Welcome to “Cavendish City”. On day 9 of the Tour de France 2025, the peloton head to Châteauroux, where sprinters naturally envision a fourth opportunity to battle for glory, the second in two days after Jonathan Milan’s show of power in Laval. The course is flat - 1,400 metres of elevation and not a single KOM point up for grabs - and, in case today’s fast men are not familiar with the history of the Tour in Châteauroux, a new town sign has been erected to remind everyone of the sprint legacy built here: “CAVENDISH CITY”.
The Manx Missile won three times in the city and notably claimed the first of his record 35 wins here in 2008. Seventeen years later, it was Milan’s turn to open his tally in the Tour. Cav’s heights might seem unattainable, but first things first: the Italian giant aims for back to back successes.
On Saturday, he put an end to Italy’s 113-stage drought (the longest in Tour history), succeeding Vincenzo Nibali in Val Thorens (stage 20 of the Tour 2019). The last Italian sprint victory had come from Elia Viviani a couple of weeks before Nibali’s success. As for back to back victories for an Italian, it would take us more than 20 years back!
Milan is brimming with confidence but his rivals are eager to battle as well. On Saturday, Tim Merlier was out of contention due to an ill-timed puncture, but the Belgian sprinter boasts a record of two wins in the two sprints he has ever contested in the Tour (stages 3 of the 2021 and 2025 editions). Wout Van Aert is back in the mix, Biniam Girmay wants to repeat his successes from 2024… And Cavendish City would be a beautiful place for a sprinter to start his winning record in the Tour.
