looking to nick Romain Bardet’s polka dot jersey.
⏱️ The breakaway increases the gap, which rises to a minute.
⏱️ L'échappée augmente son écart, qui monte à une minute.#TDF2019 pic.twitter.com/eCKe4AvqaN— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 26, 2019
Col de l’Ilseran
At 12.9 km of 7.5 percent, the Col de l’Ilseran was also the Souvenir Henri Desgrande at 2770-metres. The Woods-Uran-Valverde group was down to 22 riders with 1:46 over the yellow jersey group by the time it started up. Ineos drove the streamlined GC gang, isolating Alaphilippe and dropping Thursday’s winner Nairo Quintana. Woods fell away from the breakaway with 7.3-km left to climb.
Front group down to 14 riders, including @UranRigoberto and @rusty_woods with 8km left to climb up the Iseran. Yellow jersey group includes around 15 riders at 55".
And as we wrote this, Woodsy, who has done so much work for Rigo today, came unglued. #TDF2019
— EF Pro Cycling (@EFprocycling) July 26, 2019
Geraint Thomas was the first to attack. This drew a counterattack from Steven Kruijswijk. The activity popped off Alaphilippe and Mikel Landa. Bernal then made a dig. The two groups intermingled with 4.8-km left to climb.
Bernal carried on with remnants of the breakaway.
🇨🇴 @Eganbernal joins @WarrenBarguil at the front of the race.
🇨🇴 Egan Bernal rejoint Warren Barguil, qui état seul en tête de la course.#TDF2019 pic.twitter.com/kQO2TIJDge— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 26, 2019
Bernal is now virtual leader in general classification. #TDF2019
— ammattipyöräily (@ammattipyoraily) July 26, 2019
Now solo, Bernal took the Souvenir Henri Desgrande and maximum bonus seconds at the peak of Ilseran. Thomas, Landa and Kruijswijk were 56-seconds in arrears, while Alaphillipe was 2:00 back.
The Landslide
At first it appeared that only hail and snow had fallen on the far slope of the climb in Val d’Isere. A truck tried to clear it.
Un tapis de grêle recouvre la route à Val d’Isère 🙀❄️⚡️#CofidismyTeam #TDF2019 pic.twitter.com/p0xBV0x2db
— Team Cofidis (@TeamCOFIDIS) July 26, 2019
Simon Yates rejoined Bernal on the descent. Everyone was racing towards dark skies at the finish at Tignes.
The race was stopped, but the riders, still riding on dry roads, were very confused, with Vincenzo Nibali and Uran arguing about the chaotic situation. It was difficult for the cycling world to understand what was going on until the photos of the landslide emerged. It turned out there was no road to race on anymore.
It was decided that the day’s times would be taken atop l’Iseran.
#TDF2019 – With this neutralization Col de l'Iseran just became the highest finish ever for a Grand Tour stage.
— La Flamme Rouge (@laflammerouge16) July 26, 2019
When the riders pulled into Val d’Isere, Bernal seemed poised to take the yellow jersey, although his ceremony was to be held much later. The organizers announced there would be no stage winner.
Order at the top of the Col de l’Iseran
1) Egan Bernal (Colombia/Ineos)
2) Simon Yates (Great Britain/Mitchelton-Scott) +0:05
3) Warren Barguil (France/Arkea-Samsic) +0:41
2019 Tour de France GC
1) Egan Bernal (Colombia/Ineos)
2) Julian Alaphilippe (France/Deceuninck-Quick Step) +0:45
3) Geraint Thomas (Great Britain/Ineos) +1:03
4) Steven Kruijswijk (The Netherlands/Jumbo-Visma) +1:15
5) Emanual Buchmann (Germany/Bora-Hansgrohe) +1:42