Tour de France 2022 result LIVE: Bob Jungels wins Stage 9 after remarkable solo ride with Tadej Pogacar fifth

Luxembourg’s Bob Jungels completed a fantastic 60km solo ride to claim victory in the ninth stage of the Tour de France. On a mountainous ride from Aigle in Switzerland to Chatel les Portes du Solieil in France, Jungels held his place in the breakaway for most of the 193km trek before deciding to make a run for the finish.

The 29-year-old took advantage of the descent down Col del la Croix and pushed further ahead in the next valley to give himself enough time to tackle the final two climbs. With a lead of over two minutes he held off an inspired Thibaut Pinot after the Frenchman ran out of legs 2km from the finish to claim his first ever stage win in the Tour de France.

Elsewhere, Germany’s Simon Geschke moved to the top of the King of the Mountains race after three strong climbs including a win on the catergory 1 Col de la Croix to take the Polka Dot jersey off Denmark’s Magnus Cort Nielsen. Belgian Wout van Aert won the intermediate sprint to extend his lead in the points classification and keep possession of the Green Jersey whilst Tadej Pogacar cruised to a fifth place finish and retain the Yellow Jersey ahead of a rest day on Monday.

Relive all the updates from Stage 9 of the Tour de France:

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

• Mountainous 193km route from Aigle, Switzerland to Chatel, France

• Bob Jungels earns first stage win at Tour de France

• Simon Geschke replaces Magnus Cort as King of the Mountains

• Wout van Aert extends lead in battle for green jersey

• Tadej Pogacar retains Yellow Jersey maintains 39” lead in GC

Tour de France 2022: General classification leaderboard

17:01 , Michael Jones

Nairo Quintana returns to the top 10 with Tadej Pogacar retaining the Yellow Jersey. Jonas Vingegaard held on to his 39 second deficit but everyone else dropped seconds against the reiging champion.

1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 33:43:44

2. Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) Jumbo - Visma +39”

3. Geraint Thomas (GBR) INEOS Grenadiers +1’ 17”

4. Adam Yates (GBR) INEOS Grenadiers +1’ 25”

5. David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama - FDJ +1’ 38”

6. Romain Bardet (FRA) Team DSM +1’ 39”

7. Tom Pidcock (GBR) INEOS Grenadiers +1’ 46”

8. Enric Mas (ESP) Movistar Team +1’ 50”

9. Nielson Powless (USA) EF Education-Easypost +1’ 55”

10. Nairo Quintana (COL) Team Arkéa - Samsic +2’ 13”

Tour de France 2022: Bob Jungels wins Stage 9

16:56 , Michael Jones

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9 results

16:53 , Michael Jones

Here are the top-10 finishers from Stage 9:

1. Bob Jungels (LUX) AG2R - Citroën Team 4:46:39

2. Jonathan Castroviejo (ESP) INEOS Grenadiers +22”

3. Carlos Verona (ESP) Movistar Team +26”

4. Thibaut Pinot (FRA) Groupama - FDJ +40”

5. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates +49”

6. Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) Jumbo - Visma +49”

7. Geraint Thomas (GBR) INEOS Grenadiers +52”

8. Adam Yates (GBR) INEOS Grenadiers +52”

9. Enric Mas (ESP) Movistar Team +52”

10. Nairo Quintana (COL) Team Arkea-Samsic +52”

Tour de France 2022: Post match reaction from stage winner Bob Jungels

16:50 , Michael Jones

Bob Jungels spoke to reporters after the end of today’s race and was delighted with his achievement - a first stage victory in the Tour de France.

“It’s hard to say what I feel right now – I’m just overwhelmed to be honest.” he said, “This is huge, it’s what I came here for and means a lot for the team after a couple of years struggling, and a very tough last year with surgery and everything to take the victory.

“It was my style of racing, my shape has been getting better day by day. I knew I had to try from far out because probably on the last climb it wasn’t possible to move away from the favourites.

“I knew that if I held on [on the climbs] I could make up some time again on the downhill and on the flat, but that last two kilometres were endeles.

