Mathieu van der Poel Wins Stage 9 of the Tour de France with a Breakaway
It was a spectacular ninth stage of the Tour de France—an eventful leg that was perfect for the classics specialists. Mathieu van der Poel crossed the finish line first in Ussel, the standout performer in the decisive breakaway and the rider who gave Alpecin-Premier Tech the victory that had eluded them in previous days. For the former world champion, this marks his third career victory at the Tour de France, while Tadej Pogacar easily retained the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification.
The race got off to a fast start right away, despite the route having been shortened due to high temperatures. From the very first kilometers, there was a long series of attacks and counterattacks, with more than half the peloton involved in breakaway attempts. For several kilometers, however, no breakaway managed to truly pull away.
The turning point came with an attack led by a group of top-tier riders: Derek Gee, Quinn Simmons, Alex Baudin, Valentin Paret-Peintre, Mathieu van der Poel, Tobias Halland Johannessen, Tobias Foss, Pablo Castrillo, Lars Craps, Lennert Van Eetvelt, Ion Izagirre, Clément Braz Afonso, Ewen Costiou, Marc Hirschi, and Jordan Jegat. Behind them, UAE Team Emirates-XRG kept up a high pace, preventing the lead from becoming too large.
On Mont Bessou, the field thinned out even further. Van der Poel, Johannessen, Tom Pidcock, and Baudin picked up the pace, shaking off the other escapees and building a lead large enough to contest the win. Behind them, Lidl-Trek and INEOS Grenadiers tried to organize the chase, but were unable to close the gap.
The race was decided in a sprint among the four front-runners. Van der Poel managed the finish perfectly, beating out Johannessen, Pidcock, and Baudin. Behind them, Mads Pedersen led out the chasing group, but the most impressive comeback was that of Filippo Ganna: the Italian rider produced an extraordinary surge in the final meters, finishing fifth overall and first in the main pack, though he was left with the regret of having fallen just short of the day’s podium battle.
