Latest news with #vanderPoel
Perth Now
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Merlier outsprints Milan to speed to Tour de France win
Tim Merlier has out-sprinted Jonathan Milan to win stage nine of the Tour de France after Mathieu van der Poel almost pulled off an audacious win in Chateauroux. Van der Poel had rolled off the front of the peloton alongside team-mate Jonas Rickaert at the start of the 174km stage from Chinon in what looked a certain suicide mission, but the Dutchman held off the chasing pack until the final few hundred metres. The Alpecin-Deceuninck adventure had forced rival teams to burn their lead-out men in a furious chase through crosswinds in the final 30km of the stage, and with the sprint trains thoroughly depleted, the quick men had to fend for themselves at the finale. It proved too hot for Australia's big sprint hope Kaden Groves as he finished 10th following his third-placed finish on Saturday's stage. Milan, who'd earned his first Tour triumph on Saturday, had good position on the barriers but Merlier went long and the European champion pipped the Italian to the line. "It was really hard," said Merlier, who also won stage three into Dunkirk. "Five minutes (to van der Poel) is a lot but we tried to chase and also the other teams start to help, the pacing was quite high at the front, but it was hard for all the guys. The bunch was nervous. "In the end we just went all in and I'm happy I can win my second stage here." Chateauroux, this week dubbed 'Cavendish City' in honour of Sir Mark, who took the first of his Tour-record 35 career stage victories here in 2008, has only ever known sprints in its history in the race, but van der Poel did his best to break that streak. When he and Rickaert went early, it looked like a play purely for the intermediate sprint points, but they rolled through that line early in the day and just kept going, building a lead of more than five minutes. Even as teams furiously fought for position in the wind behind, the lead still held at 50 seconds with 10 kilometres to go as splits appeared in the peloton. Rickaert fell back with six kilometres left and it became a straight fight between the powerful but shattered van der Poel and some disorganised lead-out trains behind. It would go the peloton's way, but van der Poel got at least one wish with Rickaert being named the most combative rider of the day. "It's hard not to be able to finish it off but we put up a good show today," said van der Poel. There was no change at the top of the general classification, with Tadej Pogacar remaining 54 seconds clear of Remco Evenepoel. Jonas Vingegaard is behind Kevin Vauquelin in fourth, one minute 17 seconds off yellow. But Pogacar sufffered a blow as a key lieutenant Joao Almeida had to abandon the race as a result of injuries suffered on stage seven
Straits Times
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Tim Merlier at the double as Mathieu van der Poel denied at Tour de France Stage 9
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Belgian rider Tim Merlier of Soudal Quick-Step celebrating his victory in Stage 9 of the Tour de France cycling race over 174.1km from Chinon to Chateauroux, France, on July 13, 2025. – Tim Merlier won Stage 9 of the Tour de France at Chateauroux on July 13 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 seconds advantage over Remco Evenepoel in second with French starlet Kevin Vauquelin third. This was a second win for Soudal Quick-Step's Belgian sprinter Merlier, who was first across the line on Stage 3 at Dunkirk as he racked up a 12th stage win in 2025. Said Merlier: 'Me and Bert (van Lerberghe) were together. I was so much more confident with him in front of me… I thought I was boxed in at one point but I came out. I'm very happy to have won my second stage at the Tour 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. Said van der Poel: 'I discussed with Jonas that we wanted to go for it today. His dream was to be on the podium. I'm really happy (as) it was one of his dreams.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Govt will continue to support families, including growing group of seniors: PM Wong at PCF Family Day Singapore From Normal stream to Parliament: 3 Singapore politicians share their journeys World Israeli strikes kill over 40 as truce talks deadlocked, says Gaza civil defence Singapore Segregated recycling bins found to lower contamination rate as more spring up Asia Mahathir discharged from hospital after feeling fatigued during birthday gathering Business 29 Jollibean workers get help from MOM, other agencies, over unpaid salaries Singapore Medics treat 7 after blaze at HDB block lift lobby in Chai Chee Singapore I lost my daughter to Kpod addiction: Father of 19-year-old shares heartbreak and lessons 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 on July 13 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. 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. '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 the July 13 Stage 8 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. AFP
