Speaking to ITV, Bennett was stunned at first then the floodgates opened, in tears through his Quick-Step mask.
He said: "I just want to thank everyone who's been involved, I want to thank my wife and everyone around me.
"You dream of it and never think it will happen and it did. I don't know, it took a while before it hit me. Oh man.
"Sorry, I don't mean to be a crybaby."
"Let's rock", says the caption on Egan Bernal's latest Instagram story... but according to some on social media, Bernal's new barnet has hit rock bottom.
That’s not a hair cut, he must have lost a bet, it’s terrible
— mavis Evans (@MaveEvans) September 8, 2020
Did he loss a bet? @LukeRowe1990 did you cut his hair 🤣
— Duke_Rojo_Cycling (@dukerojocycling) September 8, 2020
‘Just fuck my shit up’
— Westland (@Westlan93076769) September 8, 2020
This photo needs to come with a warning.
— Töm Réÿnöldš ❌ (@TomReynolds_AU) September 8, 2020
Although, is there a chance the chop could be the most marginal of marginal gains to shed a little bit of extra weight? You'd think it would be better to cut the lot off, both from a weight-saving and a not looking a bit weird perspective.
The race is really on now on this exposed coastal section. @RichardCarapazM was held up behind a crash, while Bernal has @kwiato and Rowe for support. 14km to go #TDF2020pic.twitter.com/TloaBNklYO
— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) September 8, 2020
It seems to be bringing him good luck in the crosswinds on stage 10 so far, safely being sheltered by Luke Rowe and Michał Kwiatkowski while teammate Richard Carapaz was held up in an earlier crash.
🏆 ☘️ @Sammmy_Be wins! 🏆
🏆 ☘️ Le champion d’Irlande s’impose sur l’Île de Ré ! 🏆#TDF2020#TDFunitedpic.twitter.com/wOwPOY6qdF
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) September 8, 2020
The Irishman has finally added a Tour de France stage to his palmares, holding off Caleb Ewan and Peter Sagan on the line and taking back the green jersey in the process.
You could say it's poetic justice, as the man reason Bennett left Bora–Hansgrohe for Deceuninck–Quick-Step was because he couldn't get a shot at the Tour de France ahead of Sagan - now he's beaten him on cycling's biggest stage, and pinched his green jersey.
Jean Castex also rode in a car with the Tour de France race director at the weekend and will now have to self-isolate, only returning to normal life if his cornavirus test comes back negative according to President Emmanuel Macron.
The Prime Minister's press office told Euronews that Prudhomme and Castex wore masks for the duration of their time in contact with one another, but Castex said that he would "apply the rules that the government had decided" and get tested immediately.
Average speeds in the first 40 km of Stage 10 of #TDF2020
Attackers 49.6km/h
Peloton 48.1km/h#TDFdata | @LeTourpic.twitter.com/icLsgN9g9G— letourdata (@letourdata) September 8, 2020
At this rapid rate, the 168.5km stage has less than three hours to go.
Covid-19 testi pozitif sonuçlanan Prudhomme, geçtiğimiz hafta bir etabı, Fransa Başbakanı Jean Castex ile aynı araçta takip etmişti. pic.twitter.com/UAqLTGsDrW
— Cyclist Türkiye (@CyclistTR) September 8, 2020
Prudhomme is now quarantining after a positive coronavirus test, and spent the day in a car with Jean Castex on Saturday. Ironically, the French Prime Minister told reporters that he was happy about the coronavirus situation despite teams pleading with spectators to wear masks, commenting: "We are prudent, but life goes on. The Tour is happening, the party continues."
The party is over for the race's director as it stands, but hopefully all teams will make it to Paris.
The Swiss rider has been sanctioned with a four month period of ineligibility from the UCI, after returning an adverse analytical finding for Terbutaline in a sample that was collected back in February - the violation was described as "non-intentional".
The ban was started from 18th May, so Schelling will be free to compete again from next Friday, and his results from the Tour of Rwanda earlier this year were disqualified.
🚩 Stage 10 is underway. And we have a Swiss duo at the front! 🇨🇭
🚩 L'étape 10 du #TDF2020 est lancée. Un duo suisse se détache dès le départ ! 🇨🇭#TDF2020#TDFunitedpic.twitter.com/Qa4Z5jNSnS
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) September 8, 2020
With four teams missing a staff member each, stage 10 is away. The Tour's first island-to-island stage is summarised by the (now quarantined) race director Christian Prudhomme as this:
"Two islands linked by a stage of the Tour, that’s already a first for the peloton that will find it hard to make it bunched to Saint-Martin-de-Ré. The stage will be marked by the Vauban buildings in Royan, Rochefort or La Rochelle, but also by a course mainly set by the sea… and the crossing of marshlands swept by wind."
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
⁰COMMUNIQUE OFFICIEL#TDF2020pic.twitter.com/b5529teCvS— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) September 8, 2020
Despite what Sir Dave Brailsford said earlier, one of his staff members plus one each from Confidis, AG2R La Mondiale and Mitchelton-Scott have returned positive tests. The joint announcement also says that a "technical service provider" has also left the race because of a positive test, which is a strange way of referring to the race's director if they mean Christian Prudhomme.
The long and short of it is, the race will continue and no teams have been expelled.
🔴Exclusif Christian Prudhomme positif coronavirus #TDF2020 Et 4 membres de 4 équipes 🔴
— Christian Ollivier (@c_ollivier_rtl) September 8, 2020
Earlier it was thought that all riders and staff tested negative, but now RTL claim that four team staffers actually returned positive tests. We're still awaiting official confirmation from ASO and/or the UCI.
#TDF2020 Christian Prudhomme positif au COVID-19. Le patron du Tour est en train d’être retesté et n’a pas été aperçu ce matin au village départ.
