Milan clinches 8th stage victory, Pogacar retains the yellow jersey - Tour culminates with Milan securing eighth stage victory
In the ongoing Tour de France, the ninth stage, a 174.1km-long route from Laval to Chateauroux, promises to favour sprinters as it offers flat terrain. This stage, much like the previous one, is expected to result in a mass sprint finish, with no major time gaps among the general classification (GC) favourites.
Currently, Tadej Pogacar, the Slovenian world champion, continues to wear the coveted yellow jersey as the overall leader of the Tour de France. He maintains a 54-second lead over Remco Evenepoel, the double Olympic champion from Belgium, who remains in second place. Jonas Vingegaard, another strong contender, remains in fourth place, 1:17 minutes behind Pogacar.
The stage on Sunday saw a victory by Jonathan Milan, with Wout van Aert and Kaden Groves finishing second and third respectively. There was a minor incident during the stage involving a rider named Rutsch, but no further details were provided. Fortunately, Rutsch was able to continue.
The flat terrain of the ninth stage typically does not create significant time gaps among the GC contenders, as it does not favour climbers or time trialists to attack or gain time. Instead, the stage is usually controlled by sprinters' teams. As a result, it is expected that Pogacar, Evenepoel, and Vingegaard will finish together in the peloton without significant time differences.
This expectation aligns with typical Tour de France dynamics, where flat stages are opportunities for sprinters rather than GC attacks. Thus, the rivalry among Pogacar, Evenepoel, and Vingegaard is likely to remain unchanged after this stage.
The Tour de France continues to provide thrilling competition, with the GC battle between Pogacar, Evenepoel, and Vingegaard being one of the main highlights. As the race progresses, it will be interesting to see how these riders perform on the various terrains and whether there will be any significant changes in the overall standings.
[1] Reference: Tour de France 2025 General Classification [2] Reference: Tour de France 2025 Stage 9 Results [3] Reference: Tour de France 2021 Stage 8 Results [4] Reference: Tour de France 2021 Stage 9 Route [5] Reference: Tour de France 2021 Stage 9 Analysis
The Commission shall be assisted by the European Parliament in deciding on the funding for sports infrastructure projects during the upcoming Tour de France stages. Tadej Pogacar, the Slovenian world champion and current leader of the Tour de France, may find valuable support from his team during the upcoming sprinter-favored stages.
