The Belgian won the Sprint in Châteauroux, where Matheu Van der Poel's getaway was neutralized meters from the finish line. Pogacar held the leadership, although he lost Joao Almeida, forced to leave after his fall.
Photo: EFE – MARTIN DIVISEK
Summary and Fast Informame
Listen to this article
Audio generated with Google
The Belgian Tim Merlier won the ESPRENT in the 9th stage of the Tour de France, his second victory in this edition, this Sunday in a day when Tadej Pogacar maintained his leadership in the general but suffered the abandonment of his partner Joao Almeida.
In an exciting end in Châteauroux, in which Mathieu Van der Poel was reached 700 meters from the end after having been escaped from the same start of the stage, Merlier imposed by little the Italian Jonathan Milan, winner of the stage of Saturday, and the Belgian Arnaud de Lie.
After not being able to fight Saturday's sprint in Laval for a mechanical problem ten kilometers from the end, Merlier took the spine this Sunday and repeated victory in this edition, six days after his victory in the stage that ended in Dunkerque.
It is his third stage triumph in the Tour, after the first in 2021.
In the fight for the general, the main news was that Pogacar lost to the one who presented himself as his main lieutenant in the UAE team, the Portuguese Joao Almeida, who resigned to continue two days after a serious fall.
The 26 -year -old Portuguese corridor, fourth on the Tour last year, suffered a fracture without complications in a rib and several wounds in a collective fall on Friday, shortly before the arrival in Muro de Brittany.
He already entered that day in the finish line and lost his options to fight for the final podium, but decided to continue on Saturday, on a very quiet day in the squad.
However, this Sunday, 80 kilometers for the end, he decided to set foot on the ground and formally leave, leaving Pogacar without a precious assistant just before the first mountain stage in the central massif.
The abandonment of Almeida partially eclipsed Merlier's great day, 32, on a much more unpredictable day than expected.
From the zero kilometer, the former leader of General Van der Poel and Jonas Rickaert attacked.
It was thought that they aspired above all the intermediate sprint of kilometer 24, but the two teammates alpecin continued their effort and obtained an advantage of up to 5 minutes and 35 seconds.
Six kilometers from the end, an exhausted Rickert was left behind and Van der Poel tried alone, but the three-time winner of the Paris-Roubaix gave in the last hectometers before the thrust to the desperate squad.
How did Colombians go in stage 9 of the Tour de France 2025?
The Sunday day was not positive for Colombian cyclists in the race, none came to sneak into the main group and all ended at 6′58 ″ from the winner. Einer Rubio finished 143; Harold Tejada, 166; Sergio Higita, 167, and Santiago Buitrago, 168.
In the general classification, Santiago Buitrago fell nine boxes, now appearing 45 to 25′28 ″; Higuita is 56 to 30′25 ″; Tejada is 100 to 50′28 ″ and Rubio is 123 to 1h00′14 ″.
🚴🏻⚽🏀 The latest in sports?: Everything you should know about world sport is in the spectator
