Egan Bernal secures victory in Tour of California
Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors) edged out a narrow sprint victory and takes a total of three stage wins
Egan Bernal finished safely on stage seven in Sacramento to put the finishing touches to a superb winning performance at the Tour of California.
The young Colombian star was well protected by his Team Sky team-mates across the 143-kilometre test and crossed the line to make sure of victory.
The foundations for Bernal’s one minute and 25 second victory were laid by two superb mountain stage victories on days two and six respectively. By default Bernal also picked up the jersey for best young rider in his first WorldTour stage race success.
Tao Geoghegan Hart added to a strong team outing with fifth place overall, 2:28 back on Bernal after playing such an instrumental part in his victory.
Team Sky put together an incredible team ride to win the race overall for a second time. Sebastian Henao and Pavel Sivakov rode hard on the climbs, as did Ian Stannard and Luke Rowe, who also utilised their experience and power on the flat. Lukasz Wisniowski was also key across the race before a crash on Thursday forced him out of the event.
The final day saw a sprint finish with Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors) edged out a narrow victory. Team Sky rode hard to string out the bunch and make sure Bernal finished safely, making it to the three-kilometre mark and ultimately the finish to become the youngest ever winner of the race.
2018 Tour of Californa Overall Top 5
1. Egan Bernal (Team Sky) 25:34:19
2. Tejay Van Garderen (BMC Racing) +1:25"
3. Daniel Martinez (EF Education First-Drapac) +2:14"
4. Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) +2:16"
5. Tao Geoghegan Hart (Team Sky) +2:28"