“I took all the risks I could and it happened and Im just very grateful and thanks to my team and everyone who believed in me in recent years.”

Tour de France 2022: Bob Jungels wins Stage 9!

16:45 , Michael Jones

Tour de France 2022: Pogacar retains Yellow Jersey

16:42 , Michael Jones

Tadej Pogacar was a quiet, unassuming presence in the peloton today, ably helping his UAE team to keep up the chasing momentum all the way to the finish.

He finished fifth and retains his lead out front in the GC standings, holding onto the yellow jersey for another day at least.

Tour de France 2022: Bob Jungels wins Stage 9!

16:40 , Michael Jones

Bob Jungels earns a stage win for his team, AC2R, who have had a contrasting day with the injury to Ben O’Connor. It’s ended on a high though as Jungels claims Luxembourg’s first stage win on the Tour de France since 2011.

Tour de France 2022: Bob Jungels wins Stage 9!

16:36 , Michael Jones

Jonathan Castroviejo claims second place with Carlos Verona also overhauling Thibaut Pinot for third. The Frenchman glides over the finish in fourth place before the chasing pack arrives with yellow jersey holder Tadej Pogacar taking fifth.

The day belongs to Bob Jungels though. He set off on his own with close to 60km left to travel, he took on the mountains, maintained his lead and held on to earn a stage victory.

Tour de France 2022: Bob Jungels wins Stage 9!

16:33 , Michael Jones

What a ride from Luxembourg’s Bob Jungels. He’s taken on the peaks and claimed his first ever Tour de France stage victory!

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

16:29 , Michael Jones

Castroviejo and Verona are out of the running. They’re too far back trailing by 50 seconds.

Bob Jungels has hit the final 2km. The gradient has increased to 7% but he has a lead of 32 seconds of Thibaut Pinot.

Jungels is going to make it, the road flattens out in 800m time. What a run this has been from the 29-year-old.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

16:26 , Michael Jones

Jungels was flying over 70km/h on the descent but Pinot, Castroviejo and Verona are the better climbers. He’s reached the base of the final uncategorised climb.

3km left to go and his lead is going up. It’s now 27 seconds. Will that be enough for the man from Luxembourg?

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

16:24 , Michael Jones

There is a potential four horse race for the stage developing here. Jungels has the lead but Pinot has done brilliantly to hold it at 20 seconds or so.

Behind them are Castroviejo and Verona, who are 43 seconds off the lead.

5km to go including a climb to the line. Can Jungels hold on?

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

16:20 , Michael Jones

Bob Jungels takes the KOM points and crosses the peak first, that may be enough to put him at the top of that competition but he’s only got eyes on the stage win.

He zips up the front of his jersey and heads towards the descent. This will be the key part of the race, if Jungels can open up a lead of around 40-45 seconds he could hold on.

8.4km to go.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

16:18 , Michael Jones

Bob Jungels has kicked back into life as Thibaut Pinot starts to run out of gas. The gap between these two is hovering at 30 seconds with Jonathan Castroviejo and Carlos Verona 20 seconds further back.

Jungels is inside the final kilometre. He should be able to get to the line first but can he extend his lead on the short descent after the peak?

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

16:13 , Michael Jones

Pinot is going to reel Jungels in. He’s only 40 seconds behind and there’s still over 4km until the peak of Pas de Morgins. Behind Pinot are Castroviejo and Verona who have left Uran behind.

In the peloton Tom Pidcock and Aleksandr Vlasov are beginning to struggle. They’ll need to push through until the end of the race in order to not lose time in the GC.

13.3km of the stage left to go.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

16:07 , Michael Jones

The gradient will start to ease off in 2km for Bob Jungels who has seen his lead halved by Thibaut Pinot. Castroviejo and Geschke had set off in pursuit with Pinot but they’ve fallen back leaving the chase to the Frenchman.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

16:01 , Michael Jones

Thibaut Pinot is digging deep to stay on the charge and has left his three companions behind in pursuit of Bob Jungels. The gap is quickly falling, it’s now just a minute and 30 seconds.

Pinot’s putting in a top effort here.

