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Woods secures big win at top of famed Tour de France mountain as Pogacar closes gap on Vingegaard

Canada’s Michael Woods approaches the finish line to win the ninth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 182.5 kilometers (113.5 miles) with start in Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat and finish in Puy de Dome, France, Sunday, July 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar, wearing the best young rider’s white jersey, reacts after crossing the finish line of the ninth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 182.5 kilometers (113.5 miles) with start in Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat and finish in Puy de Dome, France, Sunday, July 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard, center, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, rides with his team during the ninth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 182.5 kilometers (113.5 miles) with start in Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat and finish in Puy de Dome, France, Sunday, July 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Canada’s Michael Woods wins the ninth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 182.5 kilometers (113.5 miles) with start in Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat and finish in Puy de Dome, France, Sunday, July 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Athletes ride during the ninth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 182.5 kilometers (113.5 miles) with start in Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat and finish in Puy de Dome, France, Sunday, July 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Matteo Jorgenson of the U.S. rides the last kilometers of the ninth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 182.5 kilometers (113.5 miles) with start in Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat and finish in Puy de Dome, France, Sunday, July 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar, wearing the best young rider’s white jersey, arrives for the start of the ninth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 182.5 kilometers (113.5 miles) with start in Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat and finish in Puy de Dome, France, Sunday, July 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar, wearing the best young rider’s white jersey, center, rides during the ninth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 182.5 kilometers (113.5 miles) with start in Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat and finish in Puy de Dome, France, Sunday, July 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, reacts after crossing the finish line of the ninth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 182.5 kilometers (113.5 miles) with start in Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat and finish in Puy de Dome, France, Sunday, July 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, celebrates on the podium of the ninth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 182.5 kilometers (113.5 miles) with start in Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat and finish in Puy de Dome, France, Sunday, July 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, approaches the finish line of the ninth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 182.5 kilometers (113.5 miles) with start in Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat and finish in Puy de Dome, France, Sunday, July 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

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PUY DE DOME, France (AP) — On the same mountain where five-time Tour de France champion Jacques Anquetil and Raymond Poulidor wrote themselves into race history 59 years earlier, all eyes Sunday were on Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar’s continued rivalry at cycling’s biggest race.

Neither Vingegaard nor Pogacar finished first at the summit of the Puy de Dome after Canadian Michael Woods delivered an impressive solo effort to claim the biggest success of his career.

But the fierce rivals, riding well behind the day’s breakaway they had allowed to form, were again in the spotlight.

The two have been in a fierce duel since the start in Bilbao, Spain, of this year’s pulsating Tour and will certainly enjoy Monday’s first rest day.

Vingegaard, the defending champion from Denmark after he dethroned Pogacar last year, had the upper hand in the first round of their battle in altitude. His Slovenian rival responded in style to regain time in the next two mountain stages.

With two weeks of racing remaining, only 17 seconds separate the two in the general classification, with Vingegaard wearing the yellow jersey.

Jai Hindley is in third place, 2 minutes, 40 seconds off the pace.

Vingegaard and Pogacar’s confrontation Sunday on the steepest part of the climb up to the Puy de Dome was not as dramatic as the duel between Anquetil and Poulidor back in 1964, when the two French rivals engaged in a “mano a mano” for the ages.

But amid silence reigning in the thin air — the road leading up to the top of the mountain is so narrow that fans had not been allowed access — the two teamed up for another epic moment, again in a class of their own, with Pogacar in the role of the attacker.

After another great collective effort from Vingegaard’s Jumbo-Visma teammates in the final ramp that destroyed the field, Pogacar launched his attack with 1.5 kilometers left and accelerated again on the steepest gradients. Vingegaard lost ground but did not panic and managed to limit the deficit to eight seconds to retain the yellow jersey.

“It’s not a victory, but it’s a small victory, so I’m super happy today,” said Pogacar, a two-time Tour champion.

Pogacar was the strongest rider up the 13.3-kilometer ascent, with a speed of 23.7 kph (14.7 mph), considerably faster than Woods’ winning average of 19.8 kph (12.3 mph).

Vingegaard admitted Pogacar’s superiority on the day, but insisted the profile of the Alpine stages still to come better suit his style.

“It would have been nicer to gain than lose time on Tadej Pogacar, but as I said before, I came to the Tour knowing that the first week suited me less than what’s to come, so to be in the yellow jersey at the end of the first week satisfies me,” he said.

Woods, who rides for the Israel-Premier Tech team, has no ambition in the general classification and was part of the early breakaway that formed early. He managed to catch American Matteo Jorgenson just 500 meters from the summit after his rival jumped away from the leading group with less than 50 kilometers left.

Woods then dropped Jorgenson at ease and reached the summit of the Puy de Dome, a volcanic crater in the Massif Central region of south-central France that last hosted a stage 35 years ago.

“I’m 36 years old, turning 37 this year, I’m not getting any younger,” said Woods, who also owns two stage wins at the Spanish Vuelta. “To win a Tour de France stage was my ultimate goal and I could see the window closing.”

Frenchman Pierre Latour finished the 182.5-kilometer (113-mile) stage in second place, with Matej Mohoric of Slovenia completing the podium. Jorgenson ended up fourth.

