Laruns (France) (AFP)
The favorite of the Tour de France, the Slovenian Primoz Roglic (Jumbo), took the yellow jersey on Sunday, leaving the Pyrenees after the 9th stage won by his compatriot Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates), on Sunday in Laruns, in the valley of 'Ossau.
Pogacar sprinted a small group of five runners in this second day in the Pyrenees.
Roglic took second place on the stage ahead of the Swiss Marc Hirschi, author of a long solitary breakaway but resumed less than 2 kilometers from the line.
If Roglic pocketed bonuses, he drew in the race with the Colombian Egan Bernal, outgoing winner, who stood up to him in Marie-Blanque, the last climb of the day.
Unlike Colombian Nairo Quintana, who reached the finish line a dozen seconds late, in the company of the French Romain Bardet and Guillaume Martin.
Briton Adam Yates, who wore the yellow jersey at the start of Pau, was left behind in Marie-Blanque, on Pogacar's first attack, and lost just under a minute at the end of 153 kilometers.
On the eve of the rest day in Charente-Maritime, Roglic precedes the Bernal standings by 21 seconds and Martin by 28 seconds.
Bardet, fourth, is 30 seconds behind and Quintana 32 seconds.
Hirschi, author of a great number, started at the front from the Col de la Hourcère approached after the start of the race led at full speed (48.2 km in the first hour).
Alone in the lead, 91 kilometers from the finish, he widened the gap over a group of counter-attackers and the peloton of favorites.
With a lead of barely 15 seconds at the top of Marie-Blanque, 18 kilometers from the finish, he was joined just 1,700 meters from the line and was forced to a new place of honor, a week after bowing to Julian Alaphilippe in the 2nd stage.
“After such a tough day, winning the stage is pretty incredible,” said Pogacar, a 21-year-old rider who stepped onto the Vuelta podium last year in his first year in the top flight.
"I wanted to take as much time as possible, I knew it was going to play out pretty soon. I focused on the sprint. I'm not sure what happened. Primoz (Roglic) is very strong, he has already won, he will win again. I hope we will do great things together, "added the Slovenian, who is discovering the Great Loop.
After the finish, the Tour riders joined the buses of their respective teams for the long transfer, approximately 430 kilometers, leading from the Pyrénées-Atlantiques to the Charente-Maritime department.
On the program for the first day of rest of this Tour, PCR (nasopharyngeal) tests to detect possible positive cases for Covid-19 and recovery before the second week of the race.
© 2020 AFP