7.8km of the climb to go, 17.5km of the stage left.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

15:58 , Michael Jones

The gradient of the Pas de Morgins climb starts to get easier about 4km from the top. Bob Jungels is still 9km away from the summit as four riders step up the tempo and storm away from the breakaway.

Jungels’ lead is still two minutes. Can he stay in front?

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

15:52 , Michael Jones

Back in the peloton, the UAE riders still look composed out front and will know that they’re slowly gaining on the breakaway.

Ineos’s Geraint Thomas is also looking comfortable among them and Primoz Roglic has a smile on his face. The peloton is around three minutes back at present, only 30 seconds behind the Wout van Aert’s pursuing group.

10km of the Pas de Morgins’ climb left to go. One third of it already done.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

15:49 , Michael Jones

The peloton are closing in on Wout van Aert’s group and are just one minute behind. The breakaway riders don’t seem overly stressed about the time gap though.

Bob Jungels has increased his lead to two minutes, 25 seconds but there’s still 12km of the climb to run. He’s keeping his pace up well enough but if the breakaway decides to go it may not be long before they start gaining on him.

22km left in the day.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

15:42 , Michael Jones

Pas de Morgins is a 15.4km climb with a steep average gradient of 6.1%. Bob Jungels has put a lot of effort into his lead and may start to feel it as he plods along up the slope.

If he gets to the top with his lead in tact he could be looking at a stage win here.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

15:38 , Michael Jones

Ben O’Connor is falling ever further behind and is having discussions with his team car right at the back of the race. He’s going slowly and over 11 minutes behind the peloton but seems determined to complete the stage.

Jungels’ fantastic ride continues. He’s powered through this valley and is only a kilometre away from the base of Pas de Morgins - the final category climb of the stage.

His lead is one minute 47 seconds.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

15:34 , Michael Jones

This has been a great run from Bob Jungels who is going full out to extend his lead over the chasing pack. It’s up to one minute, 26 seconds and he’s being assisted by a tailwind.

The peloton is being driven forward by UAE Emirates they are three minutes behind Jungels and only 90 seconds behind Wout van Aert’s group.

Inside the final 30km of the stage now. The real test will come at the next climb. Can Jungels hold on to his lead or will he get reeled back in?

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

15:24 , Michael Jones

38km left in the day.

Bob Jungels has the lead of one minute, 5 seconds ahead of the chasing breakaway group.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

15:19 , Michael Jones

Bob Jungels is making a play to stretch out on his own. He’s forged ahead and opened a 52 second gap in the pursuing group that includes Wout van Aert.

He’s picked up some nice speed on the twisting downhill road but will soon run into a 14km flat stretch before the next climb.

Meanwhile the injury stricken Ben O’Connor has managed to stay in the race and is clinging some way back behind the peloton. It’s been a brave run from him.

The peloton is around 2:20 behind with 41km to go in the stage.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

15:11 , Michael Jones

King of the Mountains results from Col se la Croix:

1. Simon Geschke, 10 pts

2. Bob Jungels, 8 pts

3. Thibaut Pinot, 6 pts

4. Hugo Houle, 4 pts

5. Pierre Latour, 2 pts

6. Carlos Verona, 1 pt

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

15:06 , Michael Jones

This is what the riders will be looking forward to. They’re on a steep descent before a 20km journey along the flat until the final mountain of the day.

Jungels and Geschke fly away at the front of the race with a group of 13 riders chasing about 30 second behind them.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

15:03 , Michael Jones

Simon Geschke crosses the line at the summit of Col de la Croix! He takes all 10 points in the King of the Mountains contest and moves to the top of that leaderboard.

There’s one more climb left in today’s stage so he may not end the day there but for now the German will be claiming the Polka Dot jersey.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

15:01 , Michael Jones

Bob Jungels and Simon Geschke are in a battle for the KOM points with 500m to go. The German is catching up to Jungels and looks as though he’ll catch him before the line.

A little further back Wout van Aert leads the pursuing pack. They’re 30 seconds behind now.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

14:58 , Michael Jones

After his victory at the previous climb Pierre Latour goes on the attack again with 3.5km to go until the peak of Col de la Croix.

