Tour de France champion Egan Bernal treated as a Hero in Colombian Hometown
Bernal receives a hero's welcome by around 10,000 fans when he returned to his home town of Zipaquira
The 22-year-old climber became the first Colombian to win cycling's most prestigious race in only his second participation.
"I'll never forget seeing so many people gathered for me," said the Team Ineos rider in Zipaquira's central square where fans and well-wishers had started gathering from 5:00 am on what was also the 200th anniversary of Colombia's independence.
"Everything happened so fast that until now, when I see you there, I'm only just starting to realize what this meant for Colombia," he told the cheering crowds.
"And the truth is that it makes me very proud to be able to give something to society and to give Colombia hope."
Bernal arrived back in Bogota after competing in a series of European criteriums following his Tour de France win.
He was transferred by helicopter 29 miles from the capital to his home town, but there he shunned an ostentatious parade through Zipaquira in favor of a simple podium on the central square.
And while the man he replaced as Tour champion, his Welsh teammate Geraint Thomas has predicted he will win 10 more Tour titles, Bernal remained humble to his core.
"It was my dream to win the Tour de France and now I've done it," he said , "I'm not sure I'll be able to win it again ... what I want is to continue enjoying climbing on my bike."
Bernal is the third youngest Tour winner, the youngest since 1909, leading many to predict a glorious future in which he challenges the record five victories of greats such as Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.
"Winning the Tour is very difficult, I can't imagine winning five," he said. "Hopefully, but if not, I'll still feel happy because I gave something to Colombia."
Having achieved one dream, Bernal is already contemplating another: the Olympics.
"I want to make the most of the here and now. I'm not thinking about next year or the next races," he said.
But "I'd like to go to the Olympics, it's a race I like a lot."
After thanking his fans, Bernal donated his yellow jersey to the Colombian Cycling Federation and gave his white jersey, won for being the best young rider in the race, to his first trainer, the former cyclist Fabio Rodriguez.
Born in Bogota, Bernal grew up in Zipaquira. When not racing abroad, he still lives close to his family and trains in the surrounding mountains alongside his brother.
Rubbing shoulders with some of Colombia's greatest former cyclists -- Lucho Herrera, Patrocinio Jimenez and Mauricio Soler -- in the VIP area behind the stage was Bernal's 75-year-old grandfather, Alvaro Julio Bernal.
"It's a great story for Colombia and for the whole country," he said, biting his lip to control his emotion, "We're very happy and we hope he'll keep flying the Colombian flag as high as possible"