The ninth stage started in Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat, where Poulidor, the grandfather of one-day race specialist Mathieu van der Poel, lived much of his life.

Visibly emotional, van der Poel attended a small ceremony honoring his grandfather before the start. The Dutch rider’s team Alpecin-Deceuninck also paid a tribute to Poulidor, with van der Poel competing on a customized bike decorated with images of Poulidor and Anquetil.

A group of 14 experienced riders managed to break away soon after the start of the race. On the hilly roads of the Limousin region, the peloton first kept them on a tight leash. They were finally given permission to move away, and they built a lead of more than 16 minutes.

There were a lot of attacks in the break, and Jorgenson managed to go clear with 47 kilometers remaining. The young American kept on pushing hard on the roads leading to the foot of the last climb and opened a one-minute gap, but it didn’t last.

“I just started to feel empty with 1 kilometer to go, and then before I knew it, Mike was there and passing me and it was a surprise but there was absolutely nothing I could do,” Jorgenson said.

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'I finally did it': Ottawa's Michael Woods wins 9th stage of Tour de France

Victory marks the 1st tour de france stage win for the 36-year-old.

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Canadian Michael Woods delivered an impressive solo effort to claim the biggest success of his career at the top of a legendary Tour de France climb on Sunday as two-time champion Tadej Pogacar further reduced the gap with overall leader Jonas Vingegaard.

"I've never won a stage of the Tour. It's something I've talked about doing and wanting to do, but have never been able to achieve and I finally did it," Woods said.

"I am still having a pinch-myself moment. I can't believe I did it. I am really proud of myself, really proud of my team. It's special."

Ottawa's Woods captures stage 9 win at Tour de France

Woods, who rides for the Israel-Premier Tech team, has no ambition in the general classification and was part of an early breakaway that the main contenders allowed to form early in the ninth stage. He managed to catch American Matteo Jorgenson just 500 metrres from the summit after his 24-year-old rival jumped away from the leading group with less than 50 kilometres left.

The 36-year-old Woods, who was born in Toronto and raised in Ottawa, then dropped Jorgenson at ease and reached the summit of the Puy de Dome, a famed volcanic crater in the Massif Central region of south-central France that last hosted a stage 35 years ago.

"With Jorgenson being so strong... I [knew] it was going to be very, very difficult to come back and I doubted it," Woods said after the race. "But, I didn't really worry about that. I just focused on myself and continued to believe. Regardless of the outcome, I was going to go my hardest all the way to the top."

Canadian Michael Woods wins stage at Tour de France

A group of 14 experienced riders managed to break away soon after the start of the race. On the hilly roads of the Limousin region, the peloton first kept them on a tight leash. They were finally given permission to move away, and they built a lead of more than 16 minutes.

There were a lot of attacks in the break, and Jorgenson managed to go clear with 47 kilometres remaining. The young American kept on pushing hard on the roads leading to the foot of the last climb and opened a one-minute gap, but it didn't last.

"I just started to feel empty with one kilometre to go, and then before I knew it, Mike was there and passing me and it was a surprise but there was absolutely nothing I could do," Jorgenson said.

Fellow Canadian Hugo Houle, Woods' Israel-Premier Tech teammate, won Stage 16 of last year's Tour. Woods finished third that day.

Houle's victory was Canada's first stage win in the historic race since Steve Bauer captured the opening stage of the Tour in 1988.

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"Mike showed us again that he is one of the best climbers in the world... Due to my personal relationship with Mike and the other Canadians on our team, I couldn't be more proud," said Israel Premier-Tech team owner Sylvan Adams, a Canadian-Israeli entrepreneur.

🇨🇦Ô CANADA | <a href="https://twitter.com/rusty_woods?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rusty_woods</a> wins at the Puy de Dôme! <br><br>🇨🇦Ô CANADA | <a href="https://twitter.com/rusty_woods?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rusty_woods</a> gagne au Puy de Dôme ! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TDF2023?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TDF2023</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/Continental_fr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Continental_fr</a> <a href="https://t.co/Q7ruozp60k">pic.twitter.com/Q7ruozp60k</a> &mdash; @LeTour

Woods and Houle are joined by fellow Canadian Guillaume Boivin on Israel Premier-Tech's Tour de France squad.

"I'm 36 years old, turning 37 this year, I'm not getting any younger," said Woods, who also owns two stage wins at the Spanish Vuelta. "To win a Tour de France stage was my ultimate goal and I could see the window closing."

Riding well behind the breakaway, Pogacar and Vingegaard were again in a class of their own in the group of contenders. After another great collective effort from Vingegaard's Jumbo-Visma teammates in the final ramp that destroyed the field, Pogacar launched his attack with 1.5 kilometres left and accelerated again on the steepest gradients.

• Pogacar stuns defending champ Vingegaard to claim Tour de France Pyrenees stage win
• CBC SPORTS IN TOKYO Canadian cyclist Michael Woods just misses podium after gruelling 234-km ride

Ahead of Monday's first rest day, Vingegaard has a 17-second lead over Pogacar in the general classification, with Jai Hindley in third place at 2 minutes, 40 seconds off the pace.

