- Canadian Michael Woods wins the prestigious ninth stage of the Tour de France from Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat to Puy de Dôme.
- Before the first rest day, Tadej Pogacar reduced the lead to leader Jonas Vingaard from 25 to 17 seconds.
It was a meticulous feat: Michael Woods was celebrated as the winner of the ninth stage of the Tour de France on the Puy-de-Dôme. The 36-year-old Canadian from the Israel Premier Tech team met American Matteo Jorgenson 500 meters from the finish on the legendary volcanic mountain in the Massif Central, which was climbed again for the first time in 35 years, and easily overtook him. The final meters of the final 13.3km climb turned out to be a victory for Woods.
Jorgenson, on the other hand, was caught by Pierre Latour (FRA) and Matej Mohoric (SLO) and a thankless fourth place had to be settled.
Pogacar gains 8 seconds
And behind them, as expected, the more eminent favorites for the overall victory also exchanged blows. Tadej Pogacar (United Arab Emirates) revealed his cards a kilometer and a half ahead, and was able to overtake leader Jonas Vingaard (Jumbo-Visma) by 8 seconds in the finish. Last year’s Danish winner retains the «Maillot jaune», but is now just 17 seconds ahead of the Slovenian, who also got a mental boost ahead of the rest day.
The rest of the competition continued to lose time to the duo. Guy Hindley (Australia/Bora-Hansgrohe) is third overall, 2:40 minutes behind Pfingegard, and from fourth, she’s over 4 minutes behind.
The escape group gets a faucet
A group of 14 people led by Bergbris leader Nelson Pauwels (USA) made a section of 167 km long. Top rated Clement Berthet (FRA) was more than 26 minutes behind in the overall standings before the stage, which is why the field let the riders go.
Jorgenson dared to go it alone with a good 50km to go and almost crowned him with a stage win – until he “blew” him in the last few metres.
This is how it goes
On Monday, drivers can let their legs dangle for the first time and dedicate themselves to renewal. Tuesday follows a mountain stage over 167.2km from Vulcania to Issoire. Mountain trophies must be mastered in the second and third category.
“Internet nerd. Avid student. Zombie guru. Tv enthusiast. Coffee advocate. Social media expert. Music geek. Professional food maven. Thinker. Troublemaker.”
More Stories
Premier League spending cap: Clubs vote in favor of developing plans
Former England star, 50, leaves non-league club after issuing dismissive statement with Sky Sports legend 'lost for words'
The US and Australia wait: Can Germany survive the group?