Van der Poel powers to victory on 9th stage of Tour de France and Pogacar keeps yellow jersey

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 really hard stage after a hard week for the team,” said Van der Poel, who rides for Alpecin-Premier Tech.

Van der Poel said the brutally hot start of the Tour sapped his strength.

“The heat takes away a lot of energy and I had the feeling that I wasn’t recovering properly in the first few days,” he said. “Today was the first stage when I felt I had the legs (to win).”

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 titles. 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.

Van der Poel was asked if he had thought about Poulidor, who died in 2019, during the stage.

“Always,” he told French television, “every day on the Tour is special.”

Four-time Tour champion Pogacar finished six seconds behind Van der Poel in a group including two-time champion Jonas Vingegaard.

Pogacar maintained his overall lead of 2 minutes, 42 seconds over second-placed Vingegaard, his main rival. Pogačar’s teammate Isaac del Toro is 3:27 back in third.

The 154.6-kilometer trek (96-mile) from Malemort to Ussel in central France was shortened by about 30 kilometers due to extreme heat. Organizers took the decision because the local department was placed on red alert by French weather forecasters.

The undulating stage favored allrounders, known in cycling jargon as “baroudeurs" (scrappers) because of their hard-riding, yet versatile, style. An early breakaway group of five featured French veteran Julian Alaphilippe — a two-time world road race champion — but they were soon caught.

Some of the best "baroudeurs" are also strong in the classics, such as Van der Poel and Filippo Ganna.

Van der Poel, two-time Olympic mountain bike champion Tom Pidcock and Ganna formed part of a eight-strong breakaway group with 80 kilometers left.

Lurking behind was Pogacar, whose renowned ability to attack from anywhere made him a threat even though he had no need to contest the stage win given none of the breakaway group were considered contenders for overall victory.

But it was Van der Poel who attacked with 25 kilometers remaining and the lead group was quickly slashed to four, with Ganna among those dropped.

Van der Poel's superior power told in the dash to the line.

Monday is the first of two rest days in the three-week race.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, and Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard, wearing the best climber's dotted jersey, are shielded from the sun ahead of the start of the ninth stage of the Tour de France cycling race with start in Malemort and finish in Ussel, France, Sunday, July 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, rides with the pack during the ninth stage of the Tour de France cycling race with start in Malemort and finish in Ussel, France, Sunday, July 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Netherland's Mathieu van der Poel celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the ninth stage of the Tour de France cycling race with start in Malemort and finish in Ussel, France, Sunday, July 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Netherland's Mathieu van der Poel, center right, races to the finish line of the ninth stage of the Tour de France cycling race with start in Malemort and finish in Ussel, France, Sunday, July 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Netherland's Mathieu van der Poel crosses the finish line to win the ninth stage of the Tour de France cycling race with start in Malemort and finish in Ussel, France, Sunday, July 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli fire in Gaza on Sunday killed at least six Palestinians, including a 9-year-old girl, and wounded over a dozen others, according to local health officials.

A drone strike on a blacksmith shop in Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood killed at least four Palestinians, according to officials at Shifa hospital, where the casualties were taken.

The Israeli military acknowledged striking the area, saying it targeted “terrorist infrastructure,” without elaborating. It later said it struck a Hamas weapon production site.

Palestinians received an evacuation order from the military following the first strikes. Roughly an hour later, intense airstrikes targeted the same blacksmith shop. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society’s ambulance service said the strikes in Gaza City wounded 14 people.

Also on Sunday, Israeli gunfire killed 9-year-old Tala Abu Matar in a displacement camp in central Gaza, according to officials at the Health Ministry. The Israeli military said it was unaware of such an incident.

And an Israeli strike on a displacement tent in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis killed one Palestinian, according to health officials at Nasser hospital, where the body was taken. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the strike.

Israeli strikes have lessened considerably since a ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, but they continue almost daily. Israel’s military says it targets Hamas and other militants, often asserting they were planning attacks. The strikes have also killed many civilians.

At least 1,098 Palestinians, including at least 260 children, have been killed since the ceasefire, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Five Israeli soldiers have been killed in that time.

The Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas-led militants that sparked the war killed some 1,200 people in Israel and saw 251 others taken hostage. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed 73,221 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry. It is part of the Hamas-led government and is staffed by medical professionals who maintain detailed records viewed as generally reliable by United Nations agencies and independent experts. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants but says women and children make up around half of all deaths.

Negotiations between Israel and Hamas remain largely deadlocked over the implementation of the ceasefire's second phase, including the disarmament of Hamas and the reconstruction of Gaza. Most of the population of over 2 million people remains displaced, with many living in crowded tent camps with little or no basic services or in the ruins of buildings.

Melzer reported from Nahariya, Israel.

Palestinian women sit in the hall of Bilal Mosque, which has been converted into a shelter for displaced people, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Farah Abu Assi, 12, collects used paper to light a fire for cooking in the hall of Bilal Mosque, which has been converted into a shelter for displaced people, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)