As it happened: Early breakaway caught late to set up another sprint finish on stage 9 of the Tour de France

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of stage 9 of the Tour de France!

A look at the profile for today's stage. No categorised climbs and just 1400m of climbing on the route from Chinon to Châteauroux. It's a perfect day for the pure sprinters.

The battle for the green jersey is set to reignite today in the second of two sprint stages this weekend. Jonathan Milan won Saturday's stage 8 to take back the jersey from Tadej Pogačar.

He now lies on 182 points and holds a 26-point lead over the Slovenian, while Biniam Girmay is in third place on 124 points.

Here's a look back at yesterday's results.

Tour de France stage 8: Jonathan Milan holds off Wout van Aert to win Laval sprint

Kaden Groves third as Lidl-Trek rider carries green jersey to his first Tour victory

Here are the current GC standings at the Tour de France after stage 8. No change at the top.

On the eighth day, the Tour de France rested - Why the peloton rode steady on the road to Laval

'It was quite an easy day, I think a lot of guys in the bunch' says Jonas Vingegaard

Around an hour to go until the neutralised start, which will take place at 13:10 local time.

Yesterday we saw Jonathan Milan beat Wout van Aert to take the stage win. Behind them, the other sprint contenders were some way back, from Kaden Groves in third to Tim Merlier in 56th.

Here's what the pair of them had to say after the race to Laval.

Tour de France sprint defeat on stage 8 means different things for Kaden Groves and Tim Merlier

Today's stage finishes in Châteauroux, a place synonymous with Mark Cavendish, who won his first Tour de France stage here in 2008. From there, he would then go on to break the all-time stage win record with 35 victories, winning in Châteauroux on a further two occasions, in 2011 and 2021.

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'I'll announce it next time on Twitter' – Wout van Aert rediscovers sprint form with surprise second-place at Tour de France

Having been absent from bunch sprints for most of the year, Wout van Aert found his sprinting legs yesterday to finish runner-up behind Jonathan Milan in Laval. Could the Visma-Lease a Bike rider challenge for the victory again today?

With today's intermediate sprint coming after just 24km of racing in the town of Sérigny, some of the sprinters' teams may look to control the race early on to give their riders a chance to compete for the maximum points.

Here's a look at the map of today's stage as the race heads in a south-easterly direction from Chinon to Châteauroux.

Aside from Mark Cavendish, the only other rider to win a stage of the Tour de France in Châteauroux was Mario Cipollini on stage 6 in 1998.

The riders have rolled out in Chinon for the neutral start of today's stage. There's around 7km to go until the flag drops for the official start.

After a late mechanical ruled him out of contesting the sprint in Laval yesterday, could Tim Merlier take his second victory of the race on today's stage?

Will any teams look to make the early breakaway on today's stage? Or will we have to wait until later into the stage to see some moves go up the road?

As promised, Wout van Aert has declared his intentions to contest the sprint today.

The flag has dropped for the official start and Alpecin-Deceuninck are already on the move at the head of the race.

Jonas Rickaert attacked as soon as the flag dropped and he has now been joined by his Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate Mathieu van der Poel. With the intermediate sprint coming so early in the stage, is this purely a points-scoring exercise by the Dutchman?

Lidl-Trek are currently pacing at the front of the peloton to control the gap to the breakaway, with none of the other teams seeming particularly interested in going up the road. The leading duo already have an advantage of nearly two minutes over the main bunch.

The intermediate sprint is coming up in around 15km, with Rickaert and Van der Poel seemingly fully committed to this breakaway effort. Their advantage has already gone up to over two minutes.

Mathieu van der Poel currently sits in fourth place in the points classification on 108 points, with a 74-point deficit to Jonathan Milan. Is the Dutchman's foray into the breakaway a clear indication that he will be targeting the maillot vert for the remainder of the race?

Mathieu van der Poel takes maximum points at the intermediate sprint in Sérigny, with his breakaway companion and teammate Jonas Rickaert in second place. Jonathan Milan sweeps up the remaining points from the peloton ahead of Biniam Girmay and Tim Merlier.

Rickaert and Van der Poel now have an advantage of more than four minutes over the peloton. The pair are basically riding a two-up time trial at the moment, with Lidl-Trek chasing them in the main bunch behind.

It seems impossible for a breakaway to go all the way on today's stage, but if the gap to our leading duo continues to grow, then it could become a very dangerous move for the peloton behind. Both Rickaert and Van der Poel have proven themselves to be incredibly strong on this sort of terrain, so do not count them out just yet.

Some incredible scenery on today's stage, as the race is surrounded by sunflower fields and French farmland.

Crash at the back of the peloton with Samuel Watson, Ion Izagirre, Tobias Foss, Pavel Bittner and Søren Wærenskjold among those caught up. All riders are now back on their bikes and underway.

Van der Poel and Rickaert now have an advantage of around five and a half minutes over the peloton. The sprinters' teams are going to have to pick up the pace if they don't want to risk an upset.

The leading duo have averaged just under 47km/h for the first hour of racing and they are showing no signs of relenting their pace.

