Mathieu van der Poel was just not able to win the ninth stage of the Tour de France. He seemed on his way to an impressive victory for a long time. The rider from Hoogerheide, together with his Belgian teammate Jonas Rickaert, immediately took the lead from the start and rode over 170 kilometers long.
Initially, only the intermediate sprint seemed a goal for Van der Poel and Rickaert after 25 kilometers, but their lead ran to more than five minutes. The two riders of Alpecin-DECEUNINCK drove an average of fifty kilometers per hour for three hours. The effort took its toll: with six kilometers to go, Rickaert had to release, after which Van der Poel continued Solo.
In the last kilometer before the finish, Van der Poel was obsolete through the peloton, leaving his second stage victory in the Tour de France. “Too bad, I had hoped to keep it up. But it was best for me,” Van der Poel told the NOS.
Mass sprint
The 174 kilometer long, flat ride from Chinon to Châteauroux ended in a mass sprint. He was won by the Belgian Tim Merlier, who had previously won the third stage on behalf of Soudal Quick-Step. He kept the Italian Jonathan Milan and the Belgian Arnaud de Lie behind. The Slovenian Tadej Pogacar retains the yellow jersey.
The second fastest Tour stage
Thanks to Mathieu van der Poel, the ninth stage of this Tour de France comes in the record books. With an average of 50.01 kilometers per hour, the ride was the second fastest tour stage ever, the Procyclingstats website reports. But once before it went faster: in 1999, the first year that Lance Armstrong won the Tour, the fourth stage was covered with average of 50.36 kilometers per hour.
On Monday there is a tough ride on the program, with a number of slopes in the Auvergne. The finish is against the Puy de Sancy, part of the Monts Dore volcano mountains.