Frenchman Pierre Latour finished the 182.5-kilometre stage in second place, with Matej Mohoric completing the podium. Jorgenson ended up fourth.

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Canada's Michael Woods wins Tour de France ninth stage

Canadian Michael Woods delivered an impressive solo effort to claim the biggest success of his career at the top of a legendary Tour de France climb on Sunday.

Issued on: 09/07/2023 - 18:13

Woods, who rides for the Israel -Premier Tech team, has no ambition in the general classification and was part of an early breakaway that the main contenders allowed to form early in the ninth stage .

Woods managed to catch American Matteo Jorgenson just 500 meters from the summit after his 24-year-old rival jumped away from the leading group with less than 50 kilometers left.

Woods then dropped Jorgenson at ease and reached the summit of the Puy de Dome, a famed volcanic crater in the Massif Central region of south-central France that last hosted a stage 35 years ago.

Frenchman Pierre Latour finished second with Matej Mohoric completing the stage podium. Jorgenson ended up fourth.

Race leader Jonas Vingegaard and second-placed Tadej Pogacar rode in the main peloton more than 10 minutes behind.

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Sprint | Semsales (56.5 km)

Points at finish, kom sprint (4) côte de bellevue (37.1 km), kom sprint (2) col des mosses (108.5 km), kom sprint (1) col de la croix (131.8 km), kom sprint (1) pas de morgins (183.1 km), youth day classification, team day classification, race information.

• Date: 10 July 2022
• Start time: 12:45
• Avg. speed winner: 40.377 km/h
• Race category: ME - Men Elite
• Distance: 192.9 km
• Points scale: GT.A.Stage
• UCI scale: UCI.WR.GT.A.Stage - TM2022
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• ProfileScore: 223
• Vert. meters: 3743
• Departure: Aigle
• Arrival: Châtel les portes du Soleil
• Race ranking: 1
• Startlist quality score: 1551
• Won how: 60.5 km solo
• Avg. temperature: 24 °C

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Ottawa’s Michael Woods wins ninth stage of Tour de France

This article was published more than 6 months ago. Some information may no longer be current.

Canada's Michael Woods, right, overtakes Neilson Powless of the U.S., wearing the best climber's dotted jersey, on the climb to Puy de Dome during the ninth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 182.5 kilometres (113.5 miles) with start in Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat and finish in Puy de Dome, France on July 9. Vincent Kalut/The Associated Press

Michael Woods became the third Canadian to win a stage at the historic Tour de France on Sunday, and the biggest victory of his career meant he had to conquer a legendary mountain.

Mr. Woods, 36, of Ottawa raced near the front throughout the 182.5-kilometre leg between Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat and Puy de Dôme, an extinct volcano in central France, but made his biggest move with 500 metres to go.

That’s when he overtook 24-year-old Matteo Jorgenson of the United States to win the ninth of 21 stages in four hours 19 minutes 21 seconds. Mr. Jorgenson ended up placing fourth, 36 seconds back.

Mr. Woods joins Steve Bauer, who in 1988 became the first Canadian to win a stage of the world’s most famous cycling race, and Hugo Houle, who won one last year. At that 2022 leg, Mr. Woods finished in third spot.

On Sunday, Mr. Woods was mobbed by teammates as he crossed the finish line. The stage features a dramatic uphill climb at the end and is considered one of the most challenging of the Grand Tour. The Tour de France has been staged every year since 1903 with the exception of the First and Second World Wars.

“I’m having a pinch-myself moment,” Mr. Woods said afterward. “I can’t believe I did it. I’m really proud of myself and proud of my team. It’s special.”

A two-time Olympian, Mr. Woods placed fifth in the men’s road race at the 2020 Tokyo Games , Canada’s second-best Olympic result in the event. He has been a cyclist for just 11 years – prior to that he was a distance runner but gave it up because of injuries. For 18 years he has held the Canadian one-mile record for under-20-year-old runners at three minutes 57.48 seconds.

Mr. Woods has had two other top-10 finishes in this edition of the Tour de France – a fifth and a sixth. He is 22nd among 169 riders in the overall standings. The 10th stage from Vulcania to Issoire begins Tuesday, with the last one concluding on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on July 23.

The event consists of 21 daylong stages that cover 3,500 kilometres.

The rest of the top five finishers in the lengthy ninth stage all finished within one minute of each other: Pierre Latour of France was 28 seconds behind; Matej Mahoric of Slovenia was 35 seconds in arrears, followed ever-so-closely by Mr. Jorgenson. Clément Berthet of France placed fifth, 55 seconds back.

Mr. Woods has raced for the Israel-Premier Tech team for three years. Mr. Bauer, Canada’s most celebrated road racer, is the sporting director of the team.

In 1988, the Tour de France also included a leg to Puy de Dôme.

Over the last 14 kilometres, riders must grind their way through a 1,047-metre climb.

“The last five kilometres are especially brutal,” Mr. Bauer said Sunday night from France. “It is steeped and the road swirls around the volcano like a top. It is perfect for Michael. Super-steep is his forte.”

Mr. Bauer, who lives in St. Catharines, Ont., recalls his victory in the first stage of the event 35 years ago.

