The Dutchman from Alpecin-Premier Tech took the shortened Massif Central stage by storm, holding off the peloton's comeback with a devastating run. Johannessen finished second, Pidcock third despite a mechanical issue.
Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) claimed his third career Tour de France victory, winning the shortened stage 9 to Ussel , in the heart of the Massif Central. It was a brute-force victory, achieved by outsprinting the three breakaway teammates who remained with him in the leading group.
Van der Poel spoke openly after the finish: "It was a very tough day. The start of the Tour hadn't been exciting for our team, but as always we stayed calm. We have an extraordinary group and we continued to believe that things would work out. To arrive at the first rest day with a victory is wonderful." The victory came after a couple of disappointments in the sprint for his teammate Jasper Philipsen.
Regarding his physical condition, the Dutch champion added: "The heat was definitely more bearable than in the first few days, when I really struggled to recover even from the easier stages. In the last few days I felt better, and today I finally had the legs to give it a try."
On the sprint: "I wasn't entirely sure I'd make it. I spent a lot of energy trying to keep the breakaway alive: the headwind, the difficult roads, the pressure from the peloton... We really fought, and I'm happy to have finished on a high note."
From a general classification perspective, there were no surprises: UAE Team Emirates-XRG let the breakaway go without pushing hard. Tadej Pogačar crossed the finish line in 11th place, retaining the yellow jersey with a 2:42 lead over Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike). Behind them were Isaac Del Toro at 3:27, Remco Evenepoel at 3:30, and Juan Ayuso at 3:34.
Photo: Sprint Cycling Agency
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The Dutchman from Alpecin-Premier Tech took the shortened Massif Central stage by storm, holding off the peloton's comeback with a devastating run. Johannessen finished second, Pidcock third despite a mechanical issue.
The Briton was among the strongest in the day's breakaway, but a faulty electronic derailleur prevented him from changing gear at the decisive moment of the sprint.
Breakaway at the finish, Johannessen and Pidcock beaten in the sprint
The winner of stage 8 of the Tour de France welcomes the 30km reduction of the ninth stage to Ussel, imposed by the extreme heat wave that is plaguing France.
