Mathieu Van der Poel won an enthralling ninth stage of the Tour de France on Sunday, sprinting to the line after a chaotic day in the Massif Centrale.
The Alpecin-Premier Tech rider had been part of a huge breakaway which eventually formed after 60km of aggressive racing in the boiling centre of France.
Only four of the group survived to compete for the win, with Tobias Haaland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) taking second place, while Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) was third. The breakaway’s only other survivor, Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost) held on for fourth place, just six seconds ahead of the chasing peloton.
As the leading quartet entered the closing kilometre, with the bunch closing fast, Van der Poel had been stranded on the front by his breakaway companions, but had the power to win the sprint from the front.
Despite the stage being shortened because of the intense heat blanketing the country, stage 9 had always been predicted to be one where the breakaway had a chance of taking the win. Even when overall leader, Tadej Pogačar‘s UAE Team Emirates-XRG decided to chase them down, they resisted, taking their lead into the final 30km.
Netcompany-Ineos then took over the pace setting in the bunch the breakaway’s dropped, but Van der Poel attacked the breakaway taking three others with him, the quartet racing to the line. Even when Lidl-Trek entered the fray, hoping to set up a win for Mads Pedersen, the leaders held on for the win.
The General Classification remains unchanged, the only difference being Egan Bernal (Netcompany-Ineos) moving into 10th overall. Pogačar continues to lead by 2.42 as the race heads into the first rest day on Monday.
More to follow…
