Laruns (France) (AFP)
Egan Bernal, now second in the general classification, said he was "really happy" on Sunday at the finish of the 9th stage of the Tour de France in Laruns, although he lost a handful of seconds on the Slovenian Primoz Roglic .
Fourth in the stage, the outgoing winner missed out on the bonuses (reserved for the first three).
Just as he had to let slip the seconds "bonus point" awarded at the top of Marie-Blanque, the last pass of the day 18 kilometers from the finish.
On the other hand, Roglic pocketed 11 seconds (6 at the finish, 5 at the bonus point) which allowed him to increase his advantage over Bernal to 21 seconds.
The Slovenian had already won 10 seconds of bonus with his stage victory on Tuesday at Orcières-Merlette (Hautes-Alpes).
“It was a good day again,” Bernal quickly consoled himself.
"It's not just about the time saved or the time spent. At this point in the race, the sensations on the bike are important. And today, I had better sensations than the day before."
"I'm really happy with it and I really enjoyed the last climbs," continued the Colombian from the Ineos team, who appeared alongside his Slovenian opponents in the Marie-Blanque pass, except during the sprint. at the top.
"In reality, you can't make a big difference on a climb like this. I know I lost some time again against Roglic and Pogacar but I have to be patient. The race is still two weeks long and some tough stages. are ahead of us ", concluded Bernal who, last year, had donned the yellow jersey two days before the arrival in Paris.
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