“Every second of it,” he said. “It is definitely a life accomplishment. When you get one it is special. For Mike, it is the most beautiful win of his career. It is top tier.”

Mr. Bauer said the team’s strategy was for Mr. Woods and a teammate to break away from the pack at the start and then to put a large gap between them and the trailers.

“It gave Mike the best chance,” Mr. Bauer said.

“... We are all happy for Mike. He is a great athlete. We have a big entourage. We’ll have a glass of beer or bubbly tonight and toast him.”

Mr. Woods has no ambition in the general classification and was part of an early breakaway that the main contenders allowed to form early in the ninth stage. He managed to catch Mr. Jorgenson just 500 metres from the summit after his 24-year-old rival jumped away from the leading group with less than 50 kilometres left.

The 36-year-old Canadian then dropped Mr. Jorgenson at ease and reached the summit of the Puy de Dôme.

Mr. Houle, Mr. Woods’s Israel-Premier Tech teammate, won Stage 16 of last year’s Tour de France. His victory was Canada’s first stage win in the historic race since Mr. Bauer captured the opening stage of the race in 1988.

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Tour de France 2023: Pogacar closes on yellow on Puy de Dôme as Woods wins stage nine – as it happened

Michael Woods pipped Matteo Jorgenson at the last to win atop the Puy de Dôme while Tadej Pogacar made ground on the overall leader, Jonas Vingegaard

• 9 Jul 2023 Stage nine report
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• 9 Jul 2023 Pogacar pips Vingegaard by eight seconds
• 9 Jul 2023 Stage 9 top 5
• 9 Jul 2023 Michael Woods wins stage nine of the Tour de France!
• 9 Jul 2023 Another KOTM point for Powless
• 9 Jul 2023 Powless takes another KOTM point
• 9 Jul 2023 Powless takes KOTM point
• 9 Jul 2023 Preamble

70km to go: Poor old Matteo Jorgenson has jut copped a wasp sting, and has had to have antihistamines administered by his team car. The sort of thing that would make the rest of us take a breather. On he ploughs though. Having talked up the peloton narrowing the gap, it’s only gone and risen back up to more than 11 minutes. The next climb, the category 3 Côte de Pontaumur, is about 20km away.

Gregaard has rejoined the breakaway group. For latecomers that big 14-strong group comprises the following: Clément Berthet (AG2R-Citroën), Michael Woods and Guillaume Boivin (Israel-Premier Tech), Matteo Jorgenson and Gorka Izagirre (Movistar), Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious), Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Pierre Latour and Mathieu Burgaudeau (TotalEnergies), David De La Cruz and Alexey Lutsenko (Astana), Victor Campenaerts (Lotto-Dstny), Jonas Abrahamsen and Jonas Gregaard (Uno-X)

77km to go: Jonas Gregaard, part of the lead group, needs a back wheel change. Team cars are whizzing past him and he’ll have a job on to get back to the breakaway, though he now has his own Uno X Pro team car to assist him.

80km to go: Some stats behind the recent slight closing of the gap from lead group to peloton:

Average speeds on the final 2 ascents show that the peloton has picked up the pace behind the early attackers 💨 #TDFdata #TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/UyHWnhMHfK — letourdata (@letourdata) July 9, 2023

I’d be lying to you if I said a lot of English and Australian eyeballs weren’t currently trained on this stress-generating feast:

86km to go: A bit of Eurosport focus on local lad Romain Bardet, who can see today’s summit “from his kitchen window”. He’s in the pack though, hunting GC points, rather than the stage win. That pack has clawed a bit of time back though, with the gap back down to around 10:10. The lead group, fronted by Lutsenko currently, are beyond halfway now.

Powless takes another KOTM point

95km to go: The wind’s picking up as they climb, gap to peloton resolutely around the 10:40 mark, as the impressive Powless zips clear unchallenged to take another polka-dot point. He’s 10 points clear in those standings.

“On the Cav question,” writes Andrew Benton, “certainly he should have another go next year if he’s in the mood. He’s still got ‘it’ - only denied a likely victory by a chain mishap a few days ago. As long as his passion to win is there, I hope he’ll keep competing.”

Yeah there’s echoes here with two other body-battered ultra-competitive sportspeople in the spotlight this weekend, Ben Stokes and Andy Murray. Cavendish is in their category, mentality-wise, I think. But it’s his call.

102km to go: We’ve got another climb coming in short order, the category three, 303m Côte de Pontcharraud. The peloton, fronted by Jumbo-Visma is now 10:40 behind.

Powless takes KOTM point

Neilson Powless is ushered through harmoniously at the top to take the point. He’s now nine points clear of Felix Gall in the KOTM standings.

108km to go: We’re climbing the Cote de Felletin now, a category four climb (well I say “we’re” I mean “they’re”, I’m just living this lovely scenery vicariously from a desk in London). The gap stretches to 10:15 from breakaway to pack. One point available in the intermediate. All small beer compared to the finish.

