Stage 9 of the 2026 Tour de France was tailor-made for the breakaway, with an parcours full of ups and downs that encouraged attacking racing from the very start. After a fierce battle to get up the road, a powerful group finally broke clear, and this time, the peloton didn’t see them again until the very end.
The headline act was Mathieu van der Poel, who proved strongest in the finale to claim the stage victory after spending the day in the break. Tom Pidcock was also among the race’s biggest protagonists, riding aggressively throughout the stage and contributing heavily to the move, but ultimately falling short when it mattered most.
Behind them, UAE Team Emirates and INEOS Grenadiers both spent long periods driving the peloton, seemingly weighing up whether to bring the escapees back. In the end, both teams eased off, accepting that the stage wasn’t worth the effort, and the breakaway survived all the way to the finish.
Away from the stage itself, Ned Boulting and David Millar discuss Primož Roglič’s confirmed departure from Red Bull, where he ranks among the greatest riders of his generation, and what the move could mean for the final chapter of his career.
The episode also features one of David’s favourite stories from his racing days, as he reflects on the toughest day he ever endured on the bike, a ride that has largely gone under the radar despite leaving a lasting mark on his memory.
Ned Boulting and David Millar break down Stage 9
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37 Comments
Yep, this reminds me of Phil and Paul.
Fab thanks for the pod!
The best commentators by far. A crime they’re not on a main live channel
Its been a great week guys thank you' will we be getting david's rest day first week recap ? loved itv rest day coverage.
Loving the videos. The stage analysis is great. The next 20 minutes or so is the gold – so enjoyable and informative.
Thanks both for the great analysis you are providing – super interesting and informed. Loving it!
I can't say it enough, I love the insights, hearing you two break the stages down is amazing. It has changed my view of theme in such a supreme way.
Great work. Kelly had to be corrected like three times on the TNT coverage.
26:47 I love the hat 🤣🤣🤣💪💪💪
Great insights!!!
35:12 People are hilarious… Yes, Nice… Very nice
Thanks guys – yet another excellent analysis
Fantastic analysis as always. Was really nice to finally see MVDP do his thing; hopefully Pidcock has a moment as well now.
Tadej explained that in the breakaway was one from the leader of the top team. He said they were looking to go for the team win as well. That would reward them all nit just him.
Love it. getting kick out of the old hotel bar, and then David eating his waffle and Ned waffles on. Great hat. I have a UV umbrella for hiking with. Ridiculous, but oh my does it work well.
You guys are just unmissable. Superb analysis, supremely interesting and now you have the scope to give us facts that you weren't able to in the throes of commentary previously! Chapeau! So good to have you there.
Let us know where the hotel is so we can all avoid it 😂
Thanks guys, the insight you provide is unique, love it. One concern though…..that shelf behind the bar, stacked with booze, looks like its going to give way!!
When the Tour route is, as today, modified in any way due to circumstances beyond control, do the towns who have contributed in many ways, receive any reimbursement for the financial loss they may have enjoyed? The €3 return for €1 spent that you mentioned is a huge amount to a small town. Business owners and local government must be devastated despite understanding the importance. Thanks
Brilliant, two Brits abroad keeping up the tradition of getting kicked out of a French bar, only to top that in the same day by nearly getting elbowed off a viewing point by the locals! Keep up the great work lads, cracking post race diagnosis. 👍😎🧇