News | Tour de France • September 6, 2020
Pogačar claims his first Tour de France win
Slovenian triumphs in Laruns and gives UAE Team Emirates their second stage victory
Twenty-one year old Tadej Pogačar added his first stage win at the Tour de France to his palmares, adding it to the trio of successes obtained in the Vuelta a Espana in 2019.
The Slovenian from the Emirati squad won the 9th stage of the Grande Boucle, 153 km Pau-Lauruns, outsprinting the group containing the new yellow jersey Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma), Marc Hirschi (Sunweb), Egan Bernal (Ineos-Grenadiers) and Mikel Landa (Bahrain-McLaren).
The UAE Team Emirates rider becomes the youngest Tour stage winner in the 21st century.
Hirschi had led the race for 80 km, before being caught in view of the finish line by the chasing quartet on the ascent of the Col de Marie Blanque The group of the favourites was influenced by two attacks of Pogačar, with only Roglic, Bernal and Landa able to follow the UAE Team Emirates leader who had a near crash when he made contact with Roglic over the top of the climb.
Pogačar: “It is incredible to have won at the end of such a hectic day. Firstly I thank the team for the excellent work done throughout the stage. I am very happy, in the final my goal was to recover as many seconds as possible in the general classification, also aiming for bonuses, but the concentration was then turned to the sprint: I don’t remember exactly how I won the sprint, I just thought about pushing as hard as possible.
I arrive on the first rest day with a stage win, which is added to the one obtained in the first stage by my teammate Kristoff. I am happy with what we have done so far in this Tour, with only one off-day on the 7th stage”.
In the general classification, Pogačar gains another two positions and climbs back to 7th place (+44″ from Roglic), while in the youth ranking the Slovenian is 23″ behind Egan Bernal (Ineos-Grenadiers).
Unfortunately it was a less positive day for Fabio Aru who found himself in trouble early in the day and was unable to finish the stage.
Tomorrow will mark the first rest day, before beginning again with a flat trip from Ile de l’Oléron to Ile de Ré (168.5 km).
Stage 9 results:
1. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) 3:55:17
2. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) s.t.
3. Marc Hirschi (Sunweb) s.t.
General classification after the 9th stage:
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 38:40:01
2. Egan Bernal (Ineos-Grenadiers) @ 21 ”
3. Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) @ 28 ”
7. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) @ 44″