Benoit Cosnefroy drops away as does Jasper Stuyven. Bob Jungels then ups the tempo and moves ahead of the leaders making a push for the top of the mountain.

Dombrowski, Bonnamour and Niv all fall away.

This breakaway is beginning to thin out on this climb.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

14:50 , Michael Jones

This was a few kilometres back just before the base of the cat. 1 climb. One of the beautiful things about the Tour de France is how beautiful the scenery is at every stage.

The windy coastlines of Denmark gave way to the grassy field of France before these mountains views in Switzerland.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

14:47 , Michael Jones

The peloton is working incredible hard to catch up with the breakaway. They’ve cut a minute off the gap as they move up Col de lau Croix.

66km left to go today.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

14:40 , Michael Jones

The breakaway has hit Col de la Croix. This mountain is only an 8.1km climb but it’s way steeper than Col de Mosses. The average gradient is 7.6% so it’s going to require a big effort for the KOM contenders.

Further back Michael Woods needs some running repairs after his jersey was ripped in a crash earlier in the day. One of his team cars rolls up alongisde him and fastens some ducktape over the loose parts of the skin tight kit.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

14:35 , Michael Jones

71km to go today. The next climb is coming up in just a couple of kilometres and is worth 10 KOM points for the winner. Magnus Cort is in danger of losing the Polka Dot jersey today.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

14:32 , Michael Jones

King of the Mountains result at Col des Mosses:

1. Pierre Latour, 5 pts

2. Simon Geschke, 3 pts

3. Hugo Houle, 2 pts

4. Patrick Konrad, 1 pt

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

14:26 , Michael Jones

Fabio Jakobsen is falling away from the back of the peloton as he’s struggling with the climb. UAE Emirates’s Marc Hirsch has also found it tricky and is replaced by teammate Mikkel Bjerg at the front of the peloton.

Simon Geschke was edged into second place on the KOM climb and settles of three points. The German already picked up four points in a previous stage.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

14:23 , Michael Jones

Pierre Latour crests Col des Mosses in first position and takes the five King of the Mountains points! There’s a nice descent now and a chance for recovery before the steep cat. 1 Col de la Croix.

The peloton had cut the gap to around three minutes but the breakaway has gathered speed on the downhill section and have increased their lead again by 30 seconds.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

14:15 , Michael Jones

The effort needed to tackle these climbs is taking it’s toll on the riders. The average pace - which at one point hit 53 km/h earlier in the stage - is down to 44km/h.

That is by no means slow going but this Tour de France has been exceptionally quick and the hills today are hitting the cyclists differently.

Three km to go until the summit of Col de Mosses. After this climb there’s a steeper, category 1 mountain, Col de la Croix.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

14:09 , Michael Jones

90 km of Stage 9 left today with 5km left of category 2 climb Col des Mosses.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

14:05 , Michael Jones

Col des Mosses has been a KOM of the Tour de France in 1949, 1997, 2000, 2009 and 2016. Rafal Majka was first at the top six years ago.

Wout van Aert is leading the breakaway up the mountain. There’s 6km to go in this steep climb.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

13:58 , Michael Jones

The breakaway group have reached the base of the next climb. It’s the first category 2 rise of the 2022 Tour de france. Col des Mosses is 13.3km with a gradient of 4.1%.

95km to go.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

13:50 , Michael Jones

100km left to go.

Polka Dot jersey holder Magnus Cort is sat deep in the peloton cycling along at a comfortable pace. It doesn’t look as though he has any thoughts of challenging for the KOM points today.

The breakaway’s lead is now three minuts 18 seconds.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

13:44 , Michael Jones

The gap between the breakaway and the peloton is now over three minutes. As part of the leading group Rigoberto Uran is now under a minute behind Tadej Pogacar in the general classification.

There’s 103km to go as the riders head up a steady rise on their way towards Col des Mosse.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

13:36 , Michael Jones

Benoît Cosnefroy needs a wheel change in the leading group and has a bit of work to do to catch back up with the breakawy pack.

