John Degenkolb won Stage 9 of the 2018 Tour de France on Sunday, finishing ahead of overall leader Greg Van Avermaet after tackling 22K of cobblestone roads from Arras Citadelle to Roubaix.
The victory marks a return to form for the German, a former Paris-Roubaix winner. Degenkolb was among six riders struck by a car while training in Spain two years ago. Seriously injured, the Trek–Segafredo rider said he almost lost a finger.
But he prevailed on Sunday, breaking away with Van Avermaet and Yves Lampaert of Quick-Step with 15K to go. The trio quickly agreed to take turns at the head of the group to distance the peloton.
Degenkolb had been the most likely of the three to win the stage due to his sprinting skills, while Van Avermaet held onto his yellow jersey going into the Tour’s first rest day and three hard days in the Alps next week. The Belgian now leads Geraint Thomas by 43 seconds and Philippe Gilbert by 44 in the overall classification.
Riders had predicted that the stage's rough pavé (cobblestones) would produce drama, and it lived up to that expectation. Dozens of falls and multiple withdrawals throughout the day made for a slapstick spectacle amid clouds of dust.
Van Avermaet’s team captain on BMC, Richie Porte, withdrew after a fall that broke his collarbone. Romain Bardet got three flat tires and lost touch with the peloton as he exited the final section of cobbles with just 5K remaining.
Geraint Thomas of Team Sky abandoned Chris Froome, his nominal captain, when a mechanical failure saw the four-time Tour winner crash late in the stage. Froome eventually struggled back to the lead pack on his own. (Miraculously, Bardet made it back to Froome’s group shortly before the finish after a huge effort that had the French hopeful gasping for breath.)
Alejandro Valverde gained a little time on his GC rivals, Nairo Quintana finished with the main group, and Mikel Landa made an avoidable error, falling off when reaching for a water bottle and losing time.
Stage 6 winner Dan Martin, who woke up feeling “much, much better” after a nasty crash on Saturday, kept pace and finished with the peloton.
