Strong showing from Education First on the first day of the Tour Colombia
The third version of Tour Colombia UCI had a sensational opening after the victory of Education First that stopped the clock at 18’01”. As a result, its Ecuadorian rider, Jonathan Caicedo, became the first leader of the overall classification above Egan Bernal, Julian Alaphilippe and Fabio Aru to mention just some of the favourites.
The first stage was a Team Time Trial that took place in the capital city of Boyacá, Tunja, where riders rolled along 16.7 kilometres. Some cyclists like Rigoberto Urán and Jhonatan Narvaez seemed to be out of shape during the hilly part of the road, losing contact with their teams.
Egan Bernal’s incredible tour de France
As projected, world tour teams jumped into the first positions. The second place was for Deceuninck – Quick Step, 45 seconds behind EF as Ineos took third place with a strong Egan Bernal giving away 46”.
Wednesday’s stage sees the riders race from cheese town Paipa toward Sogomoso and ending up in Duitama. It’s flatter than a Dutch pancake, so it’ll be one for the sprinters – perhaps the likes of Álvaro Hodeg might cross the line first. Keep an eye out for Sergio Higuita as well, as he’s full of confidence in all types of terrain. They will roll off at 10:30AM.
Teams top ten:
1. EF EDUCATION FIRST 18’01”
2. DECEUNINCK QUICKSTEP +45”
3. TEAM INEOS +46”
4. RALLY CYCLING +59”
5. UEA TEAM EMIRATES 1’00”
6. EPM – SCOTT ST
7. MOVISTAR TEAM 1’02”
8. ISRAEL START – UP NATION 1’21”
9. TEAM MEDELLIN 1’22″
10. UNO-X NORWEGIAN DEVELOPMENT TEAM 1’32”
Individual General Classification:
1. Jonathan Caicedo (ECU) EF1 18’01”
2. Sergio Higuita (COL) EF1 ST
3. Daniel Martínez (COL) EF1 ST
4. Tejay Van Garderen (USA) EF1 ST
5. Lawson Craddock (USA) EF1 +9”
6. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) DQT +45”
7. Bob Jungels (LUX) DQT ST
8. Jannik Steimle (GER) DQT ST
9. Bert Peter Van Lerberghe (BEL) DQT ST
10. Egan Bernal (COL) INS +46”