Samwise Cycle Racing Newsletter
Monday, July 13, 2026
Pogčar Leads by 2:42 Over Vingegaard as Tour de France Reaches First Rest Day
Tadej Pogčar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) heads into the Tour de France’s first rest day on Monday with a commanding 2:42 lead over Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) in the general classification. Isaac del Toro, also of UAE Team Emirates-XRG, sits third at 3:27, followed by Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) at 3:30 and Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) at 3:34 after nine stages of racing. In the points competition, Mads Pedersen leads with 143 points. Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost) tops the mountains classification with 13 points, while Ayuso also holds the white jersey as best young rider. The peloton rests ahead of Tuesday’s decisive Bastille Day summit finish at Le Lioran.
Sources: Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Van der Poel Powers Through Heat to Win Shortened Stage 9 from Breakaway in Ussel
Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) won stage 9 of the Tour de France in Ussel on Saturday, outpowering a four-rider breakaway group in a punishing sprint on a day shortened by 30 kilometres due to red-alert heat warnings across central France. Van der Poel drove the final group’s selection with 25 kilometres remaining, then led the sprint for almost the entire final kilometre. Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) finished second ahead of Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5), who suffered a mechanical on the final descent. Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost) narrowly held on for fourth, only six seconds ahead of the peloton. The finish temperature in Ussel reached 34 degrees Celsius.
Sources: Cyclingnews Cycling Weekly Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Pogčar Launches Long-Range Tourmalet Attack to Win Stage 6 and Retake Yellow Jersey
Tadej Pogčar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) launched a long-range attack on the Col du Tourmalet on Wednesday to win stage 6 of the Tour de France and retake the yellow jersey from Mads Pedersen. Pogčar took complete control on the first mountain stage, distancing Jonas Vingegaard and the other GC contenders on the Tourmalet’s upper slopes to re-establish UAE’s grip on the race. Pedersen had taken the yellow jersey after winning stage 4 in Foix. Pogčar, who said ‘I couldn’t sleep long because I was so excited,’ put on an aggressive display that set the general classification hierarchy ahead of the sprint stages and the first rest day.
Sources: Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Merlier Claims Back-to-Back Tour de France Sprint Victories in Bordeaux and Bergerac
Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) won back-to-back sprint stages at the Tour de France, taking stage 7 in Bordeaux on Thursday and stage 8 in Bergerac on Friday. On stage 7, Merlier timed his effort to perfection in a headwind finish along the Garonne river, coming out of the slipstream with 150 metres to go ahead of Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility). On stage 8, a late-race breakaway rider, Liam Slock, was caught just 1.3 kilometres from the line before Merlier launched from seventh wheel to claim his second consecutive stage. Biniam Girmay (NSN) finished second on stage 8, with Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM) third.
Sources: Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Seven Climbs and a Summit Finish at Le Lioran Set the Scene for Bastille Day Showdown
Stage 10 of the Tour de France on Tuesday delivers the race’s first major summit finish — a 166-kilometre test from Aurillac through the Cantal’s volcanic terrain to Le Lioran on Bastille Day. Seven categorised climbs await the peloton, with Col de la Griffoul making its Tour debut, followed by two Category 1 climbs before the final ascent of Col de Font de Cère, which crests less than three kilometres from the line. The same finish appeared in 2024, when Jonas Vingegaard out-sprinted Tadej Pogčar for the stage victory. France’s climbers are expected to attack on the national holiday in front of home crowds.
Sources: Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Pogčar Calls for End to Summer Racing After Tour Stage Shortened by Extreme Heat
Tour de France leader Tadej Pogčar called for a rethink of professional cycling’s race calendar after stage 9 was shortened by 30 kilometres due to red-alert heat warnings in central France. ‘If I had the power to change all, I would change the whole calendar,’ Pogčar told reporters. ‘I would not race in July and in August in the hot place. That’s something we need to think through.’ Organisers shortened stage 9 from 185.5 to 154.6 kilometres due to the exceptional conditions. Pogčar described the 2026 race as ‘hellish hot’ but praised UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s cooling work, saying his body temperature was ‘probably cooler than any Tour before.’
Sources: Cyclingnews Cycling Weekly Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Van Aert Takes First Ride Since Elbow Infection Surgery Forced His Tour de France Exit
Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) returned to cycling over the weekend after an elbow infection forced him to miss the Tour de France, taking part in a charity group ride near his home in Herentals covering 67.6 kilometres at an average of 30.6kph. Van Aert had not ridden since abandoning the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes on June 12 after a training crash led to a serious elbow infection requiring surgery. His team confirmed the wound was surgically cleaned after he developed a fever and could no longer bend his elbow, with doctors warning he ‘could have contracted sepsis.’ The Vuelta a España remains on his provisional calendar.
Sources: Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
General Classification — After Stage 9
GC Top 5
1. Pogčar — Leader | UAE Team Emirates-XRG
2. Vingegaard — +2:42 | Visma-Lease a Bike
3. del Toro — +3:27 | UAE Team Emirates-XRG
4. Evenepoel — +3:30 | Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe
5. Ayuso — +3:34 | Lidl-Trek
Stage 9 Winner
Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech)
Other Classifications
Points (Green Jersey)
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) — 143 pts
Mountains (Polka Dot Jersey)
Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost) — 13 pts
Young Rider (White Jersey)
Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek)
Rest Day
Stage 10: Aurillac → Le Lioran, July 14
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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