— Valentin Jacquemet (@valjacquemet) September 8, 2020
A 'you couldn't make it up' scenario, as all riders and teams are clear according to early reports, but the event's director has tested positive according to French radio. Here he is in a car with Prime Minister Jean Castex at the weekend. Oops...
Le Premier Ministre Jean Castex en visite sur le Tour 2020.#TDF2020#TourdeFrance#tourdefrance2020pic.twitter.com/6B0eoht9il
— Miroir du Cyclisme (@Miroir2Cyclisme) September 5, 2020
Quite remarkably that is the case according to L'Equipe, who are reporting that the Tour de France chief medical officer Florence Pommery has cleared all 22 teams to start stage 10. The first test was carried out in Pau before the ninth stage, then another in La Rochelle during Monday's rest day.
It looks like the show will go on... will the race make it to Paris?
Deceunink ‘As you will have seen, it has been reported that a member of our team staff was collected from our team hotel this morning. An error was made in the laboratory with the sample that the individual gave yesterday, meaning they were taken for restesting this morning....
— Gregor Brown (@gregorbrown) September 8, 2020
.... The result of this second test has been returned as negative and we will continue to race as normal.’
— Gregor Brown (@gregorbrown) September 8, 2020
Again nothing officially announced by Quick-Step yet in the form of a press release/statement, but Gregor Brown of Flo Bikes is reporting that the team say a staff member who was collected this morning to undergo a second test has now returned a negative, following an error made in the lab with the first test. Still no reports of any positive tests, and it's looking more like stage 10 will go ahead with all riders who finished stage 9 at the moment.
Beep beep. Road tax was abolished in 1937.
Motor vehicles are taxed on emissions. Electric cars are exempt from charges as are bicycles as the emissions are zero.Road building and repairs are paid from general taxation which the general population pay through many forms of tax.
— Road Tax Bot (@RoadTaxBot2) September 8, 2020
It's come to our attention that the Road Tax Bot Twitter account, created some time in August, has taken the liberty of seeking out people spouting nonsense about the mythical 'road tax' and correcting them. Here are a few more examples...
Beep beep. Road tax was abolished in 1937.
Motor vehicles are taxed on emissions. Electric cars are exempt from charges as are bicycles as the emissions are zero.Road building and repairs are paid from general taxation which the general population pay through many forms of tax.
— Road Tax Bot (@RoadTaxBot2) September 6, 2020
Beep beep. Road tax was abolished in 1937.
Motor vehicles are taxed on emissions. Electric cars are exempt from charges as are bicycles as the emissions are zero.Road building and repairs are paid from general taxation which the general population pay through many forms of tax.
— Road Tax Bot (@RoadTaxBot2) September 6, 2020
Beep beep. Road tax was abolished in 1937.
Motor vehicles are taxed on emissions. Electric cars are exempt from charges as are bicycles as the emissions are zero.Road building and repairs are paid from general taxation which the general population pay through many forms of tax.
— Road Tax Bot (@RoadTaxBot2) September 5, 2020
🇫🇷 #TDF2020
Bonjour!🦁 pic.twitter.com/Pz9qCrllta
— Team Jumbo-Visma cycling (@JumboVismaRoad) September 8, 2020
We'll take that as Jumbo-Visma definitely have nothing serious to report. Bora-Hansgrohe have also announced they are gearing up for stage 10, which we 'think' suggests they're all clear.
🇫🇷 #TDF2020
After Monday's rest day, let's jump into Stage 10 of @letour:
📍 Île d'Oléron ➡️ Île de Ré
🚩 Start 13:30
🏁 Finish ca. 17:30
🛣️ 168.5km
🥞 Flat pic.twitter.com/mFIV6Z5A8Z— BORA – hansgrohe (@BORAhansgrohe) September 8, 2020
El equipo @JumboVismaRoad del líder Primoz Roglic se sube al bus para ir a la isla de Oleron, arranque de la etapa 10 de @LeTour. Sin noticias de positivos por Covid-19. https://t.co/TqMHQ7wEu1
— Quique Iglesias (@qiglesias) September 8, 2020
Still nothing official from Le Tour or the UCI, but journalists on the ground are reporting that no positives have been announced yet. Primoz Roglic was spotted boarding a bus to the start of stage 10, which suggests Jumbo-Visma are all clear.
Tour de France COVID testing is tomorrow. If this was the '90s, the riders would all have ice packs on their foreheads right now to fool the thermometer, and eating phlegm from a COVID-negative mechanic to pass the swab test.
— Phil Gaimon (@philgaimon) September 7, 2020
Rest day at the Tour de France this year is test day for Covid. Teams are stressed over testing and fans lining the mountain tops without masks or social distancing. pic.twitter.com/ANt0jSXpwk
— Fred Herron (@realFredHerron) September 7, 2020
In 2020 'testing positive' has taken on a whole new meaning, as we're talking about COVID-19 and not performance-enhancers of course.
No news has landed officially from the Tour de France organisers or any teams yet, but Sir Dave Brailsford has said that while he expects his team to be all clear, he thinks staff and/or riders on other teams will have some positives.
“It’s likely there will be issues but I wouldn’t expect our team to have any", he told The Guardian.
“We figured that the high-risk area is when everybody sits down to eat. They take their mask off and sit together for longer than 15 minutes and that’s one of the riskiest scenarios. That’s why we brought a second chef.
“We have our kitchen truck, so we have one chef cooking for the riders as normal and the second chef cooking for all of the staff. All of the staff have eaten outside (the hotel) since we got here. Once you buy into it, it’s OK really.”
Results are being analysed by team doctors before stage 10 begins, and if two members of any team test positive, they will be forced to leave the Tour.