Saint-Étienne (AFP)
A firework ! Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck) took the yellow jersey of the Tour de France on Saturday in Saint-Etienne, after the 8th stage won by the Belgian Thomas De Gendt (Lotto) after a very long breakaway.
Alaphilippe attempted a coup in the last steep hill, 13 kilometers from the finish, followed by Thibaut Pinot. The two Frenchmen reached the finish at only 6 seconds behind the winner, who had escaped since the start.
Pinot, second in the stage ahead of Alaphilippe, took 20 seconds to all of his rivals in the overall standings.
Outgoing Tour winner Geraint Thomas dropped 15 kilometers from the finish with several of his team-mates. The Welshman was forced to make a big effort to return to the group of favorites in the final climb, before the Alaphilippe attack.
Thomas crossed the line in the wheel of Colombian Egan Bernal, in the group of favorites set for 4th place by the Australian Michael Matthews.
In the overall standings, Alaphilippe is back with a 23 second lead over the previous yellow jersey holder, Italy's Giulio Ciccone.
De Gendt has concluded a monumental breakaway of 200 kilometers. Party with the Italian Alessandro De Marchi as well as the Dutchman Niki Terpstra and the American Ben King, then left behind, the Belgian fighter has performed a very high level performance in this very demanding stage, in the form of a roller coaster, by the mountains. Beaujolais then Lyonnais.
- Gendt for the second time -
The quartet had a five-minute lead and the peloton, led by two teams (Sunweb, Bora), started to narrow the gap. The Alaphilippe team set to work, 85 kilometers from the finish line, but failed to make up for the handicap.
At the front, De Gendt and De Marchi have left their companions 70 kilometers from Saint-Etienne. The Belgian was then isolated in the last coast, 14 kilometers from the line.
On the other hand, the Italian Vincenzo Nibali got up on this hill. The winner of the Tour 2014, second in the last Giro, has probably abdicated any ambition for the overall classification.
Alaphilippe has recovered the yellow jersey dropped on Thursday at the top of La Planche des Belles Filles for 6 seconds. The 27-year-old Frenchman took power for the first time last Monday in Epernay, in the vineyards of Champagne, where he had won solo.
De Gendt, 32, won for the second time in the Tour, three years after taking the Ventoux stage, when Chris Froome was part of the final on foot.
Sunday, the National Day, the 9th stage crosses the Massif Central, a mid-mountain course, on the 170.5 kilometers between Saint-Etienne Brioude. With a very steep springboard after 36 kilometers but a final less difficult to reach the city of Auvergne Romain Bardet.
© 2019 AFP