Daryl Impey wins ninth stage, Julian Alaphilippe still leads

15th Jul 2019 | Source: BBC

Daryl Impey is the first South African to win a stage of the Tour de France since 2007

South Africa's Daryl Impey won stage nine of the Tour de France as Julian Alaphilippe retained his overall lead.

Impey, 34, beat Tiesj Benoot to secure his first victory in the race on the run from Saint-Etienne to Brioude.

British defending champion Geraint Thomas, who lost ground on Saturday after a crash, remains in fifth - one minute 12 seconds behind Alaphilippe.

Three-time Vuelta a Espana stage winner Alessandro de Marchi was taken to hospital after a heavy crash early on.

The 33-year-old's CCC team said the Italian was fully conscious after the crash but had a "deep facial laceration" and was taken to hospital for X-rays.

'All the stars lined up' for Impey

Impey was a deserving winner after forming part of a 15-man breakaway which finished over 16 minutes clear of the main peloton.

He is the first South African to win an individual stage at the Tour since Robert Hunter's triumph in Montpellier in 2007.

The Mitchelton-Scott rider displayed all of his race craft in the defining move of the day, feigning fatigue on the final climb on the Cote de Saint-Just before powering past Benoot and Ireland's Nicholas Roche.

After Roche was detached about eight kilometres from the finish, Impey beat Belgian rider Benoot in a sprint finish.

"I have been in quite a few breakaways and to finally nail it is a dream come true," Impey told ITV 4. "All the stars lined up.

"I kind of found a lucky move and didn't have to do too much to get in there. I played it smart at the end and knew I had to reach Tiesj and was glad I got there.

"The last time a South African won a stage was in 2007 so it's been a long time between drinks but it's a magic memory."

All the main general classification hopefuls arrived in Brioude together after a late attack from Romain Bardet and Richie Porte was comfortably closed down by Thomas and Team Ineos.

Stage 10 takes the race from Saint-Flour to Albi. In his BBC Sport Tour de France stage-by-stage guide, Mitchelton-Scott's Adam Yates backs Italian sprinter Elia Viviani to win the 217.5km leg.