After Cosnefroy, Pierre Latour picks up a puncture too.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

13:28 , Michael Jones

With 284 points Wout van Aert has secured the green jersey until at least stage 12. Fabio Jakobsen from Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl is his closest challenger with 149 points.

115km to go.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

13:19 , Michael Jones

UAE are working hard at the front of the peloton to keep the gap between them and the breakaway to around two and a half minutes.

They are very much aware that Uran is travelling well in the breakaway.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

13:15 , Michael Jones

Here are the full results of the intermediate sprint at Semsales:

1. Wout van Aert, 20 pts

2. Nils Politt, 17 pts

3. Luis Leon Sanchez, 15 pts

4. Hugo Houle, 13 pts

5. Bob Jungels, 11 pts

6. Simon Geschke, 10 pts

7. Benoît Cosnefroy, 9 pts

8. Guy Niv, 8 pts

9. Pierre Latour, 7 pts

10. Patrick Konrad, 6 pts

11. Kobe Goossens, 5 pts

12. Ion Izagirre, 4 pts

13. Joe Dombrowski, 3 pts

14. Thibaut Pinot, 2 pts

15. Rigoberto Uran, 1 pt

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

13:10 , Michael Jones

Rigoberto Uran’s presence in the breakaway group may be causing a few nerves from the general classification riders. Uran is only three minutes, 24 seconds behind Tour leader Tadej Pogacar and if the leading pack get clear Uran could fly up the leaderboard.

The gap is two minutes, 22 seconds, it will be interesting to see how far in front the peloton lets them get before a response.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

13:07 , Michael Jones

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

13:03 , Michael Jones

Wout van Aert storms to the front of the 21 breakaway riders and leads them through the intermeditate sprint at Semsales. He crosses the line at the head of the pack and collects the 20 points in the sprinters qualification.

None of the breakaway group challenged him all that much and the green jersey holder takes a firmer grip on his prize.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

12:58 , Michael Jones

Wout van Aert takes the chasing pack up to the breakaway group knowing he needs to be up near the front by the time the intermediate sprint rolls around in 3km time.

139km left to go.

The breakaway group has about 20 riders in it now, maybe slightly more. They are one minute 27 seconds in ahead of the peloton.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

12:55 , Michael Jones

Oh hello. There’s been a response to the breakaway group.

Seven chasers, Wout van Aert, Brandon McNulty, Benoît Cosnefroy, Nils Politt, Ion Izagirre, Edvald Boasson Hagen and Pierre Latour are chasing 25” behind the leading 15.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

12:53 , Michael Jones

15 riders have managed to get clear in a breakaway forcing team TotalEnergies to react.

The distance is a 45 second gap with some big names in the leading group: Luis Leon Sanchez, Kobe Goossens, Thibaut Pinot, Warren Barguil, Lennard Kämna and Rigoberto Uran are all up there.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

12:46 , Michael Jones

The riders pass Charlie Chaplin world, with a mural of the famous actor laid out on the side of one of the hills.

The Eurosport commentary throws out a few facts about Chaplin’s life, including his flight to Switzerland from McCarthyism in the USA when he was branded a communist.

Interesting stuff for the history buffs.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

12:41 , Michael Jones

149km to go as the peloton flies over the first summit of the day. Mathieu van der Poel and Peter Sagan are among the riders dropped in the first climb of the day.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

12:37 , Michael Jones

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

12:33 , Michael Jones

Inside the final half-kilometre of the climb and there are a few riders making a push for the summit.

Ineos Grenadiers’ Jonathan Castroviejo flies out in front and takes the KOM point by reaching the top first.

There’s now a flat run before an uncategorised hill leading to the intermediate sprint.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

12:28 , Michael Jones

The Cote de Bellevue is a 4.3km climb and the leading riders hit it. It’s a steady 4% gradient with the peloton evenly spread out behind a group of four riders pushing out in front.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

12:24 , Michael Jones

Michael Woods from Israel-PremierTech was a victim in the earlier crash and he has a torn jersey with a nasty bruise beginning to show on his back.