110km to go: Thanks Michael. Afternoon everyone. So it’s looking like races within races today, with that volcanic ending looming. And the general vibe is the big 14-strong breakaway group, at around 10 minutes ahead of the peloton, won’t be caught:

With a strong group up front and a gap of almost 10 minutes, the #NTTpredictor gives the breakaway a 75% chance of resisting the bunch all t he way to Puy de Dôme ⛰️ Among the attackers, here are the 3 main favourites to win the stage 👇 #TDFdata #TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/cIduMy0310 — letourdata (@letourdata) July 9, 2023

120km to go: The gap remains just under the 10 minute mark. Going to hand over now to Tom Davies, who will guide you through the rest of today’s stage. Enjoy!

125km to go: The breakaway lead is now hovering around the 10 minute mark, the biggest lead of this year’s Tour. Increasingly looking like we’ll effectively have two races today: the breakaway and the peloton.

Indeed, today’s stage is all about the finish, at the mythical Puy de Dôme.

This is a nice little vid which explains the rest of the stage …

"This day is all about the mythical Puy de Dôme" @antmccrossan - the voice of @LeTour - sets the stage for a special day on legendary roads ⛰️ #TDFdata #TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/gG4Y0CPMgV — letourdata (@letourdata) July 9, 2023

… and (if you haven’t already) give William Fotheringham’s read a go on today’s finish. It’s a corker.

130km to go: Lilian Calmejane is fuming, and who can blame him? A fan’s bunting, hung above the road, falls onto the peloton at the worst moment and entangles the Frenchman, who falls heavily on the edge of the peloton. The fan removes his bunting from the road and gets an earful for his trouble, as Calmejane gets to his feet and rips the bunting off his bike. Wounded, but not out, Calmejane, hurtles back up the road to rejoin the peloton, shaking his head. That could have been a lot worse! Imagine if that had been a GC rider!

"How on earth has that happened?" 😳 Lilian Calmejane was not happy after a spectator dropped these jerseys on the road 😠 #TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/F6dW1ZkJcy — Eurosport (@eurosport) July 9, 2023

140km to go: It’s quite surprising to see the breakaway now at nearly nine minutes, which is really unusual these days. This shouldn’t have a meaningful effect on GC riders, with Clément Berthet the closest to our overall race leader, Jonas Vingegaard, started the day about half an hour behind the Maillot Jaune. So nothing to worry about just yet, although it will be interesting to see if the gap to the peloton surpasses 10-15 minutes.

147km to go: Jasper Philipsen, riding in the peloton, takes the last available point to extend his lead in the green jersey race. He’s currently on 259 points, well over 100 points clear of his nearest challenger, Bryan Coquard. What a Tour Philipsen is having, with three stage wins already under his belt.

152km to go: Wow, the peloton has really slipped. Now nearly four minutes off the pace.

Jonas Abrahamsen, in the breakaway, wins the intermediate sprint and takes the 20 points at the Lac de Vassivière. The Norwegian made a dash with 200 metres to go, and nobody made much of an effort to compete with him.

155km to go: Mattias Skjelmose and Alberto Bettiol are the next to attack but again, it comes to nothing. A tailwind today means the advantage of being in the peloton is nullified somewhat. This is a really dangerous breakaway, who have a real chance of making it all the way to the finish.

Here is a complete list of the 14 riders up the front. None of the GC riders are there but some excellent talent is there, chasing the stage win, namely Michael Woods.

🏁 162 km Break established for the day 1️⃣4️⃣ 🚴 < 1'05'' < 🚴🚴🚴🚗 🇫🇷 @clem_berthet 🇨🇦 @rusty_woods 🇪🇸 Gorka Izagirre 🇫🇷 @mat_burgaudeau 🇪🇸 @iamdlax 🇺🇸 @NPowless 🇺🇸 @MatteoJorg 🇧🇪 @VCampenaerts 🇩🇰 @jonasgregaard 🇰🇿 @AlexeyLutsenko3 🇸🇮 @matmohoric 🇳🇴 @AbraJonas 🇫🇷… pic.twitter.com/5x3ubOB40C — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 9, 2023

162km to go: Julian Alaphilippe attacks from the pack, and a few others go with him (including Egan Bernal! Good to see him being aggressive again). However, the peloton hoovers up the attack and keeps the pace. They are just over a minute behind the breakaway.

170km to go: So a group of 14 have gone clear, in their number Neilson Powless, Matteo Jorgenson, Matej Mohoric. A really strong breakaway, who are working well together, and the peloton are obviously worried. They are trying to close the gap, but currently lie about 57 seconds back.

Meanwhile, Peter Sagan suffers a mechanical, and loses around two minutes on the peloton while his TotalEnergies team patch him up on the side of the road. The Slovak faces a gruelling pedal back to the chasing pack.

176km to go : The attacking 10 riders at the front aren’t opening the gap yet, the groupdoesn’t include O’Connor apologies for that earlier – it’s difficult to spot them! The difference is one minute and nine seconds.

How the finish line is looking, a long time until we get there though!

🤩 The Puy de Dôme is getting ready… 🤩 Le Puy de Dôme se prépare… #TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/j8Zjz9g6ee — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 9, 2023

It seems fitting that it is Grande Boucle’s birthday today, he won at the Puy de Dôme in 1959!

