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Monday, July 14, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
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Les Woodland's book Tour of Flanders: The Inside Story - The rocky roads of the Ronde van Vlaanderen is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- July 5 - 27: Tour de France
- July 9 - 13: Tour of Austria
Upcoming racing:
- August 2: San Sebastian Classic
Latest completed racing:
- June 21 - 29: Most national road championships
- June 24: Giro dell'Appennino
- June 15 - 22: Tour de Suisse
- June 18 - 22: Baloise Belgium Tour
- June 8 - 15: Critérium du Dauphiné
- June 13: GP Kanton Aargau
- June 8: Brussels Cycling Classic
- May 9 - June 1: Giro d'Italia
We posted the race organizer's report with the results.
Here's the report from stage winner Tim Merlier's Team Soudal Quick-Step:
Merlier is the name. Winning races is the game. The European Champion claimed the big prize again at the most prestigious race in the world after putting in another magnificent sprint to take the victory in Châteauroux, where Soudal Quick-Step won at the previous visit, in 2021.
Completely flat, stage nine should have been a quiet one – on paper, at least – the presence of a strong duo up the road and the constant echelon threat forcing the peloton to remain alert and chase hard, which resulted in the second-fastest stage in the history of the Tour de France: a remarkable 50.01km/h!
Tim Merlier wins stage nine. Sirotti photo
Going into the closing kilometers, as things began heating up, the 32-year-old demonstrated both calmness and a clinical mindset, staying out of the wind the entire time and waiting for the last 200 meters to pounce and overcome Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) for his second victory of the week at the end of another nail-biting sprint.
“I’m happy I could win here today and repay the team for all their hard work. It was nervous out there the entire day because of the wind, but in the end the peloton stayed together. The heat also made things really tough, so it wasn’t at all an easy stage despite the profile. We chased hard behind the escapees, but we pulled together with other teams and managed to bring them back.”
“Coming into Châteauroux, I lost Bert for a moment but then found him with two kilometers to go and was relaxed again at that point and really confident, which allowed me to do a perfect sprint. I remember Cav’s victory here from four years ago and I’m happy I could bring another win for Soudal Quick-Step in this beautiful city. Two victories from two bunch sprints in which I was present make for a great Tour de France for myself, but also for the squad”, said Tim after helping Soudal Quick-Step become the first team to score three wins at this edition.
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Here's the Tour stage nine report from second-place Jonathan Milan's Team Lidl-Trek:
It was a messy end to the 174.1-kilometer-long stage with Mathieu van der Poel, who went on the attack with his Alpecin-Deceininck teammate, Jonas Rickaert, early into the race, caught just shy of 700 meters to go with the finish line in sight.
It was only then that the stage with set for another head-to-head between Tim Merlier [Soudal Quick-Step] and Milan with the European Champion prevailing this time.
The Italian sprinter, who was fresh off his maiden Tour de France stage win on day 8 of the race, was isolated earlier than normal as Lidl-Trek were the first to take responsibility for trying to catch the strong leading duo, which at one point was more than five minutes up the road.
Ultimately, Lidl-Trek did get help from other teams as crosswinds loomed at the fight for position saw the group stretched out into one long line. Milan and Mattias Skjelmose were never in danger of getting caught out with both Lidl-Trek leaders taking turns to help drive the efforts.
Jonathan Milan heads to the start of stage nine. Sirotti photo
In Jonny’s words:
“It was a really tough stage. It was windy and nervous a lot of the day but we tried immediately to keep control but I think we made a mistake to let two strong riders like Mathieu & Jonas go up the road like that. It was not easy to bring them back. We used the whole team to make sure we kept a good position in the final kilometers, because we knew that we needed to be together for the crosswind sections to keep me and Skjelly out of trouble.
“It was a difficult sprint, and, to be honest I was expecting more than second place today, but we learn and sometimes sport is like this. I was worried as, for me, letting go someone like MVDP go is not the best, but we did take the early responsibility and in the end, we caught him so there was a sprint like we wanted but we had used up our lead out. I tried to give my best as I wasn't super fresh in the but we will keep fighting for stage wins and for this jersey. It will be a good battle to the end and I try to give my best. Tomorrow, for the sprint, it will be a bit tough to take the bonus points but then we, luckily, have a rest day to recovery a bit more before the next week.
Here's the Tour stage nine report from third-place Arnaud De Lie's Team Lotto:
Arnaud De Lie finished 3rd in stage 9 of the Tour de France. De Lie came in behind Tim Merlier and green jersey holder Jonathan Milan in a bunch sprint. “In the past two sprint stages, I hesitated too much, but today, I finally felt like a real sprinter again.”
