Tim Merlier wins stage nine of the Tour de France in a sprint finish as Mathieu van der Poel's hopes of an audacious breakaway victory are dashed inside the final kilometre.

Tim Merlier bags his second stage win in this Tour. CHATEAUROUX, France — Belgian sprinter Tim Merlier won the ninth stage of the Tour de France in a mass sprint after Mathieu van der Poel spent the whole day at the front before being caught by the ...

"It was quite okay in the bunch today but with the echelons attempts in the finale, I didn’t get any drink in the last 60 kilometres, so I was a bit overheated. Apart from that, it was quite okay today although it was nervous. Five minutes and a half was ...