Summary

  • Stage nine: Chinon - Chateauroux, 174.1km

  • Tim Merlier wins sprint finish

  • Tadej Pogacar wears the leader's yellow jersey

  • Jonathan Milan leads the points classification

Live Reporting

Steve Sutcliffe

  1. Bastille Day awaits

    Stage 10 profileASO

    Tomorrow would normally be a rest day but it is Bastille Day so a big day of climbing is coming up instead.

    The 4,400m of elevation gain across seven category-two climbs and a category-three ascent is likely to put the sprinters in trouble almost from the start on a stage that looks made for the breakaway specialists.

    There will likely be a strong posse of home riders trying to get in any group heading up the road with the objective of becoming the first French stage winner on the national holiday since Warren Barguil in 2017.

    The first trip into the mountains should provide a decent shake up of the GC standings although it unlikely to cause any of the main favourites issues.

    We'll see you for that at noon on Monday.

  2. General classification after stage nine

    1. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Emirates-XRG) 33hrs 17mins 22secs
    2. Remco Evenepoel (Bel/Soudal Quick-Step) +54secs
    3. Kevin Vauquelin (Arkea-B&B Hotels) +1min 11secs
    4. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Visma-Lease a Bike) +1min 17secs
    5. Matteo Jorgenson (US/Visma-Lease a Bike) +1min 34secs
    6. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned/Alpecin-Deceuninck) +1min 46secs
    7. Oscar Onley (GB/Picnic PostNL) +2mins 49secs
    8. Florian Lipowitz (Ger/Red Bull-Bora hansgrohe) +3mins 2secs
    9. Primoz Roglic (Slo/Red Bull-Bora hansgrohe) +3mins 6secs
    10. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) +3mins 43secs

  3. It was 'fast and furious'

    Race leader Tadej Pogacar speaking after stage nine: "Today was fast and furious thanks to the two guys in front and also the wind was blowing to make it hard. Tomorrow is a solid day. A proper climbing day, it does not look so hurtful on the profile but I think it is going to be a really hard race and we are ready for tomorrow.

    "Sadly Joao had to abandon. It was too much to bear and I think everybody understands and wish him all the best."

  4. Van der Poel drops a spot in GC

    Poor old Mathieu van der Poel. Delivers a mammoth effort to almost win from basically the flag drop and then finds himself being the only rider inside the top 10 in the general classification to lose time and drop a place from fifth to sixth.

  5. Van der Poel goes all in

    Tim Merlier may well have claimed his second stage of this year's Tour but what about that performance from Mathieu van der Poel.

    The Dutch rider spent 173km of 174.1km up the road at an average speed of 49.9 kmh but ended up crossing the line 17 seconds after Merlier in a group containing Wout van Aert and Sepp Kuss.

  6. Stage nine results

    1. Tim Merlier (Bel/Soudal Quick-Step) 3hrs 28mins 52secs

    2. Jonathan Milan (Ita/Lidl-Trek) Same time

    3. Arnaud De Lie (Bel/Lotto) "

    4. Pavel Bittner (Cze/Picnic PostNL) "

    5. Paul Penhoet (Fra/Groupama-FDJ) "

    6. Biniam Girmay (Eri/Intermarche-Wanty) "

    7. Phil Bauhaus (Ger/Bahrain Victorious) "

    8. Jordi Meeus (Bel/Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) "

    9. Stian Fredheim (Nor/Uno-X Mobility) "

    10. Kaden Groves (Aus/Alpecin-Deceuninck) "

  7. Tim Merlier wins stage nine

    Belgium's Tim Merlier takes stage nine with Jonathan Milan in second and a fast-finishing Arnaud de Lie in third.

  8. Jonathan Milan hits the front as Tim Merlier starts to come through...

  9. Jake Stewart opens up a sprint...

  10. Mathieu van der Poel is caught just inside the flamme rouge. A valian effort.

  11. Jonathan Milan has no lead out train today. He will have to freelance and pick a wheel.

    Mathieu van der Poel has seven seconds.

  12. The peloton is coming in hot. Mathieu van der Poel is riding like his life depends on it but it's only a matter of time now as Kaden Groves begins to tighten his shoes up for the expected bunch sprint.

  13. Tudor Pro Cycling are picking up the pace. Mathieu van der Poel is giving everything but his lead is falling and is 13 seconds.

  14. The gap comes down by four or five seconds. This could be touch and go.

  15. Mathieu van der Poel has a 28-second lead. Will the peloton be able to reel him in from here?

  16. Mathieu van der Poel is going solo. He effectively has a six kilometre time trial to deliver a sensational victory.

  17. Fred Wright and Remco Evenepole are right up front as Magnus Cort pulls. The Dane almost creates a huge gap. There is serious fatigue setting in among that chasing group.

    The leaders still have 35 seconds.

  18. Jasper Stuyen peels off the front but an Alpecin-Deceuninck rider is in his wheel to slow the chase.

  19. The time gap is coming down but slowly. The leading pair have 45 seconds. Can Mathieu van der Poel pull off a remarkable victory here?

  20. Mathieu van der Poel and Jones Rickaert have 50 seconds as Jasper Stuyven pulls the main bunch.