Latest news with #Merlier
Express Tribune
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Merlier wins Tour de France stage nine
Tim Merlier won stage nine of the Tour de France at Chateauroux on Sunday after a heroic long-range escape from Mathieu van der Poel was caught in the final kilometre. There was no change atop the overall standings with Tadej Pogacar now holding a 54sec advantage over Remco Evenepoel in second with French starlet Kevin Vauquelin third. This was a second win for Soudal Quick-Step sprinter Merlier who was first across the line on stage three at Dunkirk as he racked up a 12th stage win this year. On a sun drenched slog from the Chinon vineyards, Van der Poel and a teammate broke early and built up a lead of 5min 30sec on the flat roads to Chateauroux. Jonas Rickaert won the combativity award for accompanying Van der Poel to within 10km of the line before slumping over his handlebars. With his gung-ho all-in style Van der Poel grew his Tour de France legend here despite being caught with 700m to go, the plaudits will be both his and Merlier's. As Van der Poel was reeled in, it looked as though Jonathan Milan would win a second consecutive stage but Merlier got ahead with 50m remaining as Milan finished second with Arnaud De Lie completing the podium. Pogacar's Tour de France defence took a hit Sunday as his key teammate Joao Almeida threw in the towel two days after his nasty fall at the Mur de Bretagne, where he fractured a rib. Monday's stage 10 should shake up the race with eight classified climbs in the Massif Central on the July 14 French national holiday. Road signs in honour of British cycling great Mark Cavendish had been placed at entry points to Chateauroux — reading Cavendish City — in homage to the now-retired 40-year-old, after he won three stages there in 2008, 2011 and 2021. "But can't ask him to kill himself for a bike race," Pogacar said. Before the fall Almeida himself was also in contention for a spot on the podium, and would have been of value in the mountainous second half of the Tour. 'Cavendish City' Road signs in honour of British cycling great Mark Cavendish have been placed at entry points to Chateauroux city centre, where stage nine of the Tour de France ends Sunday. Cavendish won three Tour de France stages here, in 2008, 2011 and 2021. "We placed road signs at 17 roundabouts at the entry points of the city as a nod and wink to him," Town Hall communications director Anne-Laure Bodin told AFP. "We put up the signs at the start of July and they'll stay there until the end of the Tour de France," she said, explaining it was to mark the fast-man's legacy and connection with the town. "He was happy by the looks of it because he made an Instagram post of it. It's fun but he deserves it." Cavendish was a specialist on the flat stages and the finish line on Sunday's eighth stage is the same 3km home straight that suited the 'Manx Missile' so well. "Now I'm truly humbled," Cavendish wrote on Instagram. "It's emotional to me as my first ever win. "I hope it's a place as special for whoever wins there this year." The 40-year-old Briton is now retired, and won 35 stages in total at the Tour de France, a record for stage wins he shares with all-time great Eddy Merckx.
Japan Today
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Japan Today
Merlier doubles up as Van der Poel denied epic win at Tour de France
cycling By Damian McCALL Tim Merlier won stage nine of the Tour de France at Chateauroux on Sunday after a heroic long-range escape from Mathieu van der Poel was caught in the final kilometer. There was no change atop the overall standings with Tadej Pogacar now holding a 54-second advantage over Remco Evenepoel in second with French starlet Kevin Vauquelin third. This was a second Tour win for Soudal Quick-Step sprinter Merlier this year, who was first across the line on stage three at Dunkirk. Merlier was led in by team leader Evenepoel. "It's mad, we are supposed to be helping him (Evenepoel) but he's helping us," Merlier said. "I need to make it through the mountains now, I won't be any use to Remco there, but I want to help him in the other ones," said the 32-year-old. On a sun drenched slog from the Chinon vineyards, Van der Poel and a teammate broke early and built up a lead of 5 minutes, 30 seconds on the flat roads to Chateauroux. Jonas Rickaert won the combativity award for accompanying Van der Poel to within 10km of the line before slumping over his handlebars. "I'm really happy. That was one of his (Rickaert) dreams, to win the combativity award and that's why we went," Van der Poel explained. "In the end we nearly made it but we hadn't expected to get that far," he said of his 173km breakaway at an average speed on 49.9kph. As with many heroic exploits, their epic escape was ultimately doomed to a gut wrenching narrow failure. But with his gung-ho all-in style Van der Poel grew his Tour de France legend here despite being caught with 700m to go, the plaudits will be both his and Merlier's. "It's hard to not be able to finish it off, but we put on a good show," said the Dutch rider. As Van der Poel was reeled in, it looked as though Jonathan Milan would win a second consecutive