Sisteron (France) (AFP)
Massive sprint and first success for Caleb Ewan: the Australian, like a devil, snuck off to remove the 3rd stage of the Tour de France, Monday, in Sisteron, where Julian Alaphilippe kept his yellow jersey on the eve of the arrival at altitude at Orcières-Merlette.
In a sprint against the wind, Ewan sprinted up at full speed in the final meters to overtake Irishman Sam Bennett by one wheel for his fourth Tour victory.
"It was a great day to enjoy the jersey, it was really great," smiled Alaphilippe, who was not at all worried.
"We defended the jersey today, we will continue to do so tomorrow (Tuesday)".
During this transition stage, which saw the Tour leave its launch pad in Nice to reach Haute-Provence, the Frenchman had time to savor.
"It's a real pleasure, a pride to have this jersey on the shoulders", he repeated the day after taking power in Nice.
The only disappointment for his Deceuninck team, second place for Irishman Sam Bennett at the finish in Sisteron, at the foot of the Citadel.
But the Irish champion couldn't do anything against Ewan, a 165-centimeter leprechaun out of the box at the best time after staying "warm" as long as possible, to save his energy, at the risk of being locked up. .
- Cousin's fugue -
"I had to find the right trajectory to gain speed," admitted the Australian, who saw the opening with the instinct of a (great) sprinter to score from the third day of the Tour.
Last year, he won three times in the second half of the event, for his first participation.
Ewan thus immediately restored colors to his Lotto formation overwhelmed at the start of the Tour.
Two members of the staff positive for Covid before the start, the German John Degenkolb was put out of time on the evening of the first stage, the Belgian Philippe Gilbert abandoned, his left kneecap fractured, the next morning: for the Belgian team, the Ewan's victory, the Australian's 5th this season, is more than welcome.
Apart from this final, the stage came down to the long adventure of Jérôme Cousin, who started out at the front from the start of the race with two other French people, Anthony Pérez and Benoît Cosnefroy in the fight for the best polka-dot jersey. climber.
This three-way fugue, disturbed by an impromptu storm, turned into a solitary breakaway after 70 kilometers and obtaining points in the first two coasts listed by Pérez to the detriment of Cosnefroy.
The two then left Cousin to scout, for a long outing on the Napoleon road once taken by the Emperor on his return from Elba Island.
- Limited deviations?
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This time, in the totally unbalanced match between him and the peloton, Cousin was caught 16 kilometers from the finish.
He failed to redo the coup of Paris-Nice 2018 when he had resisted until the end, in Sisteron already.
For his part, Pérez, in the process of seizing the polka-dot jersey, was unable to reach the city of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.
The Aixois was forced to retire after a fall due to a collision with a team car which had braked in front of him, according to his Cofidis training.
Fractured rib with possible pneumothorax according to a first diagnosis, he was transported to the hospital of Digne-les-Bains.
For Alaphilippe and the contenders for the yellow jersey, the appointment is now fixed at Orcières-Merlette, the resort synonymous with Luis Ocana's coup d 'brilliance in the 1971 Tour (the great Merckx behind nearly nine minutes!).
The 4th stage, 160.5 kilometers long, marks the first arrival at the summit, at an altitude of 1,825 meters.
But the final climb, rather smooth (7.1 km at 6.7%), suggests limited gaps between the favorites, in the opinion of the candidates.
"I haven't really looked yet," eluded Alaphilippe, who seems quite the size, on this ground, to resist his rivals.
"I think I will have a hard time from my opponents, I hope I can keep the jersey."
© 2020 AFP