VIDEO. Anthony Turgis after his Tour de France victory: “I had a brother in each leg today”

The joy of the Frenchman during his victory in Troyes. MAXPPP – GUILLAUME HORCAJUELO

Winner of the 9th stage of the Tour, on a new route around Troyes with gravel sections, the Frenchman Anthony Turgis congratulated himself on Sunday on a victory "with courage", where he "nearly cracked" several times.

"I almost cracked twice, I still came back", exulted the rider from the TotalEnergies team, who set off in a breakaway more than 150 km from the finish, and won in the final sprint ahead of his breakaway companions. “It was really courage until the end”.

“It's incredible, I've been racing for years to try to find a big victory”, said the 30-year-old from the Paris region, who hadn't won a race since 2019, but had already taken second place in Milan-San Remo in 2022.

"It’s my 7th Tour de France, I’ve finished Tours in shreds. Once I finished with a fever of 39, I didn't want to start, I finished anyway. On the Grand Belt bridge with Yves Lampaert, I had fallen, I had hip problems I could no longer walk, I still continued the Tour, the Frenchman remembered.

#TDF2024 | 🗣️ Anthony Turgis au bord des larmes après sa victoire à Troyes : "Le Tour m'a beaucoup pris dans ma carrière, je me suis dit que ce serait bien qu'il me donne enfin. J'avais un de mes frères dans chaque jambe." pic.twitter.com/wnPw7vWY6J

— francetvsport (@francetvsport) July 7, 2024

"I believed in it but it’was so far away for me to win a stage of the Tour"

This is already the third French victory in this Tour after those of Romain Bardet and Kévin Vauquelin during the first two stages. "The Tour, as I said, it took a lot from me, it would be nice if it gave me", Turgis said. "Yesterday seventh it was getting close, but I didn't think… I believed in it but it was so far for me to win a stage of the Tour."

The rider dedicated this victory to his family, and particularly to his brothers, Jimmy and Tanguy, who both stopped their professional cycling careers after heart problems, and "have been following me for years", and "have had some difficult times in their lives". "I’had a brother on each leg today", he added, visibly moved.