Flying Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel showed his absolute class in brutal 40°C heat to secure his third career Tour de France stage victory on Stage 9. Photo: AFP
Cobbled classics specialist Mathieu van der Poel claimed his third Tour de France win on Sunday with victory in the ninth stage, which was shortened due to intense heat.
The 31-year-old Dutchman, a former world champion, won a sprint amongst his three breakaway companions, with Tobias Johannessen taking second and Tom Pidcock third.
"It was a super hard day. The start of the Tour was not great for our team, but I think, like always, we stayed calm," he said.
"We have a really nice group here and we kept believing that it will turn around ... but it's really nice to go to the first rest day with a win."
