Chris Froome reacts to boos as Egan Bernal wins Route d’Occitanie

Reigning Tour de France champion Egan Bernal has won the Route d’Occitanie, with Team Ineos rival Chris Froome finishing nearly 10 minutes behind.

Froome began the day five minutes and 21 seconds adrift of the 23-year-old, having reacted to fans who were booing him on the previous day’s stage.

The pair are racing to be selected to compete at this year’s Tour for Ineos.

Britain’s four-time Tour winner Froome, 35, risks not being selected if his form is not deemed strong enough.

A small number of fans shouted and directed boos towards Froome during Monday’s queen’s stage, prompting him to turn around and make a gesture.

Bernal finished the four-day race nine minutes and 26 seconds faster than 37th-placed Froome in the overall standings.

Colombian Bernal was 19 seconds ahead of promising Ineos rider Pavel Sivakov, 23, who was second in the general classification.

The final stage was won by AG2R La Mondiale’s Benoit Cosnefroy, two seconds ahead of Bernal and another Tour contender in Thibaut Pinot of Groupama FDJ.

Pinot was fourth in the general classification – 37 seconds down.

The second of three crucial Tour warm-up races is the Tour l’Ain on 7 August, where all three of Ineos’ Tour winners will race – Froome (who won in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017), Geraint Thomas (2018) and Bernal (2019).

Tuesday’s stage began with Ineos remembering their former sporting directeur Nico Portal, who died aged 40 in March.