Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) powered to victory in stage 9 of the Tour de France, a 174.1km flat stage from Chinon to Châteauroux, designed for sprinters.
Merlier outdueled Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) in a chaotic sprint finish, with Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny) taking third for his best Tour result yet.
The stage saw an audacious 173km breakaway by Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), caught just 700 meters from the line, setting up the sprinters’ showdown.
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) retained the yellow jersey, finishing safely in the peloton, maintaining his 54-second lead over Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) and a 1:17 advantage over Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike).
The stage saw the withdrawal of Pogacar’s key teammate Joao Almeida, who abandoned due to a rib fracture from a stage 7 crash.
Merlier wins the drag race against Milan 😳🔥
Nobody had an answer for Tim Merlier’s powerful final kick as he wins a nail-biting Stage 9 of the Tour de France ahead of Jonathan Milan.
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🇫🇷 #TDF2025 @soudalquickstep pic.twitter.com/HoeELdqQD8— Velon CC (@VelonCC) July 13, 2025
