Renaissance and marble palaces between 67 million olive trees, gravel roads and red dust, but dazzles less than the white smile of the Colombian champion, reborn. And almost both the eyes of his companions cyclists shine that, as Sepp Kuss, they say: “Your return is a superimportive victory for cycling.” To win the fourth classic of Jaén, the race that all end up covered with dust, heat, blood and sweat, and the cerebellum overflowing with rage, and Kuss says: “What a hard day.”
Bernal, 28 years old, makes accounts. “I have been 1,347 days without winning,” he says, and when he went up to the podium of the turn with the sweater Rosa, and does not speak, because everyone knows it, of the accident in which it dies little three years ago, in January 22, and speaks of the two victories in four days in Bucaramanga, February 6 and 9, National Titles of counterreloj and background. And he talks about his people, by Xabier Artetxe, his usual coach in the INEOS, who no longer continues in the team, and misses him, as he will miss Geraint Thomas soon, his Welshman who announces from Monac This year is his last year. He has 39 and has 19 in the squad, and Egan, who served the Welshman to win the Tour of 18 and was then served to win the 19th tour, the only Colombian who has won the tour, reminds him , “A parcero too cool, a great partner, a great leader a person with a special character, and a great person.”
“Pucha, but I wanted to be there, winning again, not for me, for the people who support me so much that I was shameless not to win, because I am no longer the same,” adds the wonder child of Zipaquirá, who leaves the Smile, the most fierce champion is placed and hard fight between the olive trees, his straight, sculpted nose, opening the way, and enjoy in the fight, perhaps remembering his times, youth so tender, from world ciclomontañism crack (Mountain Bike ) and how he settled his 21st turn in the dirt road from Montalcino to medium with his friend Ganna. The Colombian has fun and suffers Wout van Aert. He won his style, how and where he wanted, two years ago in Úbeda but this Monday he is in his emirates scaring the children in a sprint in Cuesta and Crazy that neither does his friend Philipsen win, an Italian bigger who runs from side to side with the power of a bulldozer and the disastrous style of an unbridled.
And it is the excessive desire of the champions who want to write beautiful pages, from Van tort, in his first race of the year and since August 30, when his knee broke down in La Vuelta, of Bernal, which makes the classic of the classic of Jaén among the olive trees without peace or truce, and with their own personality, stolen a bit of the Roubaix, another little of the Strade Bianche, and some machado, of his spirit always. Van Aert chooses the role of beautiful defeated, so appreciated by the fans, and accelerates until he succumb to 40 kilometers, useless demonstration, and therefore bigger. Bernal only thinks of being champion, and Azuza his ineos, and, leader, claims freedom and command. And everything turns around. The secondary ones, who are not bad, Kwiatkowski, Wellens, McNulty, mark the rhythm, the continuous bass of the baroque orchestra, and the restlessness, escape after escape. When everyone has already surrendered. And his flash shakes the air and awakens the destination, which in a nothing undoes what will, destroys wills and idylls, so superior. Click on his UAE McNulty partner, an animator in the lead, and probable winner, strong in the long leak with Kwiatkowski and Vitoriano Ibon Ruiz, who pinch when he looks so in the end so in front.
No more than 20 kilometers remain. Everything changes. Kwiatkowski, 34 years old, great discontinuous class – the world of Ponferrada 10 years ago, an Amstel, a Strade, a San Remo taking Sagan’s hair – the great avenues of victory are opened. Egan Bernal, his partner in the INEOS, falls and is transferred to a hospital. Isaac del Toro, the terrible Mexican of the UAE, what strength and courage, tries to contradict destiny. It attacks and is second. IBON RUIZ resists the fair. Third. Van Aert arrives at the finish line. You drink a Red Bull. Encourage your classmates. Igor Arrieta asks for a wound in the elbow. Everyone hugs. In the hospital they tear Bernal’s tricolor. They suspect that the clavicle has broken.