💛 He's the oldest Tour winner still alive, having won in Puy de Dôme during his victorious Grande Boucle in 1959, and today he celebrates his 95th birthday. 🥳 Happy birthday to "The Eagle of Toledo": Monsieur Federico Bahamontes. https://t.co/tiXhRMx6iW — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 9, 2023

180.7km to go : The actual race has begun now and there has been an early attack to peel away from the pack. A group of around 10 riders involved, including Ben O’Connor. A bold move with such a long time to go!

Cavendish said the 2023 tour would be his last but now it has ended in injury there is a lot of talk around whether he will return next year. His team, Astana Qazaqstan, has offered him a contract. What are your thoughts? Let us know via Twitter or email. Read the full story:

Stage nine has begun! Well the ceremonial start, the actual race will begin after. Stay tuned for all the updates.

Tour de France director, Christian Prudhomme, said of the location’s return: “This is what is unique. It’s not just the steepness but the fact the road turns in the same direction. That doesn’t happen anywhere else, it’s what has made this climb mythical.” Read more about the history behind it here:

Today’s finish at Puy de Dôme did not feature in the Tour de France for 35 years. It includes a difficult summit ride with the first winner, Fausto Coppi, saying it was “harder than Mont Ventoux” and the man who took the Tour up there for the first time in 1952, Jacques Goddet, described it as “literally a backbreaker”.

Stage eight winner Mads Pedersen paid tribute to Cavendish yesterday, saying: “For me it was a pleasure to be able to race with Mark. I always had a good relationship with him in the peloton and it’s so sad that such a legend has to finish the Tour like this. I wish all the best for Mark and hopefully I can do the last race he’s going to do as well, to honour a legend who is top in cycling.”

Cavendish’s legacy is already secured , according to our very own William Fotheringham. Here is a taste of his piece on the British rider: “The wounds will heal, the broken bones will mend, but the strong flavour of might-have-been will endure, assuming that a banal crash on the road to Limoges does indeed mark the end of Mark Cavendish’s 16-year relationship with the Tour de France. The proviso has its place, because although Cavendish has announced he will retire this season, those of us who have followed his career since his first flirtations with the world of professional cycling have learned that you should never say never in his specific case.” Read in full:

If you want all the detail around Cavendish’s crash yesterday , have a read of our story:

Hello and welcome to stage nine of the Tour de France 2023! Today the cyclists will have a 182.4km ride from Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat to Put de Dome. And while the athletes will be focused on the task at hand, some fans may still be thinking about the emotional stage yesterday.

Mark Cavendish, riding in his final tour, crashed during stage eight and broke his collarbone meaning he cannot continue in the event. “We were in the back of the peloton just after the first climb of the day and there was a crash in front of us,” his Astana Qazaqstan teammate Gianni Moscon said. “Cav had to brake full gas and he just hit the rear wheel of the guy in front of him and went down.”

The team will have to rally today if they want to make a dent in the classification. After stage eight, which was won by Mads Pedersen, here is how the general classification top five looks:

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 34hr 09min 38sec

2. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates) +25 sec

3. Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) +1min 34sec

4. Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) +3min 30sec

5. Adam Yates (UAE Emirates) +3min 40sec

The stage is set to get underway at 12.45pm BST/1.45pm local time.

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Highlights: tour de france: stage 9 finish.

Tour de France 2023 Route stage 9: Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat - Puy de Dôme

The list of Tour de France stage winners at the Puy de Dôme is impressive. Fausto Coppi, Federico Bahamontes, Julio Jimenez, Felice Gimondi, Luis Ocana, Joop Zoetemelk. They all won on the flanks of the volcano with the magical aura. Zoetemelk even won twice.

The name of the last stage winner Johnny Weltz might not ring a bell. The Dane participated four times on the Tour de France and reached the summit of a col on one occassion. Which was enough to be added to above list.

The Puy de Dôme was not included in the Tour since 1988. The 13.3 kilometres climb averages 7.7%. The first 5 kilometres go up at around 7% and after an easygoing section the last 4.3 kilometres are the exact opposite. The gradient never falls below 11% in this part of the climb.

So, most climbing is packed together in the finale, but the route to the foot of the finish climb is far from flat either. The first 25 kilometres are slightly undulating before the Côte du Lac de Vassivière offers a gentle way to stretch the legs – 4.4 kilometres at 4%, not enough for a KOM classification, but a perfect launch pad for breakaway riders. The gradients kick up a notch on the subsequent cimbs – Côte de Felletin (2.1 kilometres at 5.2%), Côte de Pontcharraud (1.8 kilometres at 4.6%), Côte de Pontaumur (3.3 kilometres at 5.3%) – before another non-classified uphill begins 42 kilometres before the finish. The Col de la Nugère is actually a prolonged false flat – 9.2 kilometres at 2.8% – and subsequently the riders plunge down a 15 kilometres descent to the base of the Puy de Dôme.

The first three riders on the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds.

Ride the route yourself? Download GPX stage 9 2023 Tour de France.

Another interesting read: results 9th stage 2023 Tour de France.

Tour de France 2023 stage 9: routes, profiles, more

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Nairo Quintana Shifts Focus to Stage Victories at Giro d’Italia

The former Giro champion adjusts his goals following an injury setback and targets stage wins in comeback bid.

