Egan Bernal becomes 1st Colombian to win the Tour de France

Egan Bernal.
(Image credit: Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP/Getty Images)

Egan Bernal, 22, won the Tour de France on Sunday, becoming the first Colombian — and South American — to do so.

Bernal, who is also the youngest champion since World War II, is from Zipaquira, a city in central Colombia. Hundreds of residents gathered together in a plaza to watch the final stage on a giant screen, and thousands more tuned in across the country. "I am the most happy guy in the world," Bernal said from the winner's podium. "I just won the Tour de France and yeah, I can't believe it."

Organizers said that this year, just 1 minute, 31 seconds separated first and third places. The Tour de France started July 6 and covered 2,092 miles.

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Catherine Garcia

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.