Anthony Turgis delights in finally ending Tour de France drought
Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inbox
TotalEnergies rider Anthony Turgis celebrates after winning Stage 9 of the Tour de France on July 7.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
TROYES – Frenchman Anthony Turgis won the ninth stage of the Tour de France by a hair’s breadth after riding the white gravel tracks through the Champagne region’s vineyards on July 7.
Overnight leader Tadej Pogacar, who retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey, attacked several times on the 199km route which included the gravel for a first time on this race, but finished alongside his title rivals Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard.
TotalEnergies’ Turgis was among a breakaway group of 12 riders who set off inside the first 50km. He pegged back Canadian Derek Gee and held off Britain’s Tom Pidcock in a sprint finish to win.
It was the 30-year-old’s first Tour de France stage win and also TotalEnergies’ first since 2017.
“That was wonderful,” Turgis said at the finish line in Troyes. “I’ve been close to winning for ages and to get one here is just great.”
Ineos Grenadiers’ Pidcock pounded his handlebars in frustration after finishing second, with Gee of Israel-Premier Tech third.
An emotional Pidcock, who looked to be slightly blocked as he made a last-gasp bid for the line ahead of Gee, said: “In a group like that, I never show how I am really feeling and I don’t respond straightaway to attacks.
“I do it a bit slower. It was hard. This morning I was less than 57kg so when you are averaging 280 watts for 4½ hours, it is a lot.”
Pogacar retained his 33-second lead over Evenepoel in the overall standings, while Danish defending champion Vingegaard is still third, 1min 15sec behind Pogacar.
The Tour de France takes a break on July 8 and will resume the following day in a fairly flat 187.3km run from Orleans to Saint-Amand-Montrond.
Separately, the Tour paid respects to Norwegian rider Andre Drege, who died after a fall while competing in the Tour of Austria on July 6.
Before Stage 9 in Troyes, Tour de France’s riders led a moment of applause in honour of Drege, 25, who crashed during a descent of the mountain Grossglockner.
His death was announced by race organisers after the stage ended, and the post-race presentations were cancelled. The final stage of the Tour of Austria on July 7 was also cancelled, with the organisers holding a neutralised ride in his memory instead.
Pogacar said he was saddened by the news.
He said: “It’s difficult to understand what has happened. We’re all in shock, it’s very sad.
“In the world of cycling, we all have to look out for each other and take care of each other.”
In 2023, a 17-year-old Italian died while racing downhill in a regional junior race in Austria.
Swiss rider Gino Mader, 26, suffered a fatal fall during the Tour of Switzerland, while the first half of this season has been marked by serious falls in the peloton.
REUTERS, AFP
