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Heat Cuts Tour Stage 9; Merlier Wins Stage 8, Pogacar Leads

7/11/2026

34 6 Full Breakdown

Summary

ASO Cuts Stage

ASO shortened Stage 9 to 155.5 km after a red heat-wave alert and earlier cut a 185.5-km Spanish stage by 13.5 km because of a swine-flu outbreak.
Tim Merlier won Stage 8 (Périgueux-Bergerac, 180 km), his fifth Tour stage and second straight victory.
Tadej Pogacar kept the yellow jersey with a 2 min 42 sec lead, said temps about 40 °C and urged riders to hydrate.
Visma | Lease a Bike will stay at the back on Stage 9 to conserve energy.

Summary

ASO Shortens Stage

ASO confirmed Stage 9 was shortened, the first such change in the Tour’s 113-year history due to extreme heat.
The UCI’s Extreme Weather Protocol was activated, permitting route changes, a later start and extra feeding zones under red-alert conditions.
Teams gave riders ice vests and ice-filled socks inside jerseys to lower body temperature.
The start was delayed to 13:45 CET and the finish to about 17:30 CET to miss the hottest period.

History

Historical Context

The Tour has shortened stages when weather threatened safety, notably the 1996 snow-storm that cut the Val-d'Isère-to-Sestriere route and the 2019 landslides that trimmed mountain stages. In 1995 the race began on 1 July and included two rest days, highlighting its logistical scale. That precedent guides today’s heat-shortened Stage 9, illustrating the event’s ongoing commitment to rider safety.

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ASO Cuts Stage

ASO shortened Stage 9 to 155.5 km after a red heat-wave alert and earlier cut a 185.5-km Spanish stage by 13.5 km because of a swine-flu outbreak.
Tim Merlier won Stage 8 (Périgueux-Bergerac, 180 km), his fifth Tour stage and second straight victory.
Tadej Pogacar kept the yellow jersey with a 2 min 42 sec lead, said temps about 40 °C and urged riders to hydrate.
Visma | Lease a Bike will stay at the back on Stage 9 to conserve energy.

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