USSEL, France (AP) — Mathieu van der Poel timed his attack perfectly to win the hilly ninth stage of the Tour de France in a sprint finish, while defending champion Tadej Pogacar kept the race leader's yellow jersey on Sunday.
Van der Poel was in a group of four contesting the victory. He accelerated with about 200 meters to go, then held off Norwegian rider Tobias Johannessen and Britain's Tom Pidcock before spreading his arms as he crossed the line. All three were timed at 3 hours, 27 minutes, 51 seconds.
It was a third career Tour stage win for the 31-year-old Dutchman, whose vast pedigree includes multiple victories in one day classics and Cyclo-cross world championship ****** les. He is also a former world road race champion, and cycling runs through his veins.
His maternal grandfather was French cyclist Raymond Poulidor, who raced in the 1960s and '70s, finishing second on the Tour three times and third five times. Nicknamed "Poupou" and "The Eternal Runner-up" he was adored by French fans.
Four-time Tour champion Pogacar finished six seconds behind Van der Poel in a group including two-time champion Jonas Vingegaard.