Tour de France champion Egan Bernal said he was "tired but happy" after his first race in Europe since the Tour of Colombia in February and the Tour of Lombardy last year.

On the opening stage of the Route d'Occitanie to Cazur-les-Béziers, the Ineos rider skillfully navigated the tricky last kilometer to finish sixth on the stage and take the white jersey of best young rider.

"It went well, but I was a little tired. The stage was hard, fast paced, and pretty hot. It was a hard day but a good day in terms of leg feeling and training. Overall, I am happy with my feeling, but I still need a few more races to get the right feeling in the competition," Bernal said at the finish.

"It's been a long time since I've raced in Europe and it feels special. It's been a long time since I've raced in Europe and I think the last time was last year at Lombardia. I'm really looking forward to the race, especially to see how good some of the teams are that I'll be competing against for the rest of the year.

This year's French 4-day race is particularly strong, with GC contenders including Pavel Sivakov, Miguel Angel Lopez, Thibaut Pinot, and Romain Bardet.

Bernal noted the strength of the field: "It was a very interesting contest. It was the same today.

"The pace was faster than in other races. I think all the riders are happy with the level we got here in terms of looking at the bigger goal of the Tour de France."

Monday's stage over three Pyrenean passes (Porte de Vallès, Peyresourde, and Baillade) will likely determine the overall winner in Occitanie, and Ineos has assembled a team that is expected to be in action on this day. Bernal chose his teammate Pavel Sivakov as one of them.

"Pavel is very strong right now and we will go into the stage with the intention of doing everything we can. I can't say that he will win. There are some very high level riders here, like Thibaut Pinot, Romain Bardet, and Miguel Angel Lopez.

Asked about the health conditions and effects he felt when competing for the first time in six months, Bernal said that everyone had to take joint responsibility for complying with the anti-coronavirus rules.

"There are a lot of fans on the road, which is nice to see, but of course we all have to respect the health requirements regarding masks, hand washing, and keeping a distance from other riders.

"But this is now part of everyone's life. Everyone wears a mask when leaving the house. You will soon get used to it."