Van der Poel wins Tour stage nine as heat cuts route; Pogacar calls for earlier starts and calendar reform

Van der Poel takes victory in heat-shortened stage

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) won stage nine of the Tour de France in Ussel, out-sprinting Tobias Johannessen (UNO-X Mobility) and Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5 ProCycling) from a 15-rider breakaway. The stage was cut from its original 185.5 km to 155.5 km after meteorological authorities issued a red alert for extreme heat in the Corrèze department. Van der Poel's team-mate Jasper Philipsen had been frustrated in the two preceding sprints, but the Dutchman said the squad had kept calm. "It was a super hard day," Van der Poel said. "The start of the Tour was not so great for our team but I think always we stayed calm." The Dutchman had been instrumental in ensuring the breakaway stayed clear of the UAE Team Emirates-XRG-led peloton, which never allowed the gap to exceed about a minute and a half.

Extreme weather forces route changes

Organisers moved the start from Malemort to Lanteuil and delayed the roll-out to 13:45, with the finish expected around 17:30, the hottest part of the afternoon. Temperatures flirted with 40°C throughout the stage. This was the first time in the Tour's 113 editions that a stage was shortened specifically because of a heatwave. Riders sought immediate relief after crossing the line, plunging into ice baths and paddling pools set up by teams. Decathlon CMACGM deployed a portable cryotherapy unit to speed up cooling and recovery.

The undulating route through the Massif Central included three steep climbs in the final 80 kilometres and almost 2,700 metres of altitude gain, adding to the physical strain.

Pidcock denied by gear failure

Tom Pidcock, aiming for a second career Tour stage win, was left chasing with a malfunctioning shifter that surfaced roughly 25 km from the finish. Unable to change gear, he had to sprint on the hoods, losing precious momentum as Van der Poel kicked.

My shifter stopped working. I couldn't change gear. I could only change on the top. I started sprinting and I couldn't change gear, I had to go on to the hoods. My bike was perfect the whole race and then today when the win was there it doesn't work.

Pidcock conceded that beating Van der Poel in a sprint would have been difficult anyway, and took solace in a strong ride going into the rest day.

General classification unchanged into rest day

The top of the overall standings remained untouched. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) holds the yellow jersey with a lead of two minutes and 42 seconds over Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike). Pogacar's team-mate Isaac del Toro sits third at three minutes and 27 seconds, three seconds ahead of Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) in fourth.

Pogacar, who is aiming for a record-equalling fifth Tour title, crossed the line safely within the peloton.

Pogacar and the CPA call for scheduling reforms

After another day of extreme heat, Pogacar said he would favour a wholesale overhaul of the professional calendar.

If I had the power I would change all the calendar and not race in July and August in hot places.

He added that earlier start times should be an immediate step. "You need to start at eight or nine, or even before," Pogacar said. "It's a little bit sh*t, but I think the governing body can adapt to waking up at five o'clock in the morning and doing a stage at eight." The Professional Cyclists Association backed the call, urging full implementation of the extreme weather conditions protocol and emphasising that "summer race start times must evolve in order to protect athlete health." The CPA said it would seek discussions with all stakeholders before next summer.