Special envoy to Nice
Falling in the first descent (91 km from the finish) of the first stage of the Tour (Nice-Nice; 156 km), Julian Alaphilippe, upset, calmly got up before resuming the race, after having changed bike. Further on, the yellow jersey (14 days long) of the 2019 Tour made another stop to resume his initial bike. At the end of this crazy opening day, the leader of the Deceuninck-Quick Step team took part in the collective work for Sam Bennett 4 km from the line for the sprint. Before summing up: “It was not very difficult but stressful, as always. With small roads and with the rain, it was not easy. It was a pretty good day unfortunately there were a few crashes but nothing major. I feel good…"
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In the final race, Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) was caught in the fall which cut the peloton in two 2.9 km from the line. The jury of marshals having announced, to limit the risks on slippery roads, that the times would be recorded 3 km from the finish, the Franc-Comtois wasted no time. But the leader of the training managed by Marc Madiot has, after falling on the Route d'Occitanie, then on the Dauphiné, recorded his third fall since the resumption of competitions in August. His teammates David Gaudu and William Bonnet also fell there. Valentin Madouas had fallen earlier during the stage (On Twitter, the Breton said: "We can see that it never rains in the South, oil at all the turns, thank you to the riders of to have delayed the race. Otherwise it was 30 runners in the hospital ”).
A stage for Pinot on Sunday?
Thibaut Pinot could have lost big. He could have let precious seconds slip by or get up with a serious injury, he finished the stage framed by his close guard. The jersey torn at the level of the right shoulder and the face chewed up with disappointment and retrospective fear. Falls always have a double effect, physical pain and psychological consequences, never the best way to start a Tour de France. “He fits like a boy who fell in a race final. He was annoyed, but with a good night's recovery, things should be back to normal for tomorrow, ”Marc Madiot told RMC .
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This Sunday, the Tour de France will have a series of difficulties, a terrain likely to inspire Thibaut Pinot. on the menu the Col de la Colmiane (16 km at 6.3%), the Col de Turini (14.9 km at 7.4%), legendary passage in the Monte-Carlo rally, before the Col d'Eze ( (7.8 km at 6.1%). "The Tour has never gone so early so high", likes to plant Christian Prudhomme, the director of the race. The sun should be there. Thibaut Pinot will try to reassure himself. After a scare at the entrance…
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