Paris (AFP)

The Tour de l'Ain did not escape Primoz Roglic: in indecent form and surrounded by his + dream team + Jumbo, the Slovenian champion again dominated the competition, starting with Egan Bernal, in the Grand Colombier on Sunday.

Three weeks before the Tour de France of which he is more than ever one of the favorites, Primoz Roglic signed his second success in two days and won in front of the defending champion in Paris, Egan Bernal, the Tour de l'Ain where the Worst result of + Rogla + in three stages was his second place on Friday.

The other Colombian Nairo Quintana, transfigured since his departure from Movistar for Arkéa-Samsic, completes the podium of the general classification and of the stage, an almost exact copy of the 15th of the Tour de France five weeks later with the triptych ascent of the Selle from Fromentel, col de la Biche and Grand Colombier.

Once again, the superhero-like Jumbo team showed all their firepower. When Ineos' leader Egan Bernal found himself isolated in the leading group, the men in black and yellow were still four: his three aces Primoz Roglic, Tom Dumoulin and Steven Kruijswijk and New Zealander George Bennett, twice ranked in the top 10 of a Grand Tour.

Ineos had nevertheless taken the race in hand, anxious to make up for the "bad day" of the day before, according to its director Gabriel Rasch on Sunday. Geraint Thomas, provided the tempo in the valley leading to the Grand Colombier then quickly abdicated, even before the iconic laces in the rock which provide a dream setting on the blue mineral waters of the Rhône. As for the four-time winner of the Grande Boucle, Chris Froome, he finished the stage more than 12 minutes late after printing the Ineos train on the first half of the pass.

Alone during the last seven kilometers of ascent, Egan Bernal attempted a bluff by staying at the back of the group. A game that did not escape Primoz Roglic, descended several times to his height to say a few words and which countered the Colombian's attack in the last few hundred meters to win the stage.

"My goal for the Tour de France is to have the highest level possible, to grow with the team," bluffed the Slovenian at the finish in his own way, denying that the Tour de France was his main goal this year.

© 2020 AFP