photo credits @ ASO
Bob Jungels (AG2R Citroën) claimed a stunning solo victory in stage 9 of the Tour de France in Châtel today, holding off a persistent chase from Thibaut Pinot (Groupama–FDJ) who ultimately finished in fourth place, with Ineos’ Jonathan Castroviejo taking second place and Carlos Verona (Movistar) rounding out the podium in third
Pinot relentlessly pursued Jungels, trying in earnest to bridge his way to the Luxembourgish rider along the climb of Pas de Morgins, coming within 30 seconds of catching him on the descent.
Pinot continued his pursuit along the final ascent of Châtel les Portes du Soleil, this time closing the gap to 30 seconds, only to be overhauled by Castroviejo and Verona ding the final kilometer.
Jungels executed his winning move with 60 kilometers still to go, clinging to enough of a margin along the way to fend-off any last minute challenges from his rival to seize the stage honors.
As a consolation for Pinot, the French rider earned enough KoM point along the Pas de Morgins to snag the Polka Dot climber’s jersey.
Meanwhile, there was little movement in the GC battle as Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) eased through another day in yellow, cheekily taking a couple of seconds on all of his rivals except Jonas Vingegaard (UAE Team Emirates) on the line.
Tomorrow is the second rest-day of the Tour. On Tuesday, the peloton will ride a relatively short stage of 148.1 kilometers, but will face a challenging 19.2 kilometer climb to the summit finish on the Megève runway.
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