Georg Zimmermann has gone down on a grass verge at the side of the road. He has been checked and cleared by the medical staff for concussion, but has lost a lot of skin on his left thigh.

Does Rickaert and Van der Poel's move show a lack of faith from Alpecin-Deceuninck in Kaden Groves for today's stage? The Australian sprinter has stepped into a leadership role after Jasper Philipsen abandoned the race on stage 2, but he has been unable to get on terms with the top fast men in any of the sprints so far.

The gap to the breakaway has come down to under five minutes, with Uno-X Mobility assisting Lidl-Trek in chasing down the leading pair.

On this kind of flat terrain, the possibility of crosswinds cannot be ruled out and with forecasts of gusts of up to 40km/h today, we could see certain teams try to split the race through an exposed section. All of the favourites are staying well-positioned for now.

Soudal Quick-Step have also joined Lidl-Trek in chasing down the breakaway, with Max Schachmann coming to the front of the peloton to set the pace. Clearly some alarm bells starting to ring for some of the sprinters, with the gap to the breakaway still hovering at around five minutes.

After breaking a rib on stage 7, João Almeida has been dropped from the peloton after already looking in some discomfort earlier in the stage. The UAE Team Emirates-XRG sports directors have now confirmed over the radio that the Portuguese rider will abandon the race.

Tour de France Stage 9 - 75km to go

The gap to the breakaway is still hovering at just under five minutes, as the work being done in the peloton has not been enough to significantly reduce their deficit.

Several riders have been distanced at the back of the peloton, as the race has split in a crosswind section. Wout van Aert was among those caught out, but he was able to sprint across the gap.

The pace in the front half of the split is now easing, so all of those caught out should be able to get back on to the back of the bunch.

The increase in pace in the peloton has seen the gap to the breakaway come down to under four minutes. Van der Poel and Rickaert are still working well together, but they seemingly do not have the strength to hold off a charging peloton.

Some new faces on the front of the peloton, as Israel-Premier Tech and Jayco AlUla have come to the fore. Both teams have outsiders for the victory, with Pascal Ackermann and Dylan Groenewegen respectively, and they clearly feel confident in their fast men today.

After his crash earlier in the stage, Georg Zimmermann still finds himself out the back of the peloton. The German National Champion is clearly suffering, with significant wounds on the left side of his body.

More and more teams are coming to the front of the peloton ahead of another crosswind section coming up in a few kilometres.

Tour de France Stage 9 - 50km to go

The gap to the breakaway has fallen further to two and a half minutes. It's looking unlikely that the leading duo from Alpecin-Deceuninck will make it all the way to the finish. Several teams are investing resources to bringing them back, as they look to position themselves at the front end of the main bunch.

Georg Zimmermann has made it onto the back of the peloton after an incredibly long chase through the team cars.

Van der Poel and Rickaert now have under two minutes of an advantage over the peloton. They are now being brought back at quite a rate and it looks like it will all come back together for the sprint.

Ineos Grenadiers, Uno-X Mobility, Tudor Pro Cycling, Picnic PostNL, Jayco AlUla and UAE Team Emirates-XRG are the main teams with numbers at the front of the peloton.

The riders have turned into a crosswind section and teams are jostling for position in the peloton before the race starts to split.

Mechanical for Iván Romeo at the worst possible time. The Spaniard is going to struggle to get back onto the peloton, as the pace is on at the front of the main bunch.

All of the GC contenders are positioned towards the front end of the peloton, with the teams wary of any possible splits.

Riders at the back end of the peloton have been distanced once again, as several teams are trying to split the race.

Tour de France Stage 9 - 30km to go

The gap to the breakaway has been reduced to just over a minute, as an incredibly fast pace is being set in the peloton. Visma-Lease a Bike are currently the team on the front of the bunch, as they look to keep Jonas Vingegaard well-positioned and attempt to set Wout van Aert up for the sprint.

Jonas Vingegaard is working with his teammates Matteo Jorgenson, Tiesj Benoot and Victor Campenaerts to split the peloton. Gaps are beginning to open up.

A thirty-second gap for Mathieu van der Poel and Jonas Rickaert with 25km to go. It's now just a matter of when they will be caught.

The pace in the peloton has eased slightly, but there is another crosswind section coming up shortly.

The gap to the breakaway has gone back out to a minute and the leading pair are continuing to work hard.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Ineos Grenadiers, Soudal Quick-Step and Lidl-Trek are among the teams at the front of the peloton, but the pace is far from infernal and the gap is still going out to the breakaway. There's a chance they could make it all the way to the finish.

The peloton has turned into another crosswind section, but the gusts do not appear to be strong enough to create splits in the bunch. The sprinters' teams are now coming to the front in an act of desperation to close the gap to the breakaway.

Mechanical for Stian Fredheim at the worst possible time and Uno-X Mobility will now have drop riders back to bring their sprinter back into contention for the finish.

Tour de France Stage 9 - 10km to go

Just under a minute for the breakaway as the Alpecin-Deceuninck teammates continue to pace their effort at the head of the race. Their chances of victory are still slim, but they are holding their gap for now.

Lidl-Trek are giving absolutely everything to bring back the breakaway, but it could be at the expense of their leadout train, as they are already using up some of their best riders.

