Vaconsoleil rider Johnny Hoogerland suffered a terrible crash on Stage 9 but got back up to finish the course. For such immense bravery, he wins our Rider of the Day award, as judged by Rupert Guinness of the Sydney Morning Herald.
To ride so hard in the day-long break on the dream of bagging a Tour stage win and then to see it all cruelly dashed by a French Television car passing Hoogerland and the five-rider breakaway when it shouldn't have - he was sent flying over a paddock fence at full speed - and then still finish the stage in 139th place goes down as an astounding and brave effort.
Hoogerland wasn't even the last to finish: he crossed the line alone at 16m 44s behind stage winner Luis Leon Sanchez (Rabobank), but behind him came another 40 riders. His reward? The famous polka dot King of the Mountains jersey, along with approximately 30 stitches. Hoogerland broke down in tears as he pulled on the jersey - it was a very emotional Sunday.
IG Markets Pro Cycling Index Facts of the day:
18 riders have been forced to abandon the race so far this year. Surprisingly considering the number of crashes in the first week this is only one more than after the first nine stages last year. By then however we had already been through the Alps whereas this year we have yet to hit the first big mountains. In 2009 only nine riders had abandoned by the end of the Stage 9 and this from a smaller field of just 180 riders - compared to 198 that started in 2011.
Sandy Casar (FDJ) was also in the Stage 9 breakaway last year but couldn’t emulate his stage-winning success again in 2011.
Luis Leon Sanchez likes the second weekend of the Tour: he claimed victory on Stage 8 in 2009 at Saint Girons.
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