Primoz Roglic beats Egan Bernal to Tour de l'Ain title with second stage win as Tour de France looms

Updated 09/08/2020 at 17:36 GMT

Primoz Roglic won his second stage in as many days to wrap up the Tour de l’Ain title and set his stall out ahead of the Tour de France.

Primoz Roglic of Slovenia and Team Jumbo - Visma Yellow Leader Jersey / Celebration / during the 32nd Tour de L'Ain 2020, Stage 3 a 145km stage from Saint Vulbas to Grand Colombier 1501m

Image credit: Getty Images

In the first stage race of the summer season for the climbers, a heavyweight field of GC contenders showed their form in the Jura mountains. And it was Rogli who showed the best early-August form, beating Bernal in a steep finish, as he had in Saturday’s stage, to cross the line as stage winner and take the overall title.

The Tour de l’Ain has rarely had such a stellar start list, and in high temperatures the best climbers in world cycling put on a real show.

Nairo Quintana Rojas of Colombia and Team Arkea - Samsic / Primoz Roglic of Slovenia and Team Jumbo - Visma Yellow Leader Jersey / Egan Arley Bernal Gomez of Colombia and Team INEOS / Celebration / during the 32nd Tour de L'Ain 2020, Stage 3 a 145km stage

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A small but elite lead group put distance into the chasers as the finish approached on the final climb of the day, and it was Bernal who made the big attack inside the last kilometre. Roglic went with him, and it was the Slovenian who had the legs on a steep ramp to the line.

"Today was again a hard day. Ineos did a really hard race with a hard tempo on all the climbs, but our team did a great job again, so I was able to just finish it," Roglic said.