3: MERLIER, NEVER TWO WITHOUT THREE
Tim Merlier raises his arms for the 3rd time in the Tour, after his victorious sprints in Pontivy 2021 (stage 3) and Dunkerque 2025 (stage 3). He has a 100% success rate since these are the only sprints contested by the Belgian on the Tour.
5: MERLIER 5-0 MILAN
Tim Merlier is Jonathan Milan’s black sheep. When they finished 1-2 in the Grand Tours, the score is 5-0 for Merlier: 3 times at the Giro last year, twice this year at the Tour. Milan managed to beat Merlier to 2nd only in this year’s UAE Tour, stage 4.
5/5: NEW SPRINT IN CAVENDISH CITY
Châteauroux hosted its 5th Tour finish, and the victory was decided with a 5th bunch sprint. Tim Merlier succeeds Mario Cipollini (1998) and Mark Cavendish, winner in 2008, 2011, and 2021. This dominance of the "Manx Missile" earned Châteauroux the nickname Cavendish City!
10: BITTNER, THE NEW CZECH HOPE
Fourth today, Pavel Bittner achieved the Czech Republic's best result in... 10 years! The last time a Czech rider finished so high was on July 9, 2015, when Zdenek Stybar won stage 6 in Le Havre. Only two Czechs have won in the Tour: Jan Svorada and Zdenek Stybar.
44: POGACAR EQUALS HINAULT AT THE SAME AGE
Tadej Pogacar wins his 44th Yellow Jersey at 26 years old, the same number as Bernard Hinault at the same age! The record holder, Eddy Merckx, had won it 63 times at the age of 26.
173: THE LONGEST BREAKAWAY SINCE THE START
Present in the breakway at the start of the stage with Jonas Rickaert, Mathieu Van der Poel was in the lead for 173 kilometers, at an average speed of 49.9 km/h. It's the longest breakaway since the start of the Tour 2025. The Dutchman was caught by the peloton 650 meters from the finish.
3: SOUDAL QUICK-STEP LIKE IN 2021?
With Remco Evenepoel (stage 3) and Tim Merlier (stages 5 and 9), Soudal Quick-Step is the most successful team in this Tour with 3 wins. The last time they won at least 3 times was in 2021. The 3rd victory was achieved by Mark Cavendish in... Châteauroux! The team finished the Tour with a total of 5 wins, equaling its 2017 record.
50.013: FULL SPEED
The first riders of the day were classified in 3h 28' 52" after the 174.1 km race, for an average speed of 50.013 km/h. This is the second-fastest stage in the history of the Tour.
1982: BELGIUM PILLING UP VICTORIES
Tim Merlier claims Belgium's 494th Tour victory, and already the 4th in 2025. This is the first time the Belgians have won four of the first nine stages since... 1982! The winners were Ludo Peeters (stage 1), Daniel Willems (stage 3), Pol Verschuere (stage 7), and Frank Hoste (stage 8).
8: FOR THE MOUNTAINS, SEE YOU FROM TOMORROW
The leader of the best climbers classification, Tim Wellens, has only 8 points after 9 stages. Such a low total has not been seen since 2018 – Toms Skujins led with 6 points after 9 stages. This is mainly due to the relatively low mountain profile so far, before the arrival of more significant climbs, starting tomorrow. Stage 10 between Ennezat and Le Mont-Dore Puy de Sancy has 8 climbs, including 7 Category 2 climbs. 37 points for the polka dot jersey will be up for grabs tomorrow, compared to 34 since the start.
2: RICKAERT LIKE VAN DER POEL
Alpecin-Deceuninck has won 13 Tour stages, but the combativity prize awarded to Jonas Rickaert is only the second in its history! The Belgian succeeds his teammate Mathieu Van der Poel (with whom he escaped today), rewarded after stage 12 of the Tour 2023. It was already a July 13th!
2/3: TWO BELGIANS ON THE PODIUM
With Tim Merlier (1st) and Arnaud de Lie (3rd), Belgium has placed two riders on the podium of a stage for the first time since 2023, and the 1-2 finish of Jordi Meeus and Jasper Philipsen (stage 21 in the Champs-Élysées). This is also de Lie's third top-3, after stages 3 and 8 last year.
