PARIS, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Colombia's Egan Bernal has replaced local favorite Julian Alaphilippe atop the overall standings of Tour de France as Friday's stage 19 concluded earlier than scheduled due to hail storm.
Bernal, one and a half minutes behind Alaphilippe before the stage from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to Tignes, passed first at 2,770m-high Col d'Iseran where riders' time was eventually recorded before organizers called a halt to the stage, seeing no winner come out of the day.
Television pictures showed that huge amounts of hail and mass of rubble waited ahead, making it impossible for the race to continue.
The Colombian hopeful led Alaphilippe by over two minutes then, thus overtaking the latter by 48 seconds overall.
"I've been told in the radio that the race was finished and I said 'no, I want to keep going'. Only after I stopped and my director told me that I was in yellow, I felt relieved," admitted Bernal, bidding to become the first Colombian rider to win the world's most prestigious road cycling tournament.
"To become the first Colombian winner of the Tour de France would be amazing," he added.
Defending champion Geraint Thomas sits third, one minute and 16 seconds off the pace of his Ineos teammate.
It was also a bitter day for another French rider. Thibaut Pinot, one of main title contenders, had to pull out of the race in tears due to a left leg injury.
The 20th and penultimate stage on Saturday will start from Albertville and finish at Val Thorens. Normally it's the last chance for potential challengers to have a try on the title before heading to Paris in the final day.
Organizers, however, once again decided to cut short the route expecting unfavorable weather conditions and possible mud slides.
"Due to the difficult weather conditions expected tomorrow and land slides noticed, the course of the 20th stage of the Tour de France will be modified," the organizers tweeted, adding the total distance will be 59km rather than initially planned 130km.
