TIGNES, France — Defending champion Tadej Pogacar kept control of the Tour de France on a rain-soaked second day in the Alps as a crash-filled opening week took its toll on rivals on Sunday.
Both last year’s runner-up Primoz Roglic and former race leader Mathieu van der Poel dropped out of the race before the grueling 144.9-kilometer (90-mile) route from Cluses to Tignes on Sunday.
Australian rider Ben O’Connor won the ninth stage after launching a solo break with 17 kilometers to go. Sergio Higuita was unable to follow the 25-year-old as O’Connor powered up the Col du Pré for the finish at Tignes.