PARIS (AFP) - Luxembourg’s Bob Jungels has powered to victory in stage nine of the Tour de France holding off Thibaut Pinot to cross the line alone after a 192km race through Switzerland to the French border.
Slovenian Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates made a late burst for the line to gain a few seconds on some rivals as the two-time defending champion further tightened his grip on the overall lead with a fifth-place finish.
“This is one of the most beautiful days of my career,” said Jungels a day after one of his AG2R teammates pulled out with COVID-19.
“I went down that last hill at top speed, and that made the difference.”
Andy Schleck was the last man from Luxembourg to win a Tour de France stage eleven years ago.
On a hot day with over 40km ascent as the peloton rolled into the Alps, past Charlie Chaplin’s long-time residence at Vevey on the north shore of Lake Geneva, the stage was a prelude for three up-coming mountain slogs.
Jungels raced a full 62km on his own after going solo from an early breakaway.
Some 20km from the finish line at the ski resort of La Port de Soleil on the French border, Frenchman Pinot chased after him, gradually eating into a two-minute lead, but ever got closer than 20sec adrift before giving up.
Ineos Grenadiers’ Jonathan Castroviejo eventually finished second 22sec adrift with Carlos Verona of Movistar third and Pinot fourth.