Bernal becomes the youngest Tour de France winner of the century
Egan Bernal won one of the most dramatic and fiercely-fought editions of the Tour de France this year and became the youngest Tour winner of the century. His victory solidified Team Ineos as the most dominant force in road cycling with 7 Tour de France titles in the past 8 years.
His victory is not the only remarkable thing about this year’s Tour. The following video highlights the key moments of the Tour when Bernal pushed for the lead in stage 19 and also the controversy around race officials deciding to abandon the stage due to landslides over the stage’s planned final climb to Tignes.
The new world record for fastest men’s cycling speed
2019 was not short on records. Neil Campbell made sure of that by making himself a Guinness World Record holder for the fastest men’s cycling speed for getting over 174 mp/h (280 km/h). He surpassed the previous record set in the U.S. in 2015 of 167 mp/h (269 km/h). Campbell achieved this milestone on a custom-built bike attached to the back of a pace car. He already started a campaign to surpass his own record, he believes he could go beyond 220 mp/h (354 km/h) next year.
L’Étape on a 123-year-old bicycle
Combine a lifelong passion for cycling, tradition, and extraordinary craftsmanship skills and you’ll witness the return of a legend. Vladimír Vidim from Prague resurrected a 123-year-old model of a bicycle named SLAVIA, made by Laurin & Klement. He decided to test it on one of the hardest proving grounds – at the l’Étape, a 135 km long stage of the Tour de France. After six full months of work and preparations and a heroic effort on the course, both the bicycle and Vladimír made it to the finish line.
Valentina Höll dominates the Junior Women’s Downhill World Cup
This year has certainly been one of rising stars. Valentina Höll is one of them after crushing in the Junior Women’s Downhill World Cup this year. This is her winning run at Mont-Sainte-Anne Quebec, Canada. Check out her control over those brutal rocks!
Victor Campenaerts sets a new 1-hour record by riding more than 55 km
Yet another record was broken in April when Victor Campenaerts covered 55,089 km at the Aguascalientes indoor velodrome in Mexico to steal the 1-hour UCI world title from Sir Bradley Wiggins. Wiggins set the previous longest distance of 54,526 km at London’s Lee Valley VeloPark in 2015.
Torrential rain at the UCI Road World Championships
Of course, 2019 wasn’t just records and victories. For example, the UCI Road World Championships was plagued by torrential rain that led to treacherous riding conditions in Yorkshire, England. Hungarian Attila Valter and Denmark’s Johan Price-Pejtersen crashed in quite the spectacular fashion during their rides. Thankfully, they were both able to continue their races.
Stay on the Safe Side campaign
This year was also about safety. The Stay on the Safe Side campaign aimed at improving cooperation and relationships between cyclists and drivers. It provided useful tips for the most problematic situations on the road like avoiding dooring, overtaking safely, staying visible, and many other topics. Here is a short summary in case you missed it.
