Egan Bernal 'so happy' to be back ahead of Tour defence

News24
01 Aug 2020, 18:42 GMT+10

Egan Bernal was all smiles on Saturday before he embarked on the Route d'Occitanie stage race as he prepares to defend his Tour de France title in three weeks' time.

The 23-year-old Ineos rider was wearing the number one jersey ahead of his four-time Tour de France winning team-mate Chris Froome in the number two jersey.

It is the Colombian's first race since returning to Europe from his native country following the sport's coronavirus shutdown.

"I want to enjoy the feeling of racing again and at the same time sharpen my fitness for the Tour," Bernal said.

"The key thing is to have a good time. We are so happy to get involved in a race, see the other teams and all that."

British outfit Ineos boast the last five winners of the Tour de France in their ranks with Froome in 2015-2017, Geraint Thomas in 2018 and Bernal in 2019.

Bernal is favourite to win the 2020 edition with the British bookmakers.

Thomas is signed up as a reserve at the Route d'Occitanie.

The Tour de France is scheduled to embark from Nice on 29 August and arrive in Paris 21 stages later on 20 September.

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Greek Herald.

More Information

null in null

International Business

Section

Over 60 companies named in UN report on Israel-Gaza conflict

GENEVA, Switzerland: A new United Nations report alleges that dozens of global corporations are profiting from and helping sustain...

Persson family steps up H&M share purchases, sparks buyout talk

LONDON/STOCKHOLM: The Persson family is ramping up its investment in the H&M fashion empire, fueling renewed speculation about a potential...

Shell rejects claim of early merger talks with BP

LONDON, U.K.: British oil giant Shell has denied reports that it is in talks to acquire rival oil company BP. The Wall Street Journal...

Australian PM rejects US pressure to ease biosecurity rules

SYDNEY, Australia: Australia will not ease its strict biosecurity rules during trade talks with the United States, Prime Minister Anthony...

Beijing conference spotlights esports as new engine of digital economy

BEIJING, July 5 (Xinhua) -- No dull rows of chairs and tables, no endless slides of charts and numbers -- instead, a gleaming statue...

Sudan's Khartoum strives to recover amid ongoing civil war

KHARTOUM, July 5 (Xinhua) -- After more than two years of devastating conflict, Sudan's capital Khartoum is slowly emerging from the...

Mediterranean

Section

Early heatwave grips Europe, leaving 8 dead and nations on alert

LONDON, U.K.: An unrelenting heatwave sweeping across Europe has pushed early summer temperatures to historic highs, triggering deadly...

Turkey, France battle wildfires amid early Europe heatwave

ISTANBUL/PARIS/BRUSSELS: As searing temperatures blanket much of Europe, wildfires are erupting and evacuation orders are being issued...

Daily World Briefing, July 6

Chinese FM urges China, France to uphold multilateralism, rules of free trade China and France should champion multilateralism and...

"Big crowd, lot of expectations, he has handled it very well...": Indian bowling coach on Gill's masterclass

Birmingham [UK], July 6 (ANI): Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel hailed skipper Shubman Gill after a record-breaking outing at Birmingham,...

"You deserve all of this": Gill earns plaudits from his predecessor Virat Kohli after match-defining exploits in Birmingham

New Delhi [India], July 5 (ANI): India's batting mainstay Virat Kohli had unstinting praise in store for Test captain Shubman Gill,...

How much should America pay to keep Netanyahu in power

With Gaza still burning and corruption charges mounting, Israels prime minister arrives in D.C. looking for favors, not peace Fresh...