The stage victory gives Philipsen the first race leader's jersey of the race as well as the first green jersey. Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis) leads the mountains classification after claiming two points from the day's breakaway while Girmay, 25, is the best young rider.

A key teammate of Tour de France leader Tadej Pogačar has abandoned the race. João Almeida had fractured a rib during Stage 7 and was dropped early during Sunday’s ninth stage between Chinon and Châteauroux.

Ben O'Connor is a late faller on a chaotic first day of the Tour de France as two key contenders lose time after a split and two riders abandon the race after crashes.

CHATEAUROUX, France - Tim Merlier powered past Jonathan Milan to win stage nine of the Tour de France on Sunday, denying the green jersey holder back-to-back wins after Mathieu van der Poel's audacious solo attack ended in heartbreak just 700 metres from the finish.

Italian rider Jonathan Milan timed his attack perfectly, adding a stage victory to the Olympic gold he won in the team pursuit at the 2021 Tokyo Games.

Stage 4/July 8: Amiens Metropole-Rouen (108 miles) Hilly Neutralized Start: 7:15 a.m. Estimated Finish: 11:22 a.m. Quick Preview: The most undulating stage of the first five days of the Tour. There are four categorized climbs in the last 18 miles, though they don’t appear selective, plus a slight uphill to the finish.

Stage 8, 171km from Saint-Meen-le-Grand - the birthplace of three-time Tour winner Louison Bobet - was always heading for a battle among the fast men, and it was the Italian who surfed the wheels best after losing his lead-out train, hopping onto Mathieu van der Poel ’s leadout before breaking clear.

Pogacar was happy to cruise around the peloton and stay safe on stage eight and still leads the general classification by 54 seconds from Remco Evenepoel, with Frenchman Kevin Vauquelin a further 17 seconds down and Jonas Vingegaard 1:17 adrift of his big rival.

This year's Tour de France will begin with Stage 1 on Saturday, July 5. A neutralised start will take place in Lille, France, at 1:10 p.m. local time, ...

You never know until the final, like today, you get this adrenaline, and it's pure racing, and I enjoy it' World Champion honoured to win while wearing rainbow jersey in Rouen