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Reactions: Stage 9 had the peloton on their hands and knees

Reactions: Stage 9 had the peloton on their hands and knees

One-hundred and forty-five kilometers, 4,500 meters of climbing, rain all day – welcome to stage 9 of the 2021 Tour de France.

The day began with both Mathieu van der Poel and Primoz Roglic opting to head home and ended with Australian Ben O’Connor (AG2R-Citroën) soaring to the stage victory and leaping up to second overall. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) continued to stamp his authority on the race and extended his lead.

In between, the sprinters suffered like hell. Stage 3 winner Tim Merlier (Alpecin-Fenix) was a DNF. French sprinters Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ) and Bryan Coquard (B&B Hotels p/b KTM) both fell victim to the difficult terrain and brutal weather, finishing outside the time limit. The Manx Missile Mark Cavendish (Deceuninck–QuickStep) just barely survived to race another day, as he made the time cut by less than two minutes.

All in all, it was a tough day for everyone in the peloton and they were a lively bunch discussing it on Twitter once they had showered and eaten. Enjoy!

Translation: “I could say so many things about today’s stage but to give you an idea, we have lost about 10 years of our life. 

Translation: “It is difficult to describe how I feel tonight because the disappointment is so great. Thanks to my team @Arkea_Samsic for the support!”

Editors note: Guarnieri and Delaplace finished outside of the time limit on stage 9

Translation: “First-round finished, there are 2 more rounds, very hard but positive week. We continue day by day.”

Translation: “Huge disappointment to have to leave the Tour de France after a week of suffering.”

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