2023-07-09 16:02:00
Survivor of the morning breakaway, the Canadian Michael Woods won on Sunday at the top of the Puy de Dôme where Tadej Pogacar took eight seconds from Jonas Vingegaard in a new chapter of their crisp rivalry on the Tour de France.
For the mythical volcano’s return to the Tour following 35 years of absence, Woods plugged the two-minute hole he was counting on the unfortunate American Matteo Jorgenson at the foot of the terrifying final spiral slope to snatch, at 36, his greatest triumph.
“I have to pinch myself, I find it hard to realize”, jubilant the runner of Israel PT who swallowed Jorgenson, left in a solitary raid 46 km from the finish, before winning with around thirty seconds ahead of Frenchman Pierre Latour and Slovenian Matej Mohoric.
Woods was the last survivor of a breakaway of 14 runners who left from the start in Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, the stronghold of Raymond Poulidor, to approach the foot of the Puy de Dôme with more than a quarter of an hour of ahead of the peloton comprising all the main favourites.
The skimming between the best was done very quickly in the ascent of 13.3 km at 7.7 percent, including the final four kilometers prohibited to the public at 12 percent.
One by one, the contenders for the podium let go. Including the French Romain Bardet and David Gaudu, towed to the top by Thibaut Pinot, with a grin of heartbreaking pain on his face and the jersey open on his emaciated chest.
Pogacar “incredibly strong”
And the two favorites once once more found themselves alone in the world, for a new episode of their duel which has animated the Tour since the start, when Pogacar went on the attack 1.5 km from the summit erected at 1,415 meters above sea level. altitude.
The Slovenian quickly took one, then two, then five meters ahead in scorching heat and bright sunshine. But Vingegaard never gave in, clinging to the courage to save his yellow jersey for 17 seconds, on the eve of the rest day.
“Tadej was incredibly strong. I’m happy to have been able to keep the yellow jersey, commented Vingegaard, who arrived 8 seconds following his rival. It will be a fierce fight, I will do my best to arrive as a winner in Paris. The steps that suit me the most are still to come. Today, the profile of the stage suited him better. »
“Jonas was strong, but I felt really good today, underlined for his part Pogacar. I’m happy to take some time off and put some pressure on Jonas. »
With his prestigious success, Woods is part of a royal lineage, alongside Fausto Coppi, first winner at the Puy du Dôme in 1952, Federico Bahamontes, who celebrated his 94th birthday this Sunday, or Lucien Van Impe, crowned in 1975, the year Eddy Merckx was boxed by a spectator in the stomach.
A volcano awakens
The Puy de Dôme was also the scene of a legendary mano a mano in 1964 between Jacques Anquetil and Raymond Poulidor, when “Poupou”, to which the Tour paid tribute all day on Sunday, had taken up 42 seconds, without being able to deprive its rival of a fifth final coronation.
Dane Johnny Weltz was the last winner at the top in 1988, following a long breakaway already.
The curtain then fell on the Puy de Dôme for a question of preservation of this exceptional natural site, labeled Grand site de France since 2008 and UNESCO World Heritage since 2018.
A barrier also blocks access to its last four kilometers, prohibited even to cyclists all year round, on a track barely four meters wide, bordered by a panoramic cogwheel train.
But Christian Prudhomme dreamed of a return and even made it a priority when he joined the management of the Tour de France in 2004.
It became a reality on Sunday when the volcano awoke to offer millions of viewers around the world a unique panorama of the Puys chain, in front of which Michael Woods was able to raise his arms to the sky, during a ceremony. protocol reduced to its strict minimum, in order to preserve the site.
1688922553
#Cycling #Canadian #Michael #Woods #wins #9th #stage #Tour #France
