Pogačar's attacks fizzle out on sad Tour day
The Frenchman Anthony Turgis wins the ninth stage of the Tour de France after 199 nerve-wracking kilometers. No one was in a mood for celebrations in the field, not even the overall leader Tadej Pogacar, who tried diligently but unsuccessfully to drop his rivals.
Pogacar charged in hellish tempo over the white gravel roads of Champagne, but his rivals could not escape the all-rounder. The grand spectacle on the stony fields ended among the top stars of the industry in a dead heat on the ninth stage of the 111th Tour de France. At the finish line in Troyes, Pogacar, defending champion Jonas Vingegaard, World Champion Remco Evenepoel, and Primoz Roglic crossed the line side by side.
The stage win was taken by the Frenchman Anthony Turgis after 199 kilometers, who won the sprint of a small breakaway group ahead of the British Mountainbike Olympic champion Thomas Pidcock and the Canadian Derek Gee. In the overall standings, nothing changed before the rest day. Pogacar continues to wear the Yellow Jersey and leads by 33 seconds over Evenepoel. Vingegaard is 1:15 back, and Roglic is 1:36.
All eyes were on the Tour stars as they rode over the dusty roads with a total length of 33.2 kilometers. Around 22 kilometers before the finish, Pogacar made the sharpest attack, but Vingegaard managed to keep up thanks to his strong helpers, and the favorites' group rolled together again. Evenepool attempted an attack as well - unsuccessfully. So, Vingegaard could feel like the moral winner.
Gravel roads make their Tour de France debut
Two-time Tour Champion Pogacar was well-prepared. In the spring, the 25-year-old had already won the Strade Bianche with an impressive 82-kilometer solo ride. Vingegaard, however, had no experience with the terrain. When his Visma team explored the terrain in May, the Dane was still dealing with the aftermath of his heavy crash at the Baskenland-Rundfahrt. Evenepoel had not left anything to chance and knew, as he had in the time trial, every detail.
This was the first time in Tour history that gravel roads were included in the program. After some gravel sections from Paris-Roubaix had been added to the route in the past, another element was added in search of more spectacle.
The riders had to fight hard. At the steep and sometimes narrow sections, not a few professional cyclists had to get off their bikes and walk a little. Falls were largely avoided - with the exception of Roglic's helper Alexander Wlassow, who landed in a ditch about 40 kilometers before the finish but continued to ride.
On Monday, the first rest day awaits
The weather played a role this time as well. The day before, the riders had to fight against cold and wet conditions, and Biniam Girmay from Eritrea won his second stage victory in Colombey-les-deux-Églises. Tour debutant Pascal Ackermann finished fourth in the sprint, achieving his best Tour placement to date.
Before the field rolled out on Sunday, the late Norwegian cyclist André Drege was paid tribute. The riders of the Norwegian team Uno X appeared in the first row on Sunday with a black armband. Behind them were the jersey wearers around the overall leader Pogačar. Drege fell on the descent from the Großglockner during the simultaneously held Austria-Rundfahrt on Saturday. He succumbed to his injuries.
On Monday, the Tour takes a rest day, and then it continues with the tenth stage over 187.3 kilometers from Orléans to Saint-Amand-Montrond. Then, the sprinters could come into play again.
- Despite the challenging gravel roads, the British Mountainbike Olympic champion Thomas Pidcock struggled to keep up with the pace, often finding himself in the midst of attacks during the Tour day.
- After the grueling stage, the overall leader Tadej Pogacar expressed his concerns about the addition of gravel roads to the Tour de France, mentioning that ballast like these increases the risk of attacks and crashes.
- The Frenchman Anthony Turgis, who tends to excel in hilly terrains, was pleased with his victory, crediting his success to his ability to adapt to the unpredictable conditions presented by the gravel roads during the Tour de France.