Elsewhere, Caleb Ewan has had to stop due to a flat tyre.

160km to go.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

12:21 , Michael Jones

164km to go and the riders that fell behind are making their way back to the peloton.

No breakaway has developed as the pace is rapid. It’s up to 53km/h now with the riders coming up to Cote de Bellevue. This first climb could see some of the stronger riders start to pull ahead.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

12:15 , Michael Jones

There’s an early crash as the peloton heads over a roundabout about 22km in. Michael Woods, Tony Gallopin, Chris Hamilton and Tiesj Benoot all hit the concrete but look okay to continue.

No-one has gotten away as of yet and the first category climb is quickly approaching.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

12:09 , Michael Jones

Mads Pedersen is reeled back in by peloton just after the 18km mark.

Just ahead is Vevey, the native town of Pascal Richard who was the 1996 Olympic champion for road racing and won two stages of the Tour de France (in 1989 and 1996).

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

12:04 , Michael Jones

The peloton is strung out across the road after 15km of racing. Mads Pedersen attempts to set up a breakaway and flies ahead on his own.

The peloton hasn’t let the leaders get away yet but Pedersen has opened a seven or eight second lead.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

11:57 , Michael Jones

The opening 30km are the flattest part of today’s stage before consistent climbing through the mountains. That means the weaker climbers will push to get into a breakaway early on to give themselves a lead before they hit the hills.

Ben O’Connor has dropped off the back of the peloton already and is hoping that the breakaway gets going so that the pace of the rest of the pack settles down.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

11:53 , Michael Jones

5km into the stage and there are a lot of riders trying to sprint away from the peloton. Separate groups have developed and the pace is quite decent.

The front runners are bombing it at close to 50 km/h with the average race speed at touch under 40km/h.

187km left to ride.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

11:50 , Michael Jones

There are little gaps starting to appear as Philippe Gilbert becomes the first rider on the attack.

There is a group of 10 or so riders who have given it a go to start a breakaway Thibaut Pinot, Bauke Mollema, and Jan Tratni are amongst them.

Gilbert may have dropped back to the front of the peloton.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

11:47 , Michael Jones

The riders have to deal with a headwind as they reach the Départ Réel and get Stage 9 properly underway. There are 3,700 metres of climbing today, the most in a single day of the tour so far.

193km to go.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

11:43 , Michael Jones

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) exchange some words in the neutralised zone.

Both have been the outstanding riders of the Tour so far, taking half of all stages between them.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

11:39 , Michael Jones

5km to go before the race kicks off properly. Guillaume Martin is the only Covid related absence to drop out today, but there at 11 riders missing from Stage 9.

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

11:35 , Michael Jones

There’s a 7.5km neutral ride before the Départ Réel. Most of the talk this morning has been about the potential breakaway.

The riders who get ahead of the peloton may be able to ride that lead to the very end of the stage so today’s winner could be decided by this early tactical decision.

Tour de France 2022: More Covid-19 withdrawals

11:30 , Michael Jones

There have been more withdrawals this morning an several riders will not take part today. Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) has not made the start due to Covid-1 whilst Kasper Asgreen (Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl) and Ruben Guerreiro (EF Eduaction-Easypost) miss the stage with non-Covid related illnesses.

It’s the first time that Martin has abandoned a stage race since he turned pro with Wanty in 2016.

“I felt my throat was sore and I asked to be tested and I turned out to be positive,” said Martin, who was 13th in the overall standings after Saturday’s eighth stage.

“The decision was taken in a collegial manner by the concerned team doctor, the Covid-19 doctor for the event and the UCI Medical Director, on the basis of the available clinical elements”, added the UCI.

Tour de France 2022: Current jersey holders

11:24 , Michael Jones

During the Tour de France, there are four jerseys that can be won by the riders, each with their own distinguising features.

The Yellow Jersey is worn by the current leader of the Tour de France. After eight stages of the 2022 edition Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar is in posession of the iconic jersey.

For the sprinters’ points classification, the reward is the Green Jersey. Belgium’s Wout van Aert was victorious in yesterday’s ride picking up his second stage win of the tour.

