Mathieu van der Poel took the win on stage nine of the Tour de France in a sprint that followed a breakaway pack that included Tobias Johannessen and Tom Pidcock. The stage from Malemort to Ussel was cut roughly 30km because French authorities issued a red alert after temperatures climbed to 40C. Pidcock was hampered by a mechanical fault that left his shifter inoperable, while van der Poel described the day as "super‑hard" but noted the heat was better than earlier stages.

Defending champion Tadej Pogacar finished six seconds behind the winner, staying in the yellow jersey as the race heads into Monday’s rest day. Pogacar said changing start times would not solve the extreme heat, while Australian veteran Luke Durbridge urged organisers to move start times earlier to protect riders.

This stage is the second of the Tour to be affected by weather, after a wild‑fire‑related warning on stage three. The cycle federation (CPA) has called for schedule adjustments to keep riders safe, a debate that will shape the rest of the race.

Van der Poel’s third stage win strengthens his position as areib race‑day threat, but the heat‑driven shortening of the route may force teams to rethink tactics in the remaining stages. Pogacar’s hold on yellow remains solid, and the !!!