Straits Times
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Ben Healy claims Tour de France's sixth stage; Mathieu van der Poel regains yellow jersey
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Ben Healy rejoicing at the finish line to win the sixth stage of the Tour de France. – Ireland's Ben Healy won Stage 6 of the Tour de France in Normandy on July 10 with a long solo break, as Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel reclaimed the overall leader's yellow jersey by one second. Sixth at the start of the day, van der Poel climbed above overnight leader Tadej Pogacar to retake the race lead. Healy, 24, became the first Irish stage winner since Sam Bennett on the Champs-Elysees in 2020. American champion Quinn Simmons came second, and Michael Storer put Team Tudor on the Tour podium for the first time in third. Healy said: 'It's really what I've worked all for – not just this year, but the whole time. It's really incredible, and hours and hours of hard work from so many people, so to pay them back today is really, really amazing.' Healy and van der Poel were part of a nine-man mid-race escape. The Irishman broke solo, knowing that if he waited for the final ascent, he had little chance of beating the proven climbing experts. He made his move on a flat section, 32km out. As he accelerated, the eight others dithered as the distance widened. 'I knew I needed to get away from the group and pick my moment,' Healy added. 'And I think I timed it well and hopefully caught them by surprise a little bit. 'But I knew what I had to do: Just head down and do my best ride to the finish.' For Pogacar, allowing the Dutch powerhouse to sneak into the escape meant he got rid of the overall lead and relieved himself of media duties and the draining hullabaloo that comes with wearing the yellow jersey. Once Healy had broken away, even van der Poel sat up, saving energy, possibly for the run to the Mur de Bretagne on July 11. Stage 6 was intense from the off over a series of hills between Bayeux and Vire, with the peloton putting the hammer down at 47kmh average over the first three hours. AFP
Straits Times
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Tadej Pogacar beats Mathieu van der Poel to win Tour de France's Stage 4 in 100th career victory
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox – Reigning champion Tadej Pogacar overtook race leader Mathieu van der Poel just before the line to win Stage 4 of the Tour de France on July 8, and is now level at the top of the general classification after earning his 100th career victory. The 174.2km ride from Amiens to Rouen came down to a sprint finish between the top three in the overall standings, with the Slovenian world champion getting the better of van der Poel, and Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard coming in third. Pogacar, chasing his fourth Tour overall title, said: 'I think today I hope everyone was on the limit. 'I'm super happy and proud of the team today. To win at the Tour is incredible, in this jersey even more, and to have a hundred victories is amazing. 'With so many good riders in such a final, you're always a bit on the edge and nervous about what will happen. 'In the end, you have this adrenaline with this pure racing and I enjoy it. We will see tomorrow (with the time trial), which is the real test.' A breakaway group of four riders – Lenny Martinez, Jonas Abrahamsen, Thomas Gachignard and Kasper Asgreen – got away early but the peloton, led by van der Poel's Alpecin-Deceuninck team, kept them well within reach. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore NDP celebrations to be held at 5 heartland sites, including Bishan and Punggol, on Aug 10 Singapore Keep citizens at the centre of public service, Chan Chun Sing tells civil servants Singapore Man arrested for allegedly throwing bottle at SMRT bus, injuring passenger Asia As Trump plays tariffs hard ball, Asean has little choice but to play on Asia PM Anwar called out by his own lawmakers as Malaysia's judicial crisis heats up Singapore SIA flight from Brisbane to Singapore diverted to Perth due to technical issue Sport Speeding likely cause of Diogo Jota car crash: Police Business Great Eastern could resume trading after delisting vote fails to pass; OCBC's exit offer lapses The action was always going to come in the closing 50km, with five categorised climbs packed into the finale, and Martinez was the last to be caught with 20km remaining, shortly after a crash had brought down several riders in the bunch. Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates took control at the front coming to the penultimate climb, before Vingegaard's Visma-Lease a Bike team took over, pushing hard on the descent as anticipation grew for a late attack. When it came on the final climb, it was the expected break from Pogacar, but he was unable to shake off two-time champion Vingegaard, and the pair were joined by five other riders, including van der Poel, to set up a high-stakes finish. Van der Poel went first, looking for his second stage win in three days, but Pogacar had the legs to overtake before the line, and made up the four seconds which separated the pair overall thanks to the stage win bonus. Stage 5 will shake up the overall standings with a 33km individual time trial around Caen. The stage is being billed as the day Remco Evenepoel will finally slip into the overall leader's yellow jersey. To do so, the 25-year-old Belgian world and Olympic champion in the discipline will need to cover the 33km course almost a minute faster that Pogacar and Vingegaard. REUTERS, AFP
Straits Times
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Belgian Merlier wins crash-marred Tour de France stage
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Soudal Quick-Step team's Belgian rider Tim Merlier cycles to the finish line to win the 3rd stage of the Tour de France on July 7. – Belgian Tim Merlier pipped Italian Jonathan Milan right at the line to win Stage 3 of the Tour de France at Dunkirk on July 7, as Mathieu van der Poel retained the race lead. The stage was marred by a series of falls but the two favourites for the title, Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard, finished safely in the main pack and remain in second and third place overall behind van der Poel. Said Merlier: 'It was a really hard battle. It was difficult to be in position. I lost (teammate) Bert (van Lerberghe) before the last corner. 'The team did an incredible job until the last five but then the real chaos started and it was really difficult to find position. I lost Bert and then in the last 2km I fought back to come in position. I was in the wind all the time. 'With 500m to go, I found a bit of slipstream. I know that it's always difficult to beat Milan, but I'm happy I can take my second win in the Tour de France. I wasn't sure. I put my hands in the air, I wasn't sure any more.' The flat 178km run from Valenciennes along the Belgian border was marked above all by a nasty fall that caused Jasper Philipsen to quit with severe grazing and a suspected fracture. Said van der Poel of his teammate Philipsen, who won Stage 1 as well as the sprinters' green jersey in 2023: 'It's really sad that we lose him today and for the rest of the tour. We had a plan to go for the green jersey with him. It's not a happy day today. It was difficult to refocus today.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Eligible S'poreans to get up to $850 in GSTV cash, up to $450 in MediSave top-ups in August Singapore Four golf courses to close by 2035, leaving Singapore with 12 courses Singapore Singapore's second mufti Sheikh Syed Isa Semait dies at age 87 Singapore Fewer marriages in Singapore in 2024; greater marital stability for recent unions Singapore Competition watchdog gives SIA, Malaysia Airlines conditional approval to continue cooperation Singapore About 20 delivery riders meet Pritam Singh to discuss platform worker issues Business OCBC sets loan target of $5b and covers more territories in boost for serial entrepreneurs Singapore Reform Party to leave opposition group People's Alliance for Reform; two parties remain There were three more falls, including two nasty looking ones in the finale with Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel involved. Another Belgian national champion Tim Wellens gave cross-border fans more to cheer about as he won the day's only climb, the 2.3km ascent of Mont Cassel at 31km from the finish line. The 34-year-old will now hold the king of the mountains polka dot jersey overnight. Regional police said one million spectators had lined the roadsides on the opening day, while rain dissuaded that kind of turnout for Stage 2, huge crowds turned out again for the run to Dunkirk. The 11 bikes stolen from outside the Cofidis team hotel early on July 6 were all found before the stage's end – five of them were recovered abandoned in a forest early the next day with the others being tracked down by the police later in the day. The fourth stage on July 8 is a 174km run from Amiens, as the Tour leaves the northern region, to Rouen in Normandy, with five hills in the final 25km designed to spark a series of race-splitting attacks. The first section of the Tour is raced through the north and west of France. The volcanic landscape of the Puy de Dome presents the first mountains as late as Stage 10, with two more colossal climb days in the Pyrenees before the blockbuster final week in the Alps. AFP