Team Lotto waits for stage nine to start. Sirotti photo
“In the first sprint stage, I was too kind. Yesterday, in the second, I was already showing more assertiveness. But today, I truly felt like a sprinter again.” That third place in stage 9, finishing in Châteauroux, clearly did De Lie a lot of good. He only had to concede to Tim Merlier and green jersey Jonathan Milan. “The goal was to be on their wheel. Staying ahead of the two best sprinters in the world… that turned out to be too difficult. But if I can place myself next to those two in third, then I’m super proud. I could count on my team all day. I was where I needed to be, and I got a great lead-out. I’m especially grateful to them.”
“At first glance, you might think disappointment would dominate, because I was so close. But that’s not the case. I didn’t win, but I made progress again. The feeling is back. It’s like something has clicked now. I feel mentally strong again, and my legs are responding.”
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Here's the Tour de France report from Jonas Vingegaard's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
Team Visma | Lease a Bike came through the ninth stage of the Tour de France unscathed. The yellow and black squad tried several times to split the field in the crosswinds, but after a blisteringly fast day a traditional bunch sprint proved unavoidable. Tim Merlier took the win.
The stage led the peloton from Chinon to Châteauroux. As soon as the flag dropped, teammates Mathieu van der Poel and Jonas Rickaert attacked. From the outset their duo attempt looked an almost impossible mission. Meanwhile, tension was rising in the peloton because of the threat of echelons.
Jonas Vingegaard heads to the start. Sirotti photo
On several long roads, the crosswind offered opportunities to form echelons. Team Visma | Lease a Bike took the initiative, yet no significant gaps were opened. The bunch then rode towards Châteauroux at high speed. The final escapee, Van der Poel, was caught inside the last kilometre, and in the ensuing sprint Merlier proved the quickest. All Team Visma | Lease a Bike riders reached the finish safely. Tomorrow brings the race’s first proper mountain stage.
“We tried to create echelons with a few other teams, but unfortunately it didn’t work,” Vingegaard reflected. “The wind was certainly there, but at the decisive moments it wasn’t blowing in quite the right direction. Now we turn our focus to tomorrow. I definitely expect a battle among the GC riders. A tough stage with plenty of climbing awaits, but we’re ready.”
“It was a hectic day for everyone,” added Head of Racing Grischa Niermann. “The pace was extremely high. We made several attempts, yet the wind simply wasn’t strong enough. Wout stayed out of the sprint and instead did sterling work for Jonas, who is already looking forward to tomorrow’s stage.”
Fourth-place Pavel Bittner's Team Picnic-PostNL posted this Tour stage nine report:
The second of this weekend’s sprint stages awaited the peloton on Sunday afternoon, however the road to Châteauroux was exposed and there was a threat of crosswinds for the final 60 kilometres of racing. It was a peculiar start to the day with Van der Poel and Rickaert attacking from the flag drop and the peloton allowing their advantage to grow to over five minutes.
The strong attacking duo made it tough for the bunch, especially with a cross-tailwind for a lot of the stage. There was a brief split in the bunch at around 65 kilometres to go, just as Oscar Onley was making his way back after a wheel change. However, Team Picnic PostNL stayed calm and through some good teamwork they returned to the first part of the peloton a few kilometres later once the road became more sheltered.
It was a nervous final 50 kilometres as teams stepped on the gas, then slowed again in the more covered sections; either in a battle to try and split things or to also close down the leading duo. All of Team Picnic PostNL made it into the front split when the main crosswind section took place, before things split a bit further once more.
The peloton starts its sprint for the stage nine finish line. Sirotti photo
However, despite some attempts from other teams, the race didn’t splinter into pieces so coming into Châteauroux the race headed for a bunch sprint; after a late catch of Van der Poel was made. Tobias Lund Andresen brought fast finisher Pavel Bittner, who had crashed earlier in the stage, forward expertly in the last two kilometres and dropped him off on the wheel of Milan going under the flamme rouge. Bittner then followed Milan all the way to the line, delivering a good kick to take a strong fourth place on the stage; and another strong result for Team Picnic PostNL at the Tour de France.
Bittner reflected: “Today we had our Sunday chance of sprinting and I was going to be our finisher. I was really excited for it but it was a nervous day from the start. All day everyone was on the limit with positioning. I think we were really sharp and the whole time the guys did an amazing job coming into the crucial turns where it split for good. Coming into the final I had Tobi with me, and Oscar was there too after being protected by the guys, which was good. I had a bit of a small crash today but I forgot about it in the final as it was nothing too major. In the final I stuck with Tobi and he dropped me off in the wheel of Milan which was perfect. I was hoping that maybe I could peek out of the side and kick on, but I could only stay in the wheel. In the end I think fourth place on a finish like this is quite a nice result for us.”
