Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) won stage 9 of the Tour de France, beating compatriot Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) and Marc Hirschi (Team Sunweb) in a close sprint finish, with Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) and Mikel Landa (Bahrain McLaren) finishing in the same time.
Hirschi bravely attacked alone early on the Col de la Hourcere, 80km from the finish, but was cruelly caught just 1.6km from the line. He kicked off the sprint but was passed Pogacar and Roglic in the final metres.
Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) was distanced near the summit of the Col de Marie Blanque and finished 54 seconds down, slipping to eighth overall.
As the riders travel to the French coast for the first rest day on Monday, Roglic leads defending champion Bernal by 21 seconds, with Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) third at 28 seconds. Pogacar moved up to seventh thanks to the stage winner’s 10-second time bonus and is now at 44 seconds and very much an overall contender.
Daryl Impey (Mitchelton-Scott) finished the 153km stage in 4hr 24min 44sec, with countryman Ryan Gibbons (NTT Pro Cycling) next to him as they were handed stage positions of 115th and 117th, respectively. The pair have ridden large parts of the first week together and are placed 133rd and 147th overall, among the 166 riders still left in the Tour.