Rigoberto Uran: I did the whole descent with a broken gear
Jul 10 2017 12:27 am CET
Photo by the A.S.O.
Rigoberto Uran (Cannondale-Drapac) has taken his first stage victory at the Tour de France. The Colombian also moved to fourth position in the race's General Classification.
Despite nearby crashes and mechanical problems, the rider fought in the final sprint and got a very close victory over Sunweb's Warren Barguil who initially thought he had won the stage. "It's amazing! I don't even know if this is true! I was passing the anti doping control and there they told me that I had won," Uran said at the end of the stage.
"I thought they were joking. It was a big surprise to me because when there was the crash of Richie Porte and Dan Martin, Martin hit my gear and broke it. I did the whole descent with a broken gear and I was just thinking that I had to save the day."
Uran got last minute mechanical assistance from the neutral Mavic car, but his bike was still in not optimal conditions. "When I saw that Warren Barguil overtook me, I said to myself "well, at least I could finish the stage".
"Then I got this surprise and it is amazing. And I'm very happy to win such a difficult stage."
The Colombian is now fourth in the overall classification, at 55 seconds of race leader Chris Froome (Team Sky).
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