Jungels took the 5th place at the intermediate sprint, before leading the race when there were 46 km to go, reports the Guardian. After 193 km and a time of 4:46:39, Jungels crossed the Châtel les portes du soleil finish line alone. He was followed by Spaniards Jonathan Castroviejo and Carlos Verona.
“It’s hard to say what I feel right now – I’m just overwhelmed to be honest. This is huge, it’s what I came here for and means a lot for the team after a couple of years struggling, and a very tough last year with surgery and everything to take the victory,” Jungels commented on the win, according to the Guardian.
The cyclist also took to Twitter to celebrate his win, and was also congratulated by Luxembourg sports minister Georges Engel (LSAP), who in a statement said: “Congratulations Bob! After an extraordinary ride you did a great number today in the Tour de France by winning this 9th stage of the Grande Boucle alone. Quite a performance Bob! Good luck for the rest of the race.”
Other politicians like prime minister Xavier Bettel (DP) also congratulated the athlete on his win.
Jungels’ win marks the first time since 2011 that a Luxembourg cyclist won a Tour de France stage. The last recorded win for the grand duchy had been when Andy Schleck won a stage in the Grande Boucle.