Tony Impey couldn’t be prouder of his son’s success

The image of his arms hoisted in the air is one that will not soon be forgotten by South Africans as Jeppe Old Boy Daryl Impey crossed the finishing line in sensational style at the 2019 Tour de France (TDF).

Impey won the ninth stage after a gruelling 170.5km from the cities of Saint-Étienne to Brioude on July 14.

The Jeppe Boys alumni’s triumph was reminiscent of the mean feat he achieved back in 2013, while riding for team Orica-GreenEdge; conquering to become the country’s first yellow-jersey winner.

This time, as a team Mitchelton-Scott rider adorned in national champion colours, Impey formed part of a mass break-away that led for the entire race. Speaking to Reuters after his phenomenal victory, Impey said he was chuffed to have added a stage win to his TDF bucket list.

“From a Tour de France perspective, a stage win was something really missing,” Impey was noted as saying. “I made quite a few breakaways in the past few years and finally, today, I got the win on Bastille Day. It’s fantastic.”

Acknowledging the hilly cycle route, the Mitchelton-Scott frontman thanked a luck of the draw breakaway move for his eventual success.

“It’s a dream come true given how difficult it is to win at this level. I was kind of lucky to find the right move, but overall, the team worked well together.”

Tony Impey, Daryl’s father and a legendary cyclist himself, beamed with pride at his son’s astonishing feat. For Impey senior, Daryl’s achievement is yet another storied record to add to the family’s lore.

“Cycling has been my life since the age of 14, and for me to be able to witness Daryl winning a stage in [arguably] the biggest bike race on earth, has been fantastic. His ability to win a stage was always there, it was just a matter of when it would happen,” Tony told the EXPRESS.

He added, “The last 15km for me were extremely nerve-wrecking, but I knew he would be hard to beat, knowing how badly he wanted a stage win. Second place was not an option. It took a huge amount of dedication and family sacrifices over the years on his part to help him get to this level.”

Capping off, Tony said he achieved a personal record, although not one which might make it into the Guinness World Records, “I hold the record for watching the most TV replays, and that is how proud I am as his dad,” he beamed.