Egan Bernal is targeting a return to the Tour de France in 2022 after his Ineos cycling team announced he’d signed a new five-year contract. Photo: ASO/Pauline Ballet
Ten youngest ever Tour de France competitors
Not only is Egan Bernal on course to become one of the youngest ever Tour de France winners, but the Colombian is also among the youngest competitors over the last 30 years.
Egan Bernal is targeting a return to the Tour de France in 2022 after his Ineos cycling team announced he’d signed a new five-year contract. Photo: ASO/Pauline Ballet
Bernal took the yellow jersey after Friday’s Stage 19 ended abruptly due to poor weather in the Alps. The Team Ineos rider maintained that lead on Saturday and headed into the final day poised to become the third-youngest Tour de France winner ever – and the youngest in more than a century.
Younger riders were far more common in the early 1900s than they are today, so Bernal is not one of the youngest riders ever at the tour. He doesn’t even crack the top 100 of youngest-ever riders.
Youngest ever Tour de France riders
| # | Rider | Age | Year |
| 1 | Edouard Chaumard | 16y + 249d | 1906 |
| 2 | Jean Garcia | 16y + 291d | 1929 |
| 3 | Camille Fily | 17y + 50d | 1904 |
| 4 | Martin Soulié | 17y + 240d | 1905 |
| 5 | Gaston Morlet | 17y + 265d | 1925 |
| 6 | André Coutte | 17y + 300d | 1914 |
| 7 | René Fleury | 18y + 44d | 1907 |
| 8 | Mario Neri | 18y + 54d | 1909 |
| 9 | Constant Ménager | 18y + 83d | 1907 |
| 10 | Georges Seres | 18y + 94d | 1905 |
Also read:
- Tour de France 2019: Route map, stage profiles, dates and distance
- Why Mark Cavendish won’t be riding the 2019 Tour de France
- Yellow Jersey centenary – a unique jersey for every stage
- Tour de France 2019: Latest classification standings
- Rider bunny hops to avoid crash
- The 2019 riders ranked from youngest to oldest
However, the Team Ineos rider is ninth on the list of youngest riders since 1990, having competed last year aged 21.
Bernal finished second in the Young Rider classification in 2018, losing out to Frenchman Pierre Latour. Bernal did finish 15th in the general classification at that Tour, though.
Also on the youngest riders’ list since 1990s? Bernal’s teammate and co-captain Geriant Thomas – the very man whom he relieved of the title at the 2019 Tour de France.
Youngest Tour de France riders since 1990
| # | Rider | Age | Year |
| 1 | Danny van Poppel | 19y + 338d | 2013 |
| 2 | Fabio Felline | 20y + 96d | 2010 |
| 3 | Alexey Lutsenko | 20y + 295d | 2013 |
| 4 | Jimmy Casper | 21y + 36d | 1999 |
| 5 | Geraint Thomas | 21y + 43d | 2007 |
| 6 | Thomas Löfkvist | 21y + 89d | 2005 |
| 7 | Jasper Philipsen | 21y + 126d | 2019 |
| 8 | Merhawi Kudus Ghebremedhin | 21y + 162d | 2015 |
| 9 | Egan Bernal Gómez | 21y + 175d | 2018 |
| 10 | José Iván Gutiérrez Palacios | 21y + 217d | 2000 |
