CHATEL, France :Bob Jungels won the ninth stage of the Tour de France at the end of a long solo mountain raid on Sunday after COVID-19 almost prevented the Luxemburg rider from starting the race last week.
The AG2R-Citroen rider tested positive on the eve of the start in Copenhagen last Thursday but was cleared to take part after a panel of doctors ruled that his viral load was low enough for him to ride.
“I had a test on the Thursday morning. But with the result you could see that I could start the race on Friday. It was very very close I believe,” said Jungels, the first rider from Luxemburg to win on the Tour since Andy Schleck claimed victory at the Galibier in 2011.
“Luckily I made it.”
Jungels prevailed from the day’s breakaway in searing heat in the Alps after resisting a fierce chase by France’s Thibaut Pinot, who surrendered in the final kilometres and finished fourth after 192.9km from Aigle, Switzerland.
Jonathan Castroviejo took second place 22 seconds behind Jungels with fellow Spaniard Carlos Verona ending up third a further four seconds adrift.
Slovenian Tadej Pogacar retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey after spending a quiet day in the bunch, crossing the line just ahead of last year’s runner-up Jonas Vingegaard after a short sprint to the line.
Geraint Thomas, third overall, could not follow and lost three seconds, now lagging 1:17 off the pace.
“If there’s a chance to take some seconds I’ll take them,” said Pogacar.
RENAISSANCE
The breakaway took shape after a super fast start near the headquarters of the International Cycling Union(UCI) with Lake Geneva in the background.
Some 21 riders went to the front including several former Tour stage winners including Pinot, Warren Barguil, Luis Leon Sanchez, Simon Geschke, Ion Izaguirre, Nils Politt, Wout van Aert and Rigoberto Uran.
They were being kept in check by a peloton led by Pogacar’s UAE Emirates team.
Pierre Latour jumped away from the breakaway group 3.5km from the top of the Col de la Croix, an 8.1km effort at 7.6 per cent, but he was countered by Jungels, who went solo 62km from the line.
There were 13 chasing, lagging one minute behind at the bottom of the descent, and they were 1:50 off the pace at the foot of the last main climb.
Jungels’ lead was up to 2:10 when Pinot produced a brutal acceleration to go after the Luxemburg rider nine kilometres from the top of the Pas de Morgins, a 15.4km ascent at an average gradient of 6.1 per cent.
Pinot, who came agonisingly close to winning the Tour in 2019 but abandoned injured two days before the last stage, narrowed the gap to 19 seconds but when the road became flatter, the Groupama-FDJ rider started to lose time on Jungels again.
It was a spectacular renaissance for Jungels, who last year missed both the Tour and the Olympics to undergo surgery on a vascular problem that had hampered his career for a couple of years.
“It took me so long to come back after the surgery. This victory proves all those who doubted me wrong but I mostly grateful. It’s a lot of emotions,” Jungels said.
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