Van der Poel wins a demanding sprint under the scorching sun in Ussel

The Dutch cyclist Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) won the sprint in the ninth stage in the 113th edition of the men’s Tour de France, held over 154.6 kilometers between Malemort and Ussel, a day that saw his route cut short due to the heat wave that is hitting the center of the country.

The Dutchman was the strongest in the final climb of 750 meters at 4.2% after 150 hard kilometers, in a group of four runners. Van der Poel left Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) and Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost) behind in the sprint, and only Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) held on to his wheel, although with no chance of beating his pace.

The organization shortened this ninth stage by about 30 kilometers due to the red alert due to the heat wave that is hitting the center of the country, specifically decreed in the department of Corrèze. Thus, the platoon took the D921 before resuming the planned route in the municipality of Lanteuil, 147.8 km from the arrival in Ussel.