Saint-Martin-de-Ré (France) (AFP)

The island stage, from Oléron to Ré, crowned an Irishman, Sam Bennett, on Tuesday, a sprint winner in the Tour de France who was deprived for a week of his director Christian Prudhomme tested positive for coronavirus.

Without any change in the hierarchy still led by the Slovenian Primoz Roglic, the day turned out to be stressful, both because of the wait for the Covid test results and the risk of falls and breaks on the route of this 10th stage.

For the Covid-19, the most notable victim is none other than the director of the Tour.

But, quickly underlined Christian Prudhomme, "the most important thing is that no runner is positive".

On the other hand, four members of four different teams (Ineos, Cofidis, AG2R La Mondiale, Mitchelton) failed and had to leave the "race bubble".

For several big names, the outgoing winner Egan Bernal, Guillaume Martin and Romain Bardet, the risk exists of a second case in their respective teams over a period of seven days.

In such a case, their formation would be excluded, in accordance with the health protocol established by the French authorities.

- "A screed of lead" -

"There is a screed above the peloton", admitted the boss of the AG2R La Mondiale team, Vincent Lavenu.

"There is no stigma to do, bad luck can affect all teams."

Like the other teams concerned, the French training dismissed without waiting for its positive case.

As well as another person, a potential "contact case", yet tested negative.

"We must continue to take measures so that the Tour can move forward," said Vincent Lavenu.

Christian Prudhomme, who had insisted on being tested although he was not part of the "racing bubble", made the same point.

"I'm going to isolate myself for a week and I'll be back next Tuesday," said the Tour director, who is asymptomatic.

"Like tens of thousands of French employees, who are forced to stop working when they are in the same situation as me".

Replaced in the red car that opens the race by François Lemarchand, usual director of Paris-Nice, Christian Prudhomme watched the stage from afar, through a TV screen interposed.

He saw the falls punctuate the 168.5 kilometer route and the breaks occur before the headwind, in the end, calmed the energies.

"It's not the easiest day, it was complicated, a very demanding stage but in the end everything went well", appreciated Roglic after the finish.

- Bennett undresses Sagan -

To remove his first success in the Tour, in his third participation, Sam Bennett narrowly won ahead of the Australian Caleb Ewan who could not completely recover.

Slovakian Peter Sagan, who left the green jersey to the Irishman, took third place ahead of Italy's Elia Viviani.

"I am very proud of my team," commented the Irish champion, who was remarkably led in the sprint by Dane Michael Morkov.

"We knew there was a headwind. We had to stay sheltered as long as possible," underlined Bennett, who has failed so far in the sprints (4th in Nice, 2nd in Sisteron, 3rd in Privas ).

At 29, the winner of the day has been waiting for this moment since he won stages in the Giro (three in 2018) and in the Vuelta (two in 2019).

Last winter, he joined the Deceuninck team, for lack of a privileged place in his previous team, Bora, which gave priority to Peter Sagan and the German Pascal Ackermann.

Candidates for the first places, the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar and especially the French Guillaume Martin, 3rd overall, were caught in a fall before the last 60 kilometers.

They then took their place in the peloton.

On Wednesday, the 11th stage is once again open to sprinters between Châtelaillon-Plage and Poitiers, on a plain course of 167.5 kilometers.

© 2020 AFP