Stage 9 Recap: A Shortened Route And A Big Win
Stage 9 hits like a blast furnace: temperatures in the mid to upper 90s, the road shimmering, and organizers shaving about 30 kilometers off the route just to keep the day manageable. We’re tracking the Tour de France as it unfolds, and this one becomes a real-world lesson in pro cycling heat management, hydration strategy, and how teams try to limit losses when the weather turns the race into an endurance test. Even with the distance reduced, the suffering is obvious and the decisions get sharper.
From Malmore to Usal, the storyline tightens around a breakaway that almost makes the dream stick. We talk through how the peloton measures the gap, what it means when the chase finally commits, and why timing matters more than ever when everyone is overheating. Then Mathieu van der Poel powers through for his third career Tour de France stage win, with Tobias Johansson and Tom Pidcock close behind. We also confirm the key jersey standings after the stage, including the yellow jersey, green jersey, polka dot jersey, and white jersey, and what “no big GC change” signals for the next phase of the race.
We also take a quick detour into cycling history, because today’s cooling vests and careful fueling sound even wilder when you remember riders once smoked mid-race and treated wine or beer as standard “fuel” when water was rationed. It’s funny, it’s absurd, and it’s a reminder that the sport’s culture and safety have evolved fast. If you’re following the Tour de France daily, love breakaway tactics, or just want a sharp Stage 9 recap, come ride with us. Subscribe, share the show with a fellow cycling fan, and leave a review, what part of this heat-soaked stage surprised you most?
Adam and Michael’s friendship has grown through years of shared miles, challenges, and laughter on the bike. Their passion for cycling has carried them through life’s twists and turns, creating a bond full of stories, jokes, and unforgettable rides. In their podcast, they bring that same spirit to the mic—sharing adventures, trading banter, and welcoming listeners into their cycling community. Whether tackling steep climbs or cruising open roads, their conversations capture the fun, friendship, and freedom that cycling brings. Tune in for stories that celebrate the ride and the camaraderie that makes it unforgettable.
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1 SPEAKER_01: Welcome to the teeth.
SPEAKER_00: Well, all right.
Another fabulous edition of Cycling Men of Leisure's Leisure
Breakaway.
Today we're looking at stage 10.
And if I look like I'm sitting in a car in a parking lot
somewhere, I probably am, but that's okay.
SPEAKER_04: Oh, it is stage nine.
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I was looking ahead at my little notes that
I'd written here and got ahead.
So um I'm Michael, and with me as always is my friend Adam.
SPEAKER_04: I'm here to make you look good, buddy.
I'm here to make you look good.
SPEAKER_00: Well, good luck with that.
Um before I get into stage nine, I did have a correction to do.
Uh Armando, our good friend, uh corrected me on a couple of
things.
I was running a little late last night with my s with my
daughter's uh birthday and did not double check my facts and
got a couple of things wrong.
I said the polka dot jersey yesterday was won by Lenny
Martinez, which was incorrect.
It was it was Toddy.
And I also said that Gromay uh was riding for Intermarche.
Well, he actually rode for Intermarche last year.
This year he is with NSN.
So thank you, Armando.
Appreciate it.
I messed that up and I appreciate you pointing it out,
and I just wanted to correct it for everybody.
So I may not get it always right, but I will correct it
when I've been told it was was incorrect.
So today's ride.
Yeah, we can just keep going now, Adam.
It's okay.
Let it go.
Let it go.
SPEAKER_04: All right.
SPEAKER_00: Stage nine.
All we can say about stage nine is hot, hot, hot in more than
one way.
Uh, first off, the stage was reduced by about 30 kilometers.
Uh, because of the heat, those 30 kilometers came off the front
end of the ride instead of the back end of the ride when they
got into the mountains.
Uh, I'm sure that they would have probably preferred it to
come off the back side, but it did not.
Uh extreme, extreme heat today.
Um started in did you have something to say there?
SPEAKER_04: No, no.
SPEAKER_00: Started in no okay, started in Malmore, uh, finished
in Usal, and it was 155.5 kilometers, which was 96.6 miles
for us Americans.
And that was originally supposed to be like 185 uh kilometers,
but they did, like I said, crank that down a little bit due to
the extreme heat.
Uh, temperatures range from 93 to 97 degrees Fahrenheit, which
is 34 to 36 Celsius.
Um, and that is just the actual temperature.
That's not heat index, that's not temperature coming off the
tarmac or anything like that.
So uh exceptionally hot.
Uh, we didn't have any riders abandon uh or or uh leave the
race, so that was a good thing.
Some of the big highlights uh were uh breakaway took off.
It survived almost to the finish.
But uh Vanderpool held uh held off the Peloton, charged on, and
Matthew Vanderpool uh took it for his third career tour de
France victory.
Uh he was followed by Tobias Johansson and then by Tom
Bidcock.
So um those were the big winners that did not really change up
any of the uh the general classification jersey standings,
and these are correct.
Uh I did verify them.
Uh Toddy still maintains the yellow jersey.
Uh Mods uh Patterson has the green jersey.
Polkadot jersey still also belongs to Toddy.
White Del Toro is still there.
The most competitive did go to uh to Vanderpool.
Um he just he had a fantastic ride today.
And the lead team right now is Lightl Track.
Uh they are still on the top.
So not a lot changed uh in the standings.
It's just the heat is is unbearable.
They're doing everything they can to stay hydrated and stay
cool.
So um I uh am in my vehicle because uh the family decided to
take a little trip down to Arkansas, and so I had to take
the show on the road.
And tomorrow I will get the the studio set up, our mobile
studio, which we've used before.
I'll get that set up and uh should be in a lot better shape.
SPEAKER_04: So um but I thought that I would add a few pieces
today that um the writers used to smoke cigarettes mid-race.
Uh they believed it opened the lungs before the climb.
So I'm not sure that that would actually uh help, but they they
thought it would.
And uh alcohol was standard fuel for decades.
Um writers actually rated bars mid-stage for wine and beer.
Um and water was actually rationed by race rules for a
time, so booze was easier to get than water.
So I thought that was kind of uh interesting.
So um and then um in 1950, uh this gentleman named uh Abdel
Kadar reportedly drank wine from a spectator on the scorching
stage.
Then he fell asleep under a tree, woke up, rode off in the
wrong direction.
So I thought I would uh if you bear with us for the technical
technical issue issues tonight, uh, but I thought I would lead
you with something kind of funny.
So, you know, at least we didn't uh go to Ragbri, have a few
beers at the beer trailer, and then end up going the wrong way.
Although that would have been the norm.
I kept riding against people all the whole week.
So like, where are these people going?
So um so that's it.
Um we we tomorrow's a rest day, but not for us.
No rest for the wicked.
We will we will give kind of a recap of what's gone on so far,
stages one through nine.
Um we will definitely get back together.
Um I'm hoping it comes through, but did you have any other
anything that you wanted to add, sir?
No.
Okay, perfect.
Well, in that case, I know this is everyone's new favorite tune.
SPEAKER_01: Welcome to the Lee Shop Break Away.
SPEAKER_02: Listen to the ribbon, keep on the death where
they're gonna be.