Denmark’s Magnus Cort Nielsen is the current King of the Mountains leading Pogacar by a single point meaning that he wears the Polka Dot Jersey.

The young rider of the tour is currently Great Britian’s Tom Pidcock who wears the White Jersey due to holder, Tadej Pogacar, currently leading the Tour in the yellow jersey.

Tour de France 2022: Meaning behind yellow, green, polka dot and white jersey colours

11:18 , Michael Jones

The 2022 Tour de France sees 176 riders compete for the famous yellow jersey or maillot jaune which rewards the overall winner of the race.

While the yellow jersey, won in 2020 and 2021 by Slovenian prodigy Tadej Pogacar, is the most famous and prestigious of them all, there are three other colours to look out for in the peloton taking on this year’s Tour de France route.

The green, polka dot, and white jerseys all have their own meanings, histories and significance for their respective holders.

The meaning behind each Tour de France coloured jersey

Tour de France 2022: Stage-by-stage guide, route maps and profiles

11:12 , Michael Jones

The 2022 Tour de France begins in Copenhagen on Friday 1 July and finishes in Paris on Sunday 24 July, where Slovenian superstar Tadej Pogacar hopes to be wearing yellow and be crowned champion for the third year in a row.

Standing in his way is the sheer strength and depth of Dutch team Jumbo-Visma, who carry multiple threats including Pogacar’s national teammate Primoz Roglic and last year’s Tour runner-up, Jonas Vingegaard. Ineos Grenadiers are without their leading light Egan Bernal, the 2019 champion who is still recovering from injury, but they do have the in-form Geraint Thomas fresh from winning the Tour de Suisse, as well as potential stage winners Adam Yates and Tom Pidcock.

Here is a stage-by-stage look at this year’s route.

Tour de France 2022 stage-by-stage guide

Tour de France 2022: Pogacar’s teammate Laengen ruled out with Covid

11:06 , Michael Jones

Geoffrey Bouchard and Vegard Stake Laengen became the first Tour de France riders to pull out of the race with COVID-19, their teams said on Saturday.

Shortly after Bouchard’s withdrawal, UAE Team Emirates said Norwegian Laengen, a team mate of overall leader Tadej Pogacar, had tested positive.

“Vegard tested negative yesterday morning during the routine internal team testing protocol. But he reported sore throat symptoms late last night,” team doctor Adriano Rotunno said.

“The COVID-19 antigen test was positive, and the diagnosis was confirmed on a PCR test this morning. As per protocol, for his, the team, and the peloton’s safety he will be withdrawn from the race.”

Frenchman Bouchard, 30, won the mountains classification at the 2019 Vuelta a Espana and in last year’s Giro d’Italia.

“During the (seventh) stage (on Friday) I did not feel well. It’s a huge disappointment because we were just getting to my favourite terrain, the mountains,” AG2R-Citroen’s Bouchard said in a team statement.

AG2R-Citroen said that the rest of their squad, from whom Bouchard had been isolated, were negative for COVID-19.

Tour de France 2022: The invisible champion out to win historic third Tour de France

10:58 , Michael Jones

In Monaco, Tadej Pogacar blends into the city. He walks invisibly through the streets and potters freely around his local supermarket. Even in his favourite bike shop, the best cyclist in the world queues among the muggles without being disturbed. “I like to go inside and see what’s new, and of course I don’t mind if there’s customers in front of me, it’s normal,” he says.

By all measures a double Tour de France champion should be one of the most recognisable athletes on the planet, a bonafide global superstar unable to walk through a hotel lobby without dark glasses and an entourage, but somehow Pogacar has not yet transcended the sport. One suspects if he was from cycling’s European heartlands or the US with a name that rolled off the tongue, his profile might be a little different. His “TP” brand with an eagle motif and a “never give up” tagline is yet to take off quite like Roger Federer or Tiger Woods.

