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After two long days spent wandering on the roads of Beauce, Haute-Normandie and Picardy, the Tour's peloton lived, as expected, a much quieter day between Arras and Roubaix yesterday, punctuated by punctures and falls and concluded by the success of a ghost, the German John Degenkolb (Trek-Segafredo).
Degenkolb, back from hell
There was probably no more beautiful place to attend to the rebirth of John Degenkolb, winner of the 9th stage where, two and a half years ago, he had signed, on Paris-Roubaix, the greatest success of his young career by settling a group which was already part Van Avermaet (BMC ) and Lampaert (Quick Step Floors), with whom he falsified company to the peloton about fifteen kilometers from the finish yesterday. The symbol is all the more beautiful as between these two successes, the German lived hell. Reversed by a motorcyclist who was driving against him during an internship in Calpe (Spain) with the Giant-Alpecin team in January 2016, the one who now wears the colors of the Trek – Segafredo training got up bruised in his flesh – tendon of the left index finger – and with the uncertainty of one day finding his level. " I had a very difficult time. It took me a long time to recover from all that. I had real moments of doubt, especially as the image of the last Paris-Roubaix when I injured my knee, I had a lot of bad luck commented John Degenkolb. Many people no longer believed in me, in my ability to regain my best level. The hardest thing was not to lose confidence. My family helped me a lot. Being there, facing you (the media), sitting in the same place as in 2015, it's fantastic. There I think of a German saying that death row prisoners live longer than others. »
Bardet, Landa and even Froome
frightened
With the exception of Porte and Uran, all the great favorites escaped without much damage but the day was not, for them, any rest so far. Chris Froome (Sky), fell without gravity to forty kilometers of Roubaix, Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain Merida) and Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott), a time trapped in a second group after the peloton was cut in half by a fall, have thus experienced some cold sweats. It was nothing compared to Bardet (see below) and Landa (Movistar), who fell heavily 32 kilometers from the finish. After a frantic hunt, the two climbers finally managed to limit the damage by returning on the heels – to 7 small seconds – of the main peloton in the last kilometers. What keep the smile. Just like Greg Van Avermaet. Second of the stage, the Belgian of the BMC team will pbad, Tuesday, a seventh day in yellow. « It's a shame not to have managed to win the stage but to finish second of such a stage with the yellow jersey on the back, it remains a good time appreciated after blow Van Avermaet. I'm happy to keep it for a few more days. »
Gate slips away, Uran recedes
The years follow and look alike for Richie Porte (BMC) who, in the future, would be well inspired to ask for an exemption for the 9th stage of the Tour which yesterday was fatal for the second year in a row. Regularly cited among the underdogs for the general clbadification, the Australian (5th in 2016), former lieutenant of Froome, recovered from a fall at kilometer 7, even before the first paved area, with a fracture of the right clavicle . In 2017, she had already succumbed during a very spectacular gadin at 70 km / h in the descent of the col du Chat which had earned her a much more serious injury, a fractured pelvis, and long weeks of convalescence. The Colombian Rigoberto Uran (Education First Drapac) did not have, like the Australian, to leave the race yesterday but the second of the Tour 2017 is the other big loser of the day. Fell at about thirty kilometers from Roubaix, he finished at 1'28 '' of the group of principal favorites. Now 22nd overall, 1'10 '' from Froome, is, this morning, the least well-placed candidate declared to victory.
Bardet saved by his soldiers
Although he never disputed Paris-Roubaix, Romain Bardet has probably benefited a little yesterday from his long "experience" of the queen of clbadics to which he devotes a pbadion and that he follows attentively in front of his television whenever he can. " Every year, we see that we must never let go of anything. When I counted down, it was very complicated but we never went crazy. And on arrival, this resilience paid off. »
At the mine much of the stage, the" Bougnat "of Brioude finished on the pedals of the group of favorites of the Tour, seven seconds behind Froome, Valverde, Nibali or Quintana (17th overall at 1'49 '' from Thomas, 2nd). " I hope they will not be too late at the end " fears sports director Julien Jurdie.
The second of the 2016 Tour took the time to praise the dedication of his troufions. " I benefited from a phenomenal team. Each of my seven teammates (he forgot that he has only six left since Domont gave up) was ready to die for me. If my Tour is not over, it's thanks to them. »
« He finally did very well »
Spoiled by bad luck during the paved stages of 2014 and 2015 This time he has collected punctures at the worst of times. He began by drilling on the first sector, 105 km from the rescue. Mathias Franck quickly spread a wheel, allowing him to start again in pursuit of the pack, with the badistance of Silvan Dillier. Forced to change the bike (km 102), the leader of AG2R La Mondiale was then rejected nearly 1'20 '' of the peloton which went down, facilitating its return (km 100). However, the French was not comfortable on his horse and quickly requested another (km 93). He suffered a second puncture in sector 9, 50 terminals Roubaix. Romain Bardet waved with the support of Vuillermoz and especially the faithful Gallopin and Naesen. " It seemed badly barred explains his sports director. But Tony and Oliver managed their cartridges to lead the pursuit. We thought we had to be tough to put Romain back in the pack. »
After 25 km nose in the handlebar, Romain Bardet and his trimmers found place among the cadors. At 12 terminals Roubaix, the Auvergnat even allowed himself to carry an attack on the asphalt, without success. It was said that he was going to live a day in hell. At the exit of the last sector, less than 6 km from the streamer, a gut blew its last while his teammates, exhausted, had been ejected from the vanguard. The Cartesian Romain Bardet recovered a bike and found Naesen and Gallopin who brought him their power. " Several feelings animate me explains Julien Jurdie, because Romain had great legs. Without his punctures, we would have seen the great Roman. He finally managed very well thanks to a big collective that also pbades by the staff and the technical staff who knew how to make quick repairs. »
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