Following a powerful win on Stage 8, Italy’s Lidl- Trek’s Jonathan Milan will look to carry his momentum into another potential sprint finish on Stage 9 of the Tour de France.
Saturday’s 171-km ride from Saint-Méen-le-Grand to Laval ended in an uphill drag that played to Milan’s strengths. The Italian sprinter surged clear after losing his lead-out train, freestyling it and grabbing onto Mathieu van der Poel’s wheel before outpacing Wout van Aert and Kaden Groves. It marked Italy’s first Tour stage win since 2019.
Stage 9 Tour de France
Stage 9 offers a more traditional sprint profile. 174 km through the Loire with little in the way of climbs. The GC contenders, including yellow jersey Tadej Pogačar, Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard, are expected to remain quiet again. On Saturday, Pogi hung near the back towards the finale and cruised in. Vingegaard opted to stay near the front before the 5km mark, where riders are safe from losing time.
Belgium’s Tim Merlier, who edged Milan on Stage 3, will be among the favourites again. With one victory apiece, Milan and Merlier appear to be the sprinters to watch heading into Sunday’s finish.
Expect competition from riders lower in the sprint hierarchy, though the flat finale should suit the top-tier names. If the bunch stays upright, it could be a straight rematch between the Italian and the Belgian. But hey, you never know–van Aert may go for it again. It would be nice to see the Visma – Lease a Bike rider take a dub.
Normally, Monday would be a rest day, but since it’s Bastille day, riders will be put to work on a tough day from Ennezat to Le Mont-Dore Puy de Sancy.
You can catch the action on Sunday on Flobikes.com and be sure to check back here for a full report on Canadian Cycling Magazine.
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