Cycling: Van der Poel wins scorching Tour de France stage in near 40-degree heat

Mathieu van der Poel claimed his third career Tour de France stage victory on the ninth stage, navigating extreme heat that led to a shortened route. The Dutch former world champion demonstrated his sprinting prowess to win the 154.6-kilometer stage from Malemort to Ussel, crossing the line ahead of Tobias Halland Johannessen and Tom Pidcock.

The stage, which traversed the Massif Central, was reduced by about 30 kilometers due to temperatures soaring close to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), prompting a red heat alert for the Corrèze region. This marked a rare occurrence in the Tour's long history, with organizers prioritizing rider safety amidst the dangerous conditions.

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The start of the Tour was not so great for our team. But I think we stayed calm as always. We have a great group and believe we can turn it around.

Despite the heat, the race was fast and competitive. An eight-rider breakaway formed on the climb of Suc au May, with van der Poel launching a decisive attack on the final climb, approximately 24 kilometers from the finish. Pidcock experienced a brief mechanical issue but managed to rejoin the leaders.

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It was a really tough race from the beginning, a super hard day. I'm glad that the rest day is coming tomorrow.

In the main contenders' group, Tadej Pogačar's team set the pace, controlling the gap to the breakaway. Other teams, including those of Jonas Vingegaard and Egan Bernal, also contributed to the chase but could not bridge the deficit. Pogačar successfully defended his yellow jersey, maintaining a 2 minute and 42-second lead over Vingegaard.

Florian Lipowitz, a German hopeful, and his co-captain Remco Evenepoel finished with the main competition group. Lipowitz commented on the grueling nature of the day, expressing relief for the upcoming rest day and acknowledging the team's strong performance throughout the week, despite facing challenges with support on the road.

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There was no problem that no helper was there anymore: It was simply a super hard day. You can't blame anyone for that. Everyone rode super, the whole team has done a great job all week. We understood each other well at the front.