Survivor of the morning breakaway, Canadian Michael Woods (Israel-Premier Tech) won the 9th stage of the Tour de France on Sunday at the top of the Puy de Dôme, climbed for the first time in thirty-five years on the Grande Boucle . Escaped from the start with 13 other runners, the Canadian veteran caught up in extremis with the American Matteo Jorgenson, who had started alone 46 kilometers from the finish, to win on the terrifying slopes of the volcano at 1,465 meters above sea level. altitude.
Woods, 36, plugged a two-minute hole at the foot of the Puy du Dôme, to come back to Jorgenson 450 meters from the finish line and win ahead of Frenchman Pierre Latour and Slovenian Matej Mohoric.
“Tadej was incredibly strong. I’m happy to have been able to keep the yellow jersey, commented Vingegaard, who arrived 8 seconds after his rival. It will be a fierce fight, I will do my best to arrive as a winner in Paris. “Jonas was strong, but I felt really good today,” said Pogacar. I’m happy to take some time off and put some pressure on Jonas. »
With this prestigious success, Woods joins, for his part, in a royal line, alongside Fausto Coppi, first winner at the Puy de Dôme in 1952, Federico Bahamontes, who celebrated his 94th birthday this Sunday, Luis Ocaña or Lucien Van Impe, crowned in 1975, the year Eddy Merckx was punched by a spectator in the stomach.
The Puy de Dôme was also the scene of a legendary mano a mano between Jacques Anquetil and Raymond Poulidor in 1964, when “Poupou” had taken up 42 seconds, without being able to deprive his rival of a fifth final coronation. The Dane Johnny Weltz was the last winner at the top in 1988, already, after a long breakaway.
On Monday, the runners will enjoy a rest day in Clermont-Ferrand, before hitting the road again on Tuesday between the Vulcania park and Issoire, then heading for the Alps.