News : Tour de France: Colombian Bernal ahead of overall victory – Sport

Colombian Egan Bernal faces his first overall victory in the Tour de France. After 20 of 21 stages of the Tour of France, the 22-year-old professional cyclist from Team Ineos will wear the yellow jersey of the overall leader, but on the final leg to Paris this Sunday (18.10 / One and Eurosport) the leader will no longer be attacked. Bernal would be the first South American and the youngest driver since World War II to win the world's most important cycling race.

The Ravensburger Emanuel Buchmann could not crown his outstanding Tour de France in the big mountain finale with the podium. The 26-year-old Buchmann pushed past Julian Alaphilippe on the 20th stage on Saturday after Val Thorens in fourth overall, but for a decisive attack on the podium, he lacked the strength in the end. Only 25 seconds separated him from a podium finish.

"Fourth is really cool, madness, so I am satisfied," said Buchmann in the ARD. Even without a top 3 rank in Paris, Bora-hansgrohe professional Buchmann has been responsible for the best German tour ranking since 2006, when Andreas Klöden finished second. "There was no disappointment at the moment, there was not much more, Bernal, Thomas and Kruijswijk were too strong, so you have to be satisfied when others are stronger," said Buchmann.

In addition to Ineos rider Bernal, who was received directly by several hundred Colombians in the finish area, last year's winner Geraint Thomas (Wales) and Steven Kruijswijk from the Netherlands will complete the podium. The stage in Albertville's heavily shortened Mountain Sprint XXV to Val Thorens secured on Saturday the Italian Vincenzo Nibali, who brought a breakaway attack ahead of two Spaniards Alejandro Valverde and Mikel Landa.

For Bernal, Sunday will be the culmination of his young career. The 22-year-old took advantage of the injury-related absence of his heavily overthrown captain Chris Froome outstanding. "That I'm allowed to wear the yellow jersey is incredible," said Bernal. Also for Buchmann, who had always spent the top 10 as his goal, overall rank four is the biggest success of his career so far.

A day after heavy rain and hail showers and a mudslide on the descent from the Col de l'Iseran the weather had the Alps climbing on Saturday firmly under control. In the destination of Val Thorens, the highest ski station in Europe, it started at 12 o'clock in the rain, which did not change in the hours after. Only after the stage start at 14.30 clock it was better, the drivers came dry to the finish.

The previous evening, the organizers had announced that the stage would be shortened from 130 to 60 kilometers. Although the start and finish were the same, the Cormet de Roselend proved to be ungraspable after landslides on Friday night. There was even less tactics at the last chance before Paris, after all the 33.4-kilometer climb made up more than half of the total distance at the 20th stage. Jumbo-Visma set pace for Kruijswijk at the beginning, but that did not pay off against the strong Ineos team. Prosecutor Buchmann had called the mountain arrival in Val Thorens the whole week as a "showdown". "I feel really good for the third week, so I have never felt at a third week," said the German, who did not make a weakness in three weeks Tour de France. In the Vosges he shone on the ramp to the Planche des Belles Filles, in the Pyrenees he even attacked the Tourmalet and also in the Alps, he drove with great looseness of a deserved top 5 placement against. "Today is triggered and in Paris, then properly celebrated," said Buchmann.

The French dreams of the first Tour victory since Bernard Hinault 1985, however, burst in the Alps. After the injury-related exit of Thibaut Pinot (hamstring) could also Julian Alaphilippe as the darling of the Grande Nation in the final nothing more. After 14 days in the yellow jersey, the 27-year-old also gambled away the overall podium in Paris in the top performance climbing competition, which will now feature Bernal, last year's winner Thomas and Kruijswijk. Alaphilippe finishes the tour in fifth place.