Team Picnic PostNL coach Matt Winston added: “It was a super hectic day but I think the team did really good. We had a small crash early in the stage with Pavel and Tim, but they could come back okay. Then Oscar punctured at a difficult moment as we went towards the crosswinds and directly he had the guys with him and they brought him back into the peloton in a good way after it had split. From there, it was a real washing machine in the front. The guys always had the intention to find each other which was good. I think Tobi did a fantastic job there in the final. He had Pavel in a good position, and kept him nice and calm. With Pavel sprinting to fourth place in the end, it is a nice team result and one we can be happy with.”
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And here's the Tour stage nine report from Team Groupama-FDJ:
Stage 9 of the Tour de France was supposed to end with a sprint on Sunday. Yet, a thrilling final took place before the fast men were able to fight for the win in Châteauroux. While Mathieu van der Poel was caught in the final kilometre, Paul Penhoët benefited from the excellent support of Cyril Barthe and Clément Russo in the closing moments to join the fight, securing a very solid fifth place at the finish line ; his first-ever top-5 finish on La Grande Boucle. On Monday, a very hilly stage will conclude the first – long – week of the Tour.
The second stage of this “sprinting” weekend was taking the Tour de France peloton to Châteauroux this Sunday, in a day that tallied 174 kilometres but no difficulties. Some were expecting a stage similar to the previous day, with almost no breakaway. Yet, right from kilometre 0, two men, including Mathieu van der Poel himself, broke away from the peloton, which didn’t react. So much so that the Dutchman and his teammate gained a lead of about 5 minutes and 30 seconds. Therefore, when the halfway point was reached with an almost unchanged situation, the peloton began to worry.
Valentin Madouas and Team Groupama-FDJ wait for stage nine to start. Sirotti photo
“We know they are two big engines, and with the tailwind all day, it was obviously harder to catch them,” explained Paul Penhoët. “We knew it would have been difficult, and it took some time before the bunch really got going. From the moment things got more nervous with the crosswinds, we quickly got closer. It remained very tense, and the day went by really fast.” The first echelons formed with seventy kilometres to go, and the pack gradually closed in on the leading duo. Following a big push thirty kilometres from the finish, the gap even reduced to thirty seconds. “I think I raced really well throughout the day with Clément,” Paul added. “We were always well-positioned, never caught out.
With twenty kilometres to go, the bunch eased off a bit, which gave some hope to the two leaders, before really accelerating in the final ten kilometres. With five kilometers to go, Mathieu van der Poel still had a thirty-second lead, but the fight for position before the sprint meant he was caught just after the flamme rouge. It was the Groupama-FDJ train, led by Cyril Barthe and Clément Russo, that caught the Dutchman 700 metres from the finish. “I found Clément before entering the city, Cyril came afterward, and they did an incredible job,” Paul emphasized. “We saw that there was a slight downhill section in the last 500 meters,” added Benoît. “To fight for the win, we had to be in front at that point. We were where we hoped to be, so congratulations to Clément and Cyril for the work they did.” After a final pull, Clément Russo dropped his sprinter 500 metres from the finish, and Paul Penhoët then tried to finish it off. “I was really well positioned, then some guys came up on the right, and I knew I had to follow there,” Paul said. “I had to stop pedalling for a brief moment to avoid a rider, which made me lose a bit of speed, and I used a bullet at that point.”
The young Frenchman still managed to stay on the wheels of the main favorites, then put in a final effort to secure an excellent fifth place. “It’s positive and it breaks the recent downward spiral, with the crash in Dunkirk and the puncture yesterday,” Paul said. “It starts another nice momentum, but we really have to acknowledge the work of Cyril and Clément, who was truly incredible. It’s the Tour de France, and people might not realize it on television, but to lead out your sprinter in the final kilometre like they did, you need not only to be really motivated, but also to have a great condition. A big thank you to them. Nothing would have been possible without them. We always hope to do better, but a top-five finish in the biggest race in the world is still a good result. We’re showing that we belong here, we really need to stay positive, and I know we can do it in the next sprints.”
“We had a great strategy in place around Paul, some great work was done, he was finally able to sprint, so there are no regrets,” added Benoît. “We’re back in the game! After a good start to the Tour, we needed that after Guillaume’s crash and yesterday’s puncture. It’s satisfying. It’s good that Paul completed the first week in this way.”
The first week will really end on Monday, July 14, with a very hilly tenth stage in the Massif Central. “It’s going to be a tough one,” assured Benoît. “It might even be one of the most difficult days for the non-climbers. Visma-Lease a Bike is likely to make it hard, and we can expect a big day out.” “It looks super hard, with 4,500 meters of elevation,” added Romain Grégoire. “There will be riders all over the place! We’ll try to get involved in the fight and see how the legs are. If we could get Guillaume into the breakaway, that would be ideal for us.”
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