After the world title the next reason for joy for France: Julian Alaphilippe gets the first French stage victory in the Tour de France. Behind, the Sky Team of Chris Froome is a familiar picture.
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Alaphilippe is France again cheer
Solo victory in the Alps: Julian Alaphilippe wins outstanding performance the 10. Stage of the Tour in Le Grand-Bornand and can cheer a few kilometers from the finish. With an outstretched fist, he rolls over the goal line and lands so that a two-fold success: Because in addition to the day’s victory, he takes on Jersey mountain. His Triumph in Le Grand-Bornand is the first French stage victory in the Tour de France to 2018, which focuses on after the world Cup victory of the French footballer now and again in the focus of the General Public of the host country.
Alaphilippe was part of a 21-rider strong breakaway group that went early in the morning after the Start of the Lac d’Annecy on the way. As so often in the past few years, also world champion, Peter Sagan went into this head group, and won the first Intermediate sprint the points for the Green Jersey, which sits more than 100 points ahead already pretty sure on his shoulders. The Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe read other riders on the Col de la Croix Fry (1447 meters high), the reach and waited for the right Moment to push. After about two kilometers long gravel roads, Passage of the Col des glieres (1390 meters, see photos) were increased on the penultimate of five categorized, the Col de Romme (1297 metres), some of its competitors, the legs heavy and Alaphilippe attacked. In addition to the mountain points at the summit, he had developed a nice lead, he was able to expand on the following Col de la Colombière (1618 meters). After the steep descent to the destination is Le Grand Bornand, the riders of this year’s dominant Quickstep team (already incredible 51 wins of the season) could be an early stage of his countrymen along the route to celebrate.
Greg Van Avermaet defended his “Yellow” is offensive
“I have a lot of emotions in me. I was already close to the victory, now I have him. It was really fun today,” said the 26-year-old Alaphilippe, who was able to celebrate since his professional debut in 2013, already some great successes (including the California tour, Flèche Walonne and the Vice-champion of Europe title), but it is not on home soil at the Tour. “At the Mûr de Bretagne, I was already Fourth, since the legs were not so good. I didn’t think that I can win this stage today.”
The battle for Yellow: Greg van Avermaet took out time on the favorites
Behind him, however, there was a second winner of the day in the breakaway group: Greg Van Avermaet. The Olympic champion of Rio de Janeiro had cheated as a carrier, de Yellow Jersey in the lead group, with the aim of defending his lead on the favorites in the fight for the overall victory. At the end, attack is the best defence, as van Avermaet added to his advantage with a major effort even further: As the days of the fourth behind Alaphilippe, Jon Izagirre Insausti (Spain) and Reine Taaramae (Estonia) had the Belgium 1:44 minutes behind the French winner of a stage, but also 1:29 minutes ahead of the group of favourites Chris Froome (great Britain).
Sky reduced the group of favorites
The Sky team kept the entire day behind the outliers, the pace high, “eliminated” with this constant work, in fact one of the major contenders for the Sky-double top Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas: The Colombian Rigoberto Uran, last year’s second place in the Tour de France, lost, drawn by a fall on the cobbled stage from Roubaix early in the contact, and now with over seven minutes behind already out of the reach of the Yellow Jersey. Shortly before the last pass, the Col de la Colobière Mûr-de-Bretagne-stage winner Dan Martin (Ireland) put an explosive entrance, not all the consequences could. Some of the co-favourites, lost ground, including Bob Jungels (Luxembourg), Ilnur Zakarin (Russia), or Rafal Majka (Poland).
While the Sky steered the favorites group with Chris Froome, had to occur on this first mountain stage of the Tour due to his strong team a single Time, even in action, the distance to the front could limit, van Avermaet is actually the second Time the Yellow Jersey to look forward to. With 2:22 minutes, he performs in front of Geraint Thomas (great Britain), and with 3:10 minutes before Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spain). Chris Froome is currently 15. the standings with 3:23 minutes behind the Belgian leader. Classics specialist van Avermaet, who impressed in the past with his climbing qualities in the Tour, may make hopes to defend the Jersey a little longer, That he will repeat such a Coup as it is today, is unlikely. But with a strong performance, he could save the Yellow Jersey, perhaps even to the end of the second Alpine stage on Wednesday from Albertville to the ski station La Rosière. The German Starter played in the race for the win of the day, no role – on the contrary: especially the Sprint specialist Marcel Kittel and André Greipel fought just about to come in the time limit.