Sam Bennett claimed the 10th stage of the Tour de France on Tuesday after he narrowly outsprinted Caleb Ewan and Peter Sagan for his first win in cycling’s biggest race.
“I’m in shock,” a tearful Bennett told Tour television afterwards. “I just want to thank the whole team … everybody it took to get to here. Sorry – I don’t mean to be a cry-baby,”
The result also meant Bennett reclaims the green jersey for the points classification from Sagan.
Peter Sagan is looking to win the jersey for a record-extending eighth time, while Bennett is hoping to become the first Irishman to take the points classification since Sean Kelly in 1989.
All 22 teams set off after every rider tested negative for coronavirus on Monday’s rest day, with race director Francois Lemarchand waving the flag for racing to commence in place of his boss Christian Prudhomme – who it emerged had also tested positive.
French health authorities and organisers Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) have said that should two members of a team, riders or staff, test positive for the coronavirus the whole outfit will be kicked out of the race.
The International Cycling Union (UCI) and the organisers said that one staff member each from Cofidis, AG2R La Mondiale, Ineos-Grenadiers and Mitchelton-Scott contracted the virus.
Tour de France 2020 – stage 10 results (île d’Oléron – île de Ré):
| 1 | Sam Bennett (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) | 3:55:22 |
| 2 | Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) | ,, |
| 3 | Peter Sagan (Bora-hansgrohe) | ,, |
| 4 | Elia Viviani (Cofidis) | ,, |
| 5 | Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) | ,, |
| 6 | Andre Greipel (Israel Start-Up Nation) | ,, |
| 7 | Bryan Coquard (B&B Hotels-Vital Concept) | ,, |
| 8 | Cees Bol (Team Sunweb) | ,, |
| 9 | Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo) | ,, |
| 10 | Luka Mezgec (Mitchelton-Scott) | ,, |
| 11 | Michael Morkov (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) | ,, |
| 12 | Matteo Trentin (CCC) | ,, |
| 13 | Hugo Hofstetter (Israel Start-Up Nation) | ,, |
| 14 | Clement Venturini (AG2R La Mondiale) | ,, |
| 15 | Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) | ,, |
| 16 | Jose Joaquin Rojas (Movistar) | ,, |
| 17 | Hugo Houle (Astana) | ,, |
| 18 | Edward Theuns (Trek-Segafredo) | ,, |
| 19 | Max Walscheid (NTT) | ,, |
| 20 | Oliver Naesen (AG2R La Mondiale) | ,, |
Tour de France 2020 – general classification after stage 10:
| 1 | Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) | 42:15:23 |
| 2 | Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) | +21” |
| 3 | Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) | +28” |
| 4 | Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale) | +30” |
| 5 | Nairo Quintana (Arkea-Samsic) | +32” |
| 6 | Rigoberto Uran (EF Pro Cycling) | ,, |
| 7 | Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) | +44” |
| 8 | Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) | +01’02” |
| 9 | Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana) | +01’15” |
| 10 | Mikel Landa (Bahrain McLaren) | +01’42” |
| 11 | Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo) | +01’53” |
| 12 | Enric Mas (Movistar) | +02’02” |
| 13 | Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) | +02’31” |
| 14 | Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo-Visma) | +03’22” |
| 15 | Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) | +03’42” |
| 16 | Damiano Caruso (Bahrain McLaren) | ,, |
| 17 | Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) | +03’43” |
| 18 | Sergio Higuita (EF Pro Cycling) | +06’08” |
| 19 | Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-hansgrohe) | +11’10” |
| 20 | Esteban Chaves (Mitchelton-Scott) | +12’13” |
