Cycling - Stalemate in gravel spectacle - Pogacar remains first
Tadej Pogacar raced at a hellish tempo over the white gravel roads of Champagne, but his rivals could not escape the All-rounder. The grand spectacle on the stony country roads ended among the top stars of the industry in a dead heat on the ninth stage of the 111th Tour de France in Troyes. At the finish line, Pogacar, defending champion Jonas Vingegaard, World Champion Remco Evenepoel, and Primoz Roglic crossed the line side by side.
Anthony Turgis won the stage victory after 199 kilometers, winning the sprint of a small breakaway group ahead of British Mountainbike Olympian Thomas Pidcock and Canadian Derek Gee. The overall standings remain the same before the rest day. Pogacar continues to wear the Yellow Jersey and leads by 33 seconds over Evenepoel. Vingegaard is 1:15 behind, and Roglic is 1:36.
Pogacar attacks - unsuccessful
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 launched the sharpest attack, but Vingegaard managed to catch up thanks to his strong helpers, and the favorites' group rolled together again. During the stage, Evenepoel also tried an attack - unsuccessfully. So, Vingegaard could feel like the moral winner.
Two-time Tour Champion Pogacar was well-prepared. In the spring, the 25-year-old had won the Schotterrennen Strade Bianche with an impressive 82-kilometer solo win. Vingegaard, on the other hand, went without knowledge of 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 shown in the Time Trial, about all the bumps.
Gravel roads as Tour premiere
It was the first time in Tour history that gravel roads were included in the program. After some key cobblestone 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. 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 - except for Roglic's helper Alexander Wlassow, who landed in a ditch about 40 kilometers before the finish but continued to ride.
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, his best Tour placement to date.
Tour honors deceased cyclist Drege
Before the peloton rolled out on Sunday, the late Norwegian cyclist André Drege was honored. The riders of the Norwegian team Uno X appeared in the first row on Sunday with a black armband. Only behind them were the jersey wearers around the overall leader Pogacar. Drege had crashed on the descent from the Großglockner on Saturday during the simultaneously held Österreich-Rundfahrt and succumbed to his injuries.
On Monday, the tour takes a pause, before it continues with the tenth stage over 187.3 kilometers from Orléans to Saint-Amand-Montrond, one day later. Then, the sprinters could come into play again.
- Despite Tadej Pogacar's swift pace on the gravel roads of Champagne during the 111th Tour de France's ninth stage in Troyes, a stalemate ensued among him, Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, and Primoz Roglic at the finish line.
- The international racing scene gathered in France for the Tour de France, with stars like Pogacar, Vingegaard, Evenepoel, and Roglic demonstrating their cycling prowess on dusty roads.
- Gravel roads, previously uncharted territory in Tour de France history, provided a unique challenge for professional cyclists like Jonas Vingegaard, who admittedly lacked knowledge of the terrain.
- As the peloton navigated the steep and narrow sections of the gravel-filled stage, even seasoned riders like Primoz Roglic's helper, Alexander Wlassow, had to dismount and walk for a moment due to the difficulty.
- In the hunt for the stage victory, Anthony Turgis emerged victorious after a sprint finish, narrowly edging out British Mountainbike Olympian Thomas Pidcock and Canadian Derek Gee.
- Following his impressive win at the Schotterrennen Strade Bianche in the spring, Tadej Pogacar entered the gravel-filled stage with confidence, aiming to extend his lead in the overall standings over Vingegaard and Evenepoel.
- Hailing from Norway, the late cyclist Andre Drege was honored before the peloton started the ninth stage, as his team, Uno X, rode in the first row, sporting black armbands in his memory.