stage but Merlier got ahead with 30m remaining as Milan finished second with Arnaud De Lie completing the podium. Road signs in honor of British cycling great Mark Cavendish had been placed at entry points to Chateauroux -- reading Cavendish City -- in homage to the now-retired 40-year-old, after he won three stages there in 2008, 2011 and 2021. Pogacar's Tour de France defense took a hit Sunday as his key teammate Joao Almeida threw in the towel two days after his nasty fall at the Mur de Bretagne, where he fractured a rib. "It's a big loss he was in good shape. He's our hero. I was suffering today so I understand how he must have felt. Every respect to him," the Slovenian said. Stage 10 should shake up the race with eight classified climbs in the Massif Central on the July 14 French national holiday. After finishing in the peloton on Sunday, Pogacar was already looking ahead to Monday's mountainous 165.3km slog. "Visma have a strong team for tomorrow and I think Jonas (Vingegaard) will be ready," Pogacar said of his great Danish rival. "There will be attacks from the main contenders, it's up and down all day. "I'm pretty confident in my team though. I'm looking forward to the hard stages," added the 26-year-old three-time champion. © 2025 AFP
The 42
13-07-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Merlier wins stage nine of Tour de France after heroic escape from Van der Poel
TIM MERLIER WON stage nine of the Tour de France at Chateauroux on Sunday after a heroic long-range escape from Mathieu van der Poel was caught in the final kilometre. There was no change atop the overall standings with Tadej Pogacar now holding a 54-second advantage over Remco Evenepoel in second with French starlet Kevin Vauquelin third. Ireland's Ben Healy remains in 11th in the general classification after taking 45th place. Eddie Dunbar was forced to retire from the Tour de France yesterday after he was involved in a crash towards the end of Friday's stage. Advertisement This was a second win for Soudal Quick-Step sprinter Merlier who was first across the line on stage three at Dunkirk as he racked up a 12th stage win this year. On a sun drenched slog from the Chinon vineyards, Van der Poel and a teammate broke early and built up a lead of 5min 30sec on the flat roads to Chateauroux. Jonas Rickaert won the combativity award for accompanying Van der Poel to within 10km of the line before slumping over his handlebars. With his gung-ho all-in style Van der Poel grew his Tour de France legend here despite being caught with 700m to go, the plaudits will be both his and Merlier's. As Van der Poel was reeled in, it looked as though Jonathan Milan would win a second consecutive stage but Merlier got ahead with 50m remaining as Milan finished second with Arnaud De Lie completing the podium. Pogacar's Tour de France defence took a hit Sunday as his key teammate Joao Almeida threw in the towel two days after his nasty fall at the Mur de Bretagne, where he fractured a rib. Monday's stage 10 should shake up the race with eight classified climbs in the Massif Central on the July 14 French national holiday. Road signs in honour of British cycling great Mark Cavendish had been placed at entry points to Chateauroux — reading Cavendish City — in homage to the now-retired 40-year-old, after he won three stages there in 2008, 2011 and 2021. – © AFP 2025
Observer
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Observer
Merlier wins stage nine of Tour de France
*Merlier beats Milan in another photo finish *Pogacar retains yellow jersey *Van der Poel's early attack ends in heartbreak Tim Merlier powered past Jonathan Milan to win stage nine of the Tour de France on Sunday, denying the green jersey holder back-to-back wins after Mathieu van der Poel's audacious solo attack ended in heartbreak just 700 metres from the finish. Merlier's second stage win of this year's Tour mirrored the Soudal Quick-Step sprinter's photo finish victory over the Italian on stage three. The Belgian stayed glued to Milan's wheel before unleashing his kick metres from the finish in Chateauroux after the 174.1-kilometre ride from Chinon. "One moment I thought I was boxed in but I can come out just before 200 metres or maybe just after, I don't know anymore," Merlier said. "I just go all in and I'm happy I can win my second stage here." Van der Poel's day began with promise as he and Jonas Rickaert broke away early, building up a commanding lead of more than five minutes with a tailwind pushing them to speeds of more than 50 kph. The Alpecin-Deceuninck duo persisted after taking points in the intermediate sprint for the green jersey before the peloton began their chase. "Well, five minutes-and-a-half is a lot so we tried to help and also other teams started to help. The pacing was quite high," Merlier added. "So they were at the front but it was just hard for the guys in the front and the guys who were pulling and the bunch was just nervous." However, the peloton soon began to reel in the Alpecin-Deceuninck duo to reduce the lead to less than a minute with 11 km to go while sprint specialist Wout Van Aert was dropped. As the rest of the Alpecin-Deceuninck team attempted to move to the front of the bunch and disrupt the chase, a tiring Rickaert finally gave in and slowed down, leaving Van der Poel to ride solo to the finish with more than five kilometres left. The Dutchman was visibly grimacing as the chasing pack came into view behind him and his heroic effort ended in the final kilometre when he was swallowed up by the bunch. Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) retained the yellow jersey and maintains a 54-second lead over Belgian Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick-Step) in the general classification. UAE Team Emirates and Pogacar suffered a major blow, however, when mountain domestique Joao Almeida was forced to abandon the race after fracturing a rib in a crash on stage seven — just before the Tour heads into the mountains. The 26-year-old, who finished fourth in the general classification last year, had come into the race in brilliant form having won the Tour de Suisse, the Tour of the Basque Country and the Tour de Romandie earlier this year. — Reuters
Al Etihad
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Al Etihad
Good day in office for Team Emirates cyclists
13 July 2025 22:07 ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD) Slovenia's Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates XRG) continues to command the 2024 Tour de France, retaining the yellow jersey after Sunday's Stage 9, despite a setback for his team with the withdrawal of key mountain lieutenant João holds a 54-second lead over Belgian Remco Evenepoel (Soudal–Quick-Step) in the general classification heading into the mountain stages. But the UAE Team Emirates camp was dealt a significant blow with the exit of Almeida, who fractured a rib during a crash on Stage 7. The 26-year-old Portuguese rider had been in outstanding form this season, having already claimed victories at the Tour de Suisse, Tour of the Basque Country, and the Tour de Romandie. His absence leaves Pogačar without one of his most trusted climbing support riders for the critical Alpine tests GC contenders calculated their next moves, the spotlight on Stage 9 belonged to Tim Merlier, who edged out green jersey holder Jonathan Milan in a breathless sprint finish in Châteauroux. The 174.1-kilometre flat stage from Chinon was always tipped for the fast men, and Merlier did not disappoint. The Belgian from Soudal–Quick-Step timed his final surge to perfection, mirroring his Stage 3 win in a near-photo finish against the same rival."One moment I thought I was boxed in, but I could come out just before 200 metres – or maybe just after, I don't know anymore," said Merlier. "I just went all in, and I'm happy I can win my second stage here."The sprint finale came after an audacious solo break by Mathieu van der Poel, who was the last survivor of an early escape with teammate Jonas Rickaert. Propelled by a favourable tailwind, the Alpecin-Deceuninck pair stretched out a lead of over five minutes and picked up intermediate points. But as the peloton tightened the pace and rival teams joined the chase, the Dutchman's effort unravelled heartbreakingly just 700 metres from the line."Well, five-and-a-half minutes is a lot, so we tried to help, and other teams also started to pull. The pacing was quite high," Merlier added. "It was just hard for everyone-those up front, those pulling, and the nervous bunch behind."Despite the drama up front, the general classification saw little movement, with Pogačar continuing to look composed in yellow. But with Almeida out and the mountains looming, the defending champion's grip on the race will soon face its stiffest test. Longo Borghini Retains Giro Elisa Longo Borghini won the women's Giro d'Italia for the second year in a row on Sunday after the home favourite finished fourth in the closing stage behind Liane Lippert. The 33-year-old Italian had taken possession of the overall leader's pink jersey on Saturday and kept hold of it when it mattered most. She topped the general classification by 18 seconds ahead of Swiss rider Marlen Reusser (Movistar)."I'm lost for words. This Giro was intense, packed with emotions, unforgettable" commented Longo Borghini. "I knew I was going to have to give everything, and that's what I did. Cycling is full of highs and lows, and moments like this make the sacrifice worthwhile," she Sarah Gigante, who had won Saturday's queen stage, took third overall, at 1 minute, 11 seconds. Toro Takes Tour of Austria Isaac Del Toro secured overall victory at the Tour of Austria, his career's second, after finishing safely in the main group during Sunday's fifth and final stage. Victory for the 21-year-old Mexican was built on three consecutive stage victories from Thursday to Saturday, helping him secure the red leader's jersey without any trouble. His success brings UAE Team Emirates-XRG's 2025 season tally to 62 stage was won by Bob Jungels of Ineos Grenadiers from a breakaway, while Del Toro's teammate Florian Vermeersch finished third in the sprint. The race began with a strong start for the Emirati team, as Felix Großschartner took a solo win on the opening stage, before Del Toro's hat-trick. Veteran Rafał Majka delivered a steady performance throughout the week to finish third overall.
