What a ride! 🚴♂️ The Tour de France's ninth stage was nothing short of epic, filled with gravel roads, gutsy moves, and French flair. 🇫🇷
France's own Anthony Turgis claimed a sensational victory after a grueling 199 km battle over dusty gravel sections. With a perfectly timed sprint from the breakaway group, he brought home France's third win of this year's Tour. Vive la France! 🎉
But let's talk about Tadej Pogacar, the Slovenian superstar who's all about that action. 💥 Known for his fearless style, Pogacar attacked two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard again and again, turning the stage into an all-out showdown. It was like watching a blockbuster sequel with even more twists and turns! 🎬
Pogacar, rocking the yellow jersey, used the gravel sections to put the pressure on. But Vingegaard, cool as ice 🧊, stayed protected by his Visma-Lease a Bike teammates. Despite the relentless attacks, the \"Big Four\" – Pogacar, Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, and Primoz Roglic – finished together, keeping things tight at the top.
\"I ride with my heart, and today was a day to do it,\" Pogacar said after the stage. ❤️ He wasn't shy about throwing shade at Visma-Lease a Bike's cautious tactics either: \"They only look at me and underestimate the others. It could backfire.\"
He's got his eyes on history, aiming for the first Giro d'Italia/Tour de France double since 1998. Talk about ambitious! 🏆
The stage wasn't easy for the other contenders. Roglic had a scare, falling behind on one of the gravel sections. But thanks to some heroic efforts from his Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe teammates, he clawed his way back. Even Vingegaard had to swap bikes after a puncture but managed to stay in the game.
Pogacar turned up the heat with about 80 km to go, attacking on the gravel and leaving everyone eating his dust. Literally! 🌪️ But Vingegaard's teammate Matteo Jorgenson pulled off a clutch move, bringing the Dane back into the fight. Instead of teaming up with Pogacar, they played it cool, forcing the group to come back together.
Up front, Belgium's Jasper Stuyven made a daring move with 11 km left, but it wasn't to be. Turgis, keeping his cool amid the chaos, unleashed a powerful sprint to beat the UK's Tom Pidcock and Canada's Derek Gee at the line. 🏁
\"It's incredible. I've been trying for years to get a big win,\" Turgis said, covered head to toe in gravel dust but grinning ear to ear. \"It was a long day, but I hung in there.\"
As we head into the first rest day, the general classification is heating up! 🔥 Pogacar leads Evenepoel by 33 seconds, Vingegaard by 1:15, and Roglic by 1:36. The mountains are calling, and we can't wait to see what happens next!
Stay tuned, cycling fans! The Tour is just getting started, and if today was any indication, we're in for a wild ride. 😎
Reference(s):
Pogacar on the attack again as Frenchman Turgis wins gravel Tour stage
cgtn.com