But understated and low-key is how Pogacar approaches life and cycling, just riding for the joy of it, an ethos which has brought rich rewards so far. After winning back-to-back Tours de France, an historic third next month would set him firmly on course to becoming one of cycling’s all-time greats, and what makes it all possible is just how little he is driven by his own sporting legacy. “For me that’s not something that I would enjoy after [my career] too much and brag about it. I work hard to win a lot of races, but for me the priority is just to be a good friend to my friends and have good relations with the people I want in my life.”

Tadej Pogacar: The invisible champion out to win historic third Tour de France

Tour de France 2022: Satge 9 route map and profile of 193km road to the Alps today

10:50 , Michael Jones

Stage nine takes this Tour de France into the mountains and this final ride before Monday’s rest day could set up another battle between the big general classification stars.

The majority of this 193km route is in Switzerland, starting in Aigle where an immediate category four climb (Cote de Bellevue, 4.3km at 4% gradient) offers a platform for the breakaway to form.

A sprint and two more category climbs follow before a long descent into France and one final mountain before a run to the finish. Take a look at how Stage 9 shapes up for the contenders:

Stage 9 set for battle in the mountains as Tour de France arrives in the Alps today

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9 map and profile

10:43 , Michael Jones

Here’s what the riders have to look forward to today:

Tour de France 2022: General classification before stage 9

10:36 , Michael Jones

Here’s how the battle for the yellow jersey is shaping up:

1. Pogacar 28hrs 56’ 16”

2. Vingegaard +39”

3. Thomas +1’ 14”

4. A. Yates +1’ 22”

5. Gaudu +1’ 35”

6. Bardet +1’ 36”

7. Pidcock +1’ 39”

8. Powless +1’ 41”

9. Mas +1’ 47”

10. Martinez +1’ 59”

Tour de France 2022: How to watch Stage 9

10:30 , Michael Jones

The stage is scheduled to start at around 11.45pm BST with the expected finish at around 4:45pm BST.

Tour de France coverage can be found this year on ITV4, Eurosport, Discovery+ and GCN+ (Global Cycling Network).

Live racing each day will be shown on ITV4 before highlights typically at 7pm each day. ITV’s website lists timings here.

Eurosport and GCN+ will show every minute of every stage. More on Eurosport’s coverage here and the GCN+ coverage here.

It is also being shown on Eurosport’s Discovery+ streaming service, with broadcast info here.

Tour de France 2022: Wout van Aert takes stage eight Tour glory as Tadej Pogacar extends lead

10:22 , Michael Jones

Wout Van Aert and Tadej Pogacar once again took the glory on stage eight of the Tour de France as Van Aert snatched his second victory of the week and Pogacar extended his lead in the yellow jersey.

After hopes of a breakaway success were extinguished as the race moved into Switzerland, Van Aert had the power to beat Michael Matthews in an uphill sprint to the Olympic Stadium in Lausanne, but Pogacar, ever hungry for success, was in the mix too as he came home in third.

And such is the appetite of a rider who has been compared to “The Cannibal” Eddy Merckx in recent days that the 23-year-old tried to fight for what would have been a third stage win in as many days, and sounded disappointed when he could only manage third place.

Wout van Aert takes stage eight Tour glory as Tadej Pogacar extends lead

Tour de France 2022: Stage 8 recap

10:15 , Michael Jones

After a long journey to the top of Cote du Stade Olympique, stage 8 of the Tour de France came down to a hilly sprint finish and the green jersey holder, Wout van Aert came up with the goods to win his second stage of the 2022 tour.

Here’s a look at the winning moment for the Belgian:

Tour de France 2022: Stage 9

09:40 , Michael Jones

Hello and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of the 2022 Tour de France. Today’s ride sees the contenders journey 193km from Aigle in Switzerland through the mountains before finishing at Les Chatel Portes du Soleil in France. It is the last ride before a rest day on Monday so expect attacks and moves from the general classification cyclists fighting for the yellow jersey.

Belgian Wout van Aert took the victory in Saturday’s stage 8, winning a sprint finish at the top of Cote du Stade Olympique to start today’s run as the green jersey holder whilst Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar finished third and extended his lead in the GC to 39 seconds.

Pogacar will be hoping for another strong showing today to ensure he holds onto the yellow jersey heading into the next stage.