Mathieu van der Poel storms to phenomenal stage victory in fiercely contested transition stage of the Tour de France
CyclingSunday, 12 July 2026 at 17:32
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Follow us on GoogleThe 2026 Tour de France continues on Sunday, July 12, with what can be described as a transitional stage. The shortened 155-kilometre route between Malemort and Ussel appears well suited to the breakaway specialists on paper. IDL Pro Cycling will be following all the action from before the start until after the finish!
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The Tour de France riders have already spent a week racing in temperatures well above 35 degrees Celsius, with the mercury reaching 40 degrees on several occasions. The temperature in Saturday’s finish town of Bergerac was officially 38 degrees Celsius, although it felt even hotter. Similar conditions were expected in the Massif Central on Sunday, an area being described as the oven of France.
“Météo-France has placed the Corrèze department under a red alert because of an exceptionally intense heatwave,” the organisers announced. “In light of this, the decision has been taken to shorten the route of the ninth stage of the Tour de France by 30 kilometres. This decision has become necessary because of the exceptional weather conditions.”
The opening 30 kilometres were consequently removed from the route, which also brought the intermediate sprint much closer to the start. Lidl-Trek immediately took advantage after the race began at 1:45 p.m. local time, putting riders including Derek Gee and Quinn Simmons on the front for Mads Pedersen. After 15 kilometres, Pedersen collected the maximum number of points at the intermediate sprint. Tim Merlier of Soudal Quick-Step chose not to contest it in the scorching conditions.
Read more below the photo
Big Names Join the Battle for an Early Breakaway
After that intermediate sprint, the second part of the stage began, with the focus primarily on the attackers. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) launched an attack immediately after the sprint and was joined by Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5), and Filippo Ganna (Netcompany INEOS).
While sprinters like Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) fell behind, a group of five broke away for the first time just over 45 kilometers into the race. Marco Haller, Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor), Dorian Godon (Netcompany INEOS), Michel Hessmann (Movistar), and Xavier Azparren (Pinarello-Q36.5) were the riders in the breakaway, but the action behind them didn’t let up.
Strong Pidcock and Van der Poel
On the first climb of the day, Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) closed the gap in one go, along with Matteo Jorgenson, among others. A second attempt by the Brit seemed to have more success a few kilometers later, and Ganna and Van der Poel also jumped on board. Meanwhile, the back of the pack was wide open: riders including Pedersen, Vacek, Romain Grégoire, and Ben Healy—all favorites—had to drop back in the heat.
After a good hour and a half, a breakaway group finally formed, consisting of the following riders: Tobias Halland Johannessen, Tom Pidcock, Lennert Van Eetvelt, Jordan Jegat, Pablo Castrillo, Ion Izagirre, Alex Baudin, Quinn Simmons, Derek Gee, Valentin Paret-Peintre, Marc Hirschi, Tobias Foss, Clément Braz Afonso, Mathieu van der Poel, Lars Craps, and Ewen Costiou.
Read more below the video!
From that group, Johannessen and Simmons broke away in turn, with Pidcock chasing from behind alongside a strong Van der Poel. Eight riders ultimately remained in this incredibly hard-fought opening stretch of the stage: Gee-West, Simmons, Pidcock, Castrillo, Van der Poel, Van Eetvelt, Baudin, and Johannessen.
But that’s putting it mildly. UAE Emirates-XRG didn’t give them much leeway, allowing a maximum lead of just 1.15 minutes. Did they have something up their sleeves? It certainly seemed that way, as Tim Wellens and company clearly kept the breakaway riders within range.
Netcompany INEOS also stepped in to help, as Johannessen and Pidcock looked set to threaten Egan Bernal’s top-ten position. As a result, the breakaway group entered the final categorized climb with a 30-second lead, where Van der Poel launched his attack. Pidcock, Johannessen, and Baudin were able to keep up, but the rest could not.
Read more below the video!
Simmons and Gee were then instructed to wait for the group with Pedersen, where they had to push hard at the front. Up front, the four remaining riders did the same to defend their 45-second lead as they entered the final ten kilometers. The teamwork remained strong, while the Lidl-Trek riders behind them had to take turns making suicide pulls.
As they entered the final kilometer, the gap was 20 seconds, though there was some tactical maneuvering heading into the slightly uphill finish. Van der Poel had to reel in his fellow escapees from the front, but he was the first to attack and finished it off perfectly, even though Johannessen made a dangerous late charge.
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David Bavin-HobbsChief Editor
David has been working in the sports & cycling industry for 16 years. Covering racing, business and technology, he has worked in communications for cycling companies, teams, and as a journalist. His proudest achievement is winning the first bike race he ever entered. He hasn't won a race since.
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Latest Comments
- - Massive respect for how he frames the pressure. You can see the culture shift: from chasing UCI points to executing for a leader who actually circles back with credit. That Romandie example says a lot about Pogacar and UAE’s environment—calm, ruthless, effective. Vamos Vuelta.breakawaybikerd18-08-2026
- - So wait, he’s already done the Tour twice but never had a WorldTour win on the team until this year? How does that work—do riders not get “wins” if they’re helping a leader? Confusing bit for me.raceready718-08-2026
- - Interesting read, but the piece glosses over his actual role in Spain. Is he on bottle duty through the flats or earmarked for high-mountain pacing? Also, calling every UAE GT roster “Tour-level” feels a bit hyperbolic—stacked, yes, but the Vuelta is different terrain and rhythm.samanthak18-08-2026
- - Love this move for Vermaerke. He was rock solid at DSM/Picnic PostNL, but UAE-XRG is the perfect environment to sharpen his climbing and positioning. If he nails his Vuelta domestique duties for Pogi, he’s on the fast track to a Tour roster spot next year.gearguru3318-08-2026
- - Qué tragedia. Muito respeito para a família. The investigator’s timeline helps, but still feels like a systemic safety failure on open-road races during descents.jeremya16-08-2026
- - Can someone explain what the broom wagon actually signifies? If it hadn’t passed, why was a civilian car allowed on course at all? I’m confused how those protocols work when riders are scattered.tourdeforce916-08-2026
- - Sorry, but this reads a bit like passing the buck. If signage was the only control at that junction, that’s not enough. A single marshal could have prevented this. Operational plan might’ve been followed, but was it adequate?gearguru3316-08-2026
- - If the GNR says it’s “humanly impossible” to cover every access point, shouldn’t organisers rethink neutral service positioning or add mobile motos for gaps on fast descents? This was a secondary access, but speed on that downhill made it primary in practice.jennifer1916-08-2026
- - Heartbreaking. The detail about the broom wagon not yet passing is crucial—explains why Finlay thought the road was still sealed. Condolences to his family and team. RIP Fin.robert6516-08-2026
- - Tears on the front row for NSN… goosebumps. Chapeau to the bunch for letting them lead the pace. Esto es el verdadero espíritu del ciclismo.julien15-08-2026
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