Brioude (France) (AFP)
South African Daryl Impey (Mitchelton) took the 9th stage of the Tour de France, Sunday in Brioude, in front of his last breakaway companion, the Belgian Tiesj Benoot, while the peloton, with the favorites and the yellow jersey, the Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck), was pointed at about 13 minutes to about ten kilometers from the finish.
The Czech Jan Tratnik took the third place, about ten seconds ahead of the first group of pursuit including the Belgians Oliver Naesen and Jasper Stuyven.
In this sunny stage of 170.5 kilometers, the race took shape from the first quarter of an hour with the breakaway of 14 riders then joined by Spaniard Marc Soler.
Behind the breakaway, the Alaphilippe team was content to manage the gap when it reached ten minutes. At the front, Austria's Lukasz Pöstlberger took the risk of leaving alone 45 kilometers from the finish.
Pöstlberger, the first pink jersey of the Giro 2017, was joined in the last difficulty, the Côte de Saint-Just, 15 kilometers from the line. Impey made the effort on the top to join Benoot and Irishman Nicholas Roche who had taken the lead.
Benoot, offensive, attacked again and kept with him only Impey at the approach of the last 8 kilometers.
Aged 34, Impey won his first Tour victory. But he had the honor of already wearing the yellow jersey in 2013 for two days.
Monday, on the eve of the first day of rest, the 10th stage connects Saint-Flour to Albi, along 217,5 kilometers of a course favorable to the fighters and, still more to the sprinters, because of the flat final.
© 2019 AFP