Due to a crash at the Volta a Catalunya in March, Quintana sustained several injuries, including a ruptured ligament. His recovery has been painful and ongoing.

In order to alleviate strain on his sternum and collarbone, Quintana has opted for mountain biking, leading to a fractured preparation for the Giro d’Italia, as reported by GCN . Despite this setback, Quintana, the 2014 Giro winner, remains resolute in his intention to make a comeback to the race, marking his first participation since finishing second to Tom Dumoulin in 2017.

Quintana told AS Colombia, “We are going to get to the Giro d’Italia, maybe not in the way we want or in the best conditions, but we are going to ride well, and surely at the end of the last week, I will be much better than at the beginning.”

The Colombian’s career has been on and off for the past several years. Certainly, his name was tarnished after he tested positive for tramadol , which resulted in his disqualification from the 2022 Tour de France . Quintana came in sixth overall that year, but his results were thrown out, and he did not race at all in 2023.

Although the painkiller in his system was not banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency at the time, it was prohibited by the sport’s governing body (UCI).

Quintana’s initial break in the sport came in 2013 when he finished second to Chris Froome in the Tour de France . Then, in 2014, with his Giro victory, he became Colombia’s first Grand Tour winner since Luis Herrara in 1987.

The Movistar climber will continue recovering from injury until the start of the Giro on May 4. He’s won three stages in the Italian tour and will look to add to that total. If he does manage a stage win this year, it will be his first in Movistar kit since the 2019 Vuelta a España .

Tour de France : Final stage of glory in Paris

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Reading time: 0 min Published on 4 January 2023, updated on 16 April 2024

The final sprint of the Tour de France always takes place on Paris’ famous avenue. On 18 July, as it has every year since 1975, the last stage of the famous cycling race will end on the Champs-Élysées.

With 3,383 kilometres for the legs to tackle and some 403,000 pedal strokes over three weeks, taking part in the Tour de France is no easy task.

In view of the conclusion of the 21st and final stage of the Grand Boucle , the peloton will give it all they’ve got. Before parading in the capital, the riders will have sweated to climb the 30 passes of the 2021 race, rising in their saddles to pick up momentum and clenching their teeth in the vertiginous descents.

The Champs-Élysées in all its majesty

From Brittany to the Alps, from the Occitanie to the Pyrenees, the riders will have been so focused on their performance that they won’t have soaked up much of the photogenic landscapes of France, broadcast across 100 TV channels.

But by the end of the efforts, what a reward: the majestic Champs-Élysées, with the blue-white-red wake of the famous Patrouille de France fly-past. Nobody else has such a claim on the famous avenue except the French football team, winner of the World Cup in 2018.

Standing on the podium at the bottom of the famous Parisian avenue, with the setting sun at the Arc de Triomphe and Grande Arche de la Défense as a backdrop, the winner of the Tour will have – like all his fellow riders – accomplished the Parisian ritual.

Established in 1975, this involves riding up and down the Champs-Élysées eight times, totalling 1,910 legendary metres separating the obelisk of the Place de la Concorde from the star of the Place Charles-de-Gaulle.

A ride beside the Louvre Pyramid

Seen from above, the spectacle of the peloton winding like a long ribbon decorated around the Arc de Triomphe is magical. From the pavements lining the route of this final sprint, the enthusiasm of the public pushes the riders on through the Quai des Tuileries, Place des Pyramides and Rue de Rivoli in Paris.

Will they take a look as they go past? Not sure. Almost lying on their handlebars, they traditionally take this last stage at a crazy pace, overlooking the cobblestones and prestigious landmarks around. Louis Vuitton, Guerlain, Ladurée and even, recently, the Galeries Lafayette, make up the exclusive backdrop of the peloton’s arrival on the Champs-Élysées.

Among the live support or behind your TV screen, it’s you who will enjoy all these beauties... happy as a spectator of the Tour!

View this post on Instagram The Yellow Jersey, a dream for everyone! Le Maillot Jaune, un rêve pour chacun ! #TDF2019 A post shared by Tour de France™ (@letourdefrance) on May 17, 2019 at 3:13am PDT

Paris region Tourism Board: www.visitparisregion.com/en

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France's Godon wins opening Tour de Romandie stage

F rench cyclist Dorian Godon won a sprint finish ahead of his Decathlon AG2R La Mondial team-mate Andrea Vendrame on the first stage of the Tour de Romandie in Switzerland on Wednesday.

Godon, who came fourth in Tuesday's prologue, slipped through a gap to burst clear of the bunch in the closing metres of the hilly 165.7km stage from Chateau d'Oex to Fribourg and was followed closely by Vendrame. 

Belgian rider Gianni Vermeersch of Alpecin-Deceuninck claimed third after an early six-man breakaway was swallowed up by the peloton on the last climb of the Arconciel.

Godon took over the race leader's jersey after picking up a time bonus that leaves him six seconds in front of Vermeersch. Julian Alaphilippe is nine seconds off the pace in third.

"We did a one-two with Andrea, and on top of the jersey, it's my first World Tour victory. I just had to be patient and I was rewarded," said Godon.

