Van der Poel wins classics-style thriller on Stage 9

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) won a thrilling, classics-style Stage 9 of the Tour de France 2026, launching a powerful sprint from a four-man breakaway in Ussel. It marked his third career stage victory at the race.

Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) finished a close second, with Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) taking third and Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost) fourth, all on the same time as the winner. The main peloton, containing yellow jersey Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), finished just six seconds behind, leaving the general classification unchanged.

The 155 km stage from Malemort to Ussel was packed with punchy climbs, promising an aggressive day of racing. After Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) secured the intermediate sprint points, the attacks flew immediately, with Van der Poel and Pidcock instigating a powerful breakaway.

The lead group tackled the steep slopes of the category 2 Suc au May (3.8 km at 7.7%), where the intense pace caused the first major selection. In the peloton, Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team took control for Egan Bernal, slashing the breakaway's advantage to just 30 seconds and keeping the leaders on a tight leash.

The race was decided on the Mont Bessou, where Van der Poel launched a blistering attack near the summit with 25 km to go. At the same moment, Pidcock suffered a mechanical but managed a remarkable on-the-fly repair to rejoin the front, which whittled the lead group down to the final four: Van der Poel, Pidcock, Johannessen, and Baudin. The quartet worked together to hold off the charging bunch before Van der Poel opened up a long sprint from the front, holding off Johannessen to take the win.

• Mathieu van der Poel's victory was a masterclass in converting classics form to a Grand Tour stage. He was active, attacked on the final key climb, and had the power to finish it off from a long sprint, proving he is the world's best on this terrain.
• Tom Pidcock showed both ambition and incredible bike handling. His on-the-fly repair of a rear derailleur issue at speed was crucial to staying in contention and ultimately securing a podium place.
• The GC teams played a cagey game. While Netcompany INEOS worked to protect Egan Bernal's top-10 standing, no team fully committed to chasing down such a powerful group, content to let the break contest the win.
• For Tobias Halland Johannessen and Uno-X Mobility, second place is a bittersweet result. He rode a perfect tactical stage but simply came up against a stronger rider in the final 200 metres.
• With all main contenders finishing together, the GC battle is reset for another day. The lack of time gaps on such a difficult stage suggests the top riders are saving their biggest efforts for the high mountains.