Zooming in on Stage 9 of the Tour de France 2025: A momentous sprint showdown on the renowned 'Avenue Cavendish'
Tour de France 2021: Cavendish Aims for Another Victory in "Cavendish City"
Châteauroux, France, is known as "Cavendish City" after the multiple victories of Mark Cavendish in the Tour de France. This year, the Manx missile is back, aiming for another win in Stage 9.
The route for this stage, spanning 174.1km, is flat, making it a sprinter-friendly finish favored by fast finishers. According to Tour de France Director, Christian Prudhomme, the teams focusing on a bunch sprint won't be hampered by hilly terrain in Stage 9.
Cavendish has already won the Tour de France stage in Châteauroux in 2008, 2011, and 2021. He will face stiff competition from other sprinters, including Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep), who is aiming for a second win at the Tour de France in Châteauroux.
Merlier took over from Cavendish's legacy in 2025 when he won the Stage 9 sprint. Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) also made a strong impression that year, coming second behind Merlier and third behind Cavendish.
In 2025, Milan and Merlier were among several sprinters eager to win in Châteauroux, where a street is named 'Avenue Cavendish'. This year, Milan is one of the sprinters aiming to take Cavendish's crown in Châteauroux.
The sprint finish point in Stage 9 of the Tour de France is at La Belle Indienne, located at km. 24.2. As the race approaches, the second half might experience a change in the direction and intensity of winds in central France, which could add an exciting twist to the race.
Cavendish, Milan, and Merlier are all competing for wins at the 2021 Tour de France. Other sprinters, such as Arnaud De Lie, who featured prominently in the sprint finishes around this stage in 2025, are also in the mix.
As the race progresses, it will be interesting to see if Cavendish can add another victory in Châteauroux to his record, or if a new sprinter will take the crown in the "Cavendish City".
The flat route of Stage 9 in the Tour de France 2021 favors fast finishers, making it a sprinter-friendly race, particularly beneficial for Mark Cavendish who aims to add another victory in "Cavendish City," Châteauroux.
Mark Cavendish, among other sprinters such as Tim Merlier and Jonathan Milan, is actively competing for wins at the 2021 Tour de France, with a focus on the finish line at La Belle Indienne in Châteauroux, as they vie for the crown in the city named after Cavendish's multiple Tour de France victories.