Thursday's second stage is a 171km run that finishes with a climb to Salvan/Les Marecottes in the Swiss Alps.

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Juan Pedro Lopez seals Tour of the Alps as Aurelien Paret-Peintre wins final stage

Spaniard comes home in reduced front group in Levico Terme to claim overall victory

How it unfolded

Aurélien Paret-Peintre scored Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale’s 10th victory of 2024 on the final stage of the Tour of the Alps, a short but challenging mountainous day around Levico Terme.

The Frenchman triumphed from a greatly reduced lead group to beat Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) and his brother Valentin Paret-Peintre to the win in the uphill sprint finish.

Juan Pedro López (Lidl-Trek) secured the overall race victory, his first career GC success, as no real threats to his comfortable lead materialised over the stage, which saw the riders tackle two ascents of Palù del Fersina.

The Spaniard won the race by 38 seconds from another Decathlon AG2R man, Ben O’Connor , while Tiberi rounded out the podium in third at 42 seconds.

A lead group of 15 came to the finish after 119km of racing over two first-category ascents of the Palù del Fersina (12.5km at 6.1%) with Bahrain Victorious leading it out on the uphill run in the final kilometre of the day.

It was Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious) who launched the final dash to the line a long way out, with Aurélien Paret-Peintre biding his time on the wheel before striking out himself with a perfect sense of timing.

He burst clear to cross the line first unopposed, while further back Tiberi outpaced Romain Bardet (DSM-Firmenich PostNL) for second place before Valentin Paret-Peintre burst past late on to beat his fellow Frenchman to grab third.

“It’s a perfect way to finish the week with the team,” Aurélien Paret-Peintre said after the stage. “I’m super happy with my win. In the last kilometre, I knew I was the fastest in the group so it’s a perfect way to end for us and also in the GC with Ben.

“We’ve been working at an altitude camp ahead of the Giro d’Italia. Our goal Is the Giro, so this week was to finish the preparation for that and now we go to the Giro with ambition.”

Overall winner López rounded out the five-stage race in ninth place, safe among the group. He was active late in the day, going on the attack along with Bardet, Tiberi and O’Connor over a small hill 7km from the line. However, the move was brought back in good time for the finish, setting up the closing sprint.

“This is my first victory,” López said after the finish. “It’s the [most] important one of my life, so I’m really happy. The team did a really amazing job from the beginning to the end.

“This victory is amazing for me. I think of a lot of people, including family, friends, my team, and Luca Guercilena the team manager because everybody knows that he’s not in a good situation, so this is also for him.”

 The final day of the 2024 Tour of the Alps would be another challenging one to conclude a week filled with hills and mountains. Two ascents of Palù del Fersina dominated the stage, peaking at 67km and 92km on the 119km stage, while several unclassified hills late on added to the difficulties.

Stage 1 winner Tobias Foss (Ineos Grenadiers) was among the early attackers during the flatter early part of the stage, though no move would stick until the riders were on the ascent of the Palù del Fersina, over halfway into the stage.

There, with just under half of the stage left to run, Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) made a move, going off the front with Hugh Carthy (EF Education-EasyPost), and young VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè talent Giulio Pellizzarri.

Behind the trio, Lidl-Trek kept a lid on things as Carthy protected the mountain classification lead of his teammate Simon Carr at the top. That move wouldn't make it to the finish, however, or even to the top of the second time up the Palù del Fersina.

Instead, it was Bahrain Victorious who were active there, sending Tiberi off up the road with 33km to go, a handful of kilometres after a move by Bardet had come to nothing. Tiberi's move was also brief as Lidl-Trek and Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale chased down the third-placed man.

After the Italian was brought back, it was time for Poels to move, going clear 30km out as once again Lidl-Trek and Decathlon AG2R led the chase. Poels led the way over the top and built a lead of 25 seconds at one point, threatening to jump up into second overall.

However, with Carlos Verona (Lidl-Trek) pulling on the front for López on the second and final descent of the Palù del Fersina, his advantage waned until he was caught with 16km left to run.

The late ascent of the unclassified Valico di Tenna (2km at 6%) saw López go off the front for a final time in the race along with Bardet, Tiberi, and O'Connor. They were brought back, however, as were further moves on the run towards the finish from Pellizzarri, Poels, and Aurélien Paret-Peintre.

With the group all back together for the final 2km, all that was left was to set up the closing sprint of the week, which Bahrain Victorious duly did in the final kilometre. It was Decathlon AG2R who took the profit, though, taking another victory to go with nine others from stages at the UAE Tour and Itzulia Basque Country to the most recent at Brabantse Pijl.

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Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Prior to joining the team, they had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur.

Dani has reported from the world's top races, including the Tour de France, World Championships, and the spring Classics. They have interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Mathieu van der Poel, Remco Evenepoel, Demi Vollering, and Anna van der Breggen.

As well as original reporting, news and feature writing, and production work, Dani also oversees How to Watch guides and works on The Leadout newsletter throughout the season. Their favourite races are Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix and their favourite published article is from the 2024 edition of the latter: 'Unless I'm in an ambulance, I'm finishing this race' – Cyrus Monk, the last man home at Paris-Roubaix

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