Tour de France 2025 live: Stage 9 route updates and results today – UK Times

A reminder of a bit of news during the day: Joao Almeida, a key teammate of Tour de France leader Tadej Pogacar, has abandoned the race.

Almeida, who fractured a rib during Stage 7, was dropped early during Sunday’s ninth stage between Chinon and Chateauroux, and UAE Team Emirates-XRG later announced over the race radio that the Portuguese rider had retired.

Almeida was caught in a high-speed crash earlier this week as riders scrambled for position at the front, 6km (4 miles) from the finish line. Almeida escaped without a concussion but his rib fracture finally proved to be too painful to carry on in the three-week race.

Almeida finished fourth at the 2024 Tour de France and started this year’s edition on the back of excellent preparations, having won the Tour de Suisse, Tour de Romandie and Itzulia Basque Country.

Merlier speaks: “It was really hard in the heat. Really nervous [in the peloton]. The pacing was quite high. We tried to protect each other as much as possible – thanks to Remco [Evenepoel, teammate] for his help. At one point I thought I was boxed in with 200m to go, but I’m pleased I won my second stage of the Tour.”

Some pictures of the winning moment:

Tim Merlier surges away in the bunch sprint, leaving Jonathan Milan and Arnaud de Lie in his wake, to clinch the victory!

Here they come for the sprint, Milan is there, can he get it again?

1km to go: Under the flamme rouge goes Van der Poel, and the bunch follows only about seven seconds behind him, as they jostle for position… And he’s caught moments later!

2km to go: It looks the game is up, with Van der Poel’s lead now down to only 10 seconds…

4km to go: Van der Poel is giving everything he’s got, every last bit of energy to resist the peloton. The gap is down to 20 seconds…

6km to go: Van der Poel and Rickaert push on – can they take advantage of some cat-and-mouse games in the peloton to stay clear? The gap remains about 30 seconds – and now Van der Poel goes alone!

This is an epic bid from the great man. Can he stay away?