Stian Fredheim is back in the peloton and Uno-X Mobility have immediately returned to the front of the peloton to set the pace.

The Alpecin-Deceuninck riders in the peloton are doing their best to disrupt the chase behind to help their two teammates at the head of the race.

Jonas Rickaert has given Mathieu van der Poel a final turn and pulled off from the breakaway, leaving the Dutchman solo at the head of the race. He has a thirty-second advantage as they enter Châteauroux with 5km to go.

Tudor Pro Cycling and Lidl-Trek are committing everything they have left to bring back Van der Poel, but the Dutchman is still just out of sight as they charge through the finish town.

The peloton are now within ten seconds of Van der Poel as the road begins to straighten out. It looks as though it just won't be enough for the former World Champion.

Van der Poel is caught as the peloton pass under the flamme rouge. Time for the sprint.

Tour de France Stage 9 - Tim Merlier wins

Tim Merlier times his sprint to perfection to pip Jonathan Milan at the line. An incredible sprint from the European Champion to take his second stage win of the race.

Another stage win for Tim Merlier, who had enough to come around and pass yesterday's winner Jonathan Milan to take the victory.

After his victory yesterday, Jonathan Milan launched his sprint a tad too early today and did not have enough in the legs to hold off Tim Merlier. However, the Italian extends his lead in the points classification and strengthens his grip on the maillot vert.

Meanwhile, Arnaud De Lie sprinted to third place, equalling his best result on a stage of the Tour de France. Pavel Bittner and Paul Penhoët completed the top five, with strong showings from both riders in the finale.

An incredible breakaway effort from Mathieu van der Poel saw him caught inside the final kilometre, having gone on the attack with his Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate Jonas Rickaert at the beginning of the stage. According to the Dutchman, the plan was to help his friend and loyal domestique to win the combativity award.

Speaking to Eurosport after the stage, Van der Poel said "I discussed with Jonas that we wanted to go for it today. His dream is to be on the Tour de France podium, so I was happy to help him get combativité, so I hope they give it to him."

When he was informed that Rickaert had indeed been given the award, he said "I'm really happy. That was one of his dreams. In the end we came really close, but I think we were both just on the limit. It was a very hard day."

"The roads were not really helping with two riders in front and of course with the wind, we knew the GC teams would come back at certain moments. It's hard to not be able to finish it off, but we put on a good show today."

Tim Merlier post-race interview

Speaking in his post-race interview, Tim Merlier said "it was really hard with the heat. In the bunch, it was quite okay all day, but sometimes it was a fight for échelons. In the last 60km we got no drinks anymore, so I was a bit overheated, but without the heat it was a quite okay day. It was really nervous."

When asked if he was nervous about the two-man breakaway up the road, he said "five and a half minutes is a lot, so I tried to help and all of the teams started to help. The pacing was quite high with the two in front, but it was just hard for the guys in the front and the guys who were pulling, in the bunch it was just nervous."

On his teammate Remco Evenepoel helping to bring breakaway back, he stated "he was really strong. Normally I need to help him, but when it's a tailwind he doesn't feel the legs. He can move up easily, but all the time there were possibilities to have échelons. Me and Bert [Van Lerberghe] were also there to let him in again. We tried to protect each other as much as possible."

Talking through the sprint, he said "finally me and Bert were together at the Tour. It's the first time we've been together and I was so much more confident with him in front of me. He did a really good job. At one moment I thought I was boxed in, but I came out with 200 metres to go. I just went all in and I'm happy I can win my second stage here."

Speaking to Eurosport after the stage, Jonas Rickaert spoke about his day in the breakaway with his Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate Mathieu van der Poel and realising his dream of standing on a Tour de France podium.

"I think I'll go home tomorrow, my Tour is done," he said jokingly. "I always wanted to be on the Tour podium. I actually made a joke of it to Mathieu, to go with two from the start. But it seems he was serious, so we just continued and I was slowly dying. We tried, but too bad we didn't succeed."

On what him and Van der Poel said to each other during the stage, he said "I don't think we spoke any words. In the end, I said 'I'm exhausted', but he said 'we need each other', but I was just empty."

Talking about the reaction from other teams once he was caught by the peloton, he said "I think every sports director that passed me gave me a thumbs up, so it seems like we did a good effort."

Tour de France Stage 9 - Results

Some photos from today's podium, as none of the jerseys change hands ahead of Bastille Day tomorrow.

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A quick look at the profile for stage 10, as the race heads into the Massif Central for Bastille Day and the first mountain stage of the race. The rest day has been pushed back until Tuesday to maximise viewership over the public holiday, so expect to see the French fans out in force on the roadsides tomorrow.

The stage itself features constant undulation, with eight categorised climbs along the route. The first of these comes 8km into the stage in the form of the Côte de Loubeyrat (4.1km at 6.3%), which could be influential in forming the early breakaway.

The summit finish on the Puy de Sancy (3.3km at 8%) is preceded by the Col de la Croix Saint-Robert (5.1km at 6.4%), which could act as a launch pad for attacks before the final climb, as the top comes with around 10km to go.