Two years ago in September, Marc Hirschi (Team Sunweb) won the under-23 world championship road race alone, ahead of the late Björg Lambrecht (Belgium) and Jaakko Hanninen (Finland). Twenty-four months later, the young Swiss rider again won his first professional Tour de France solo.

Hirschi's solo victory, after two near misses in the first half of the Tour, was, without a doubt, the most gratifying of all.

He finished second to Julien Alaphilippe in Nice on the opening week of the Tour. Seven days later in Larns, he finished third after a 90-km solo ride in which he was overtaken just short of the finish line by Tadej Pogacar, Primoz Roglic, Egan Bernal, and Mikel Landa.

This time, however, there were no such last-minute disappointments, and Hirschi powered across the finish line in Saran with a 40-km breakaway through the Ardennes-like hills of the Corrèze countryside, running the last 23 km alone.

"I couldn't believe it, I had two more to go. I didn't think I could go today because I was really doubtful. I had the gas pedal on full throttle until the last few hundred meters. I can't even describe it, it's amazing." [I couldn't believe I could make it until the last kilometer. After Sunday, I was really sad because I was so close. But in the last kilometer, all I could do was thank all the people who always believed in me and I was filled with emotion."

Hirschi's teammate Søren Kragu Andersen finished third in this stage and celebrated Hirschi's victory by waving his right arm.

Tiesj Benoot and Andersson shredded their rivals before Hirschi could clear them on the second classics of the Suk O May, and Nicolas Roche did a great job as watchdog for the chasing group led by a restless Alaphilippe.

But it was Hirschi himself who shook off the relentless pursuit of the two men, Max Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Marc Soler (Movistar).

"The team spirit is really good and we talk a lot about each other's strategy every day. I wanted to be in the breakaway group early on, but I waited for the last climb and my teammates made it tough on me."

Hirschi's victory not only served as a strong reminder of sporting justice after two near misses, but also ended Switzerland's long drought of success in the Tour de France since Fabian Cancellara won the prologue time trial in Liège in 2012, It was his first victory in eight years.

Hirschi said he was able to draw on the experience and advice of Cancellara, who is now retired. Cancellara, also from Bern, is his agent. He helped me as a rider and as a person," he said. He helped me as a rider and as a person," he said.

Hirschi said he was uncertain about whether he would replace Tom Dumoulin and the soon-to-be departed Michael Matthews as team leader at Sunweb, but did not rule it out.

He also did not rule out the possibility of racking up stage wins between here and Paris. However, while some riders are cautious about revealing to the public which stages they think will be in their favor in the future, Hirschi simply said, "I don't know."

"I haven't looked at the other stages. I like to open the book and look at the stages, and I will continue to do that." I'll decide every morning." "

The strategy certainly seems to be working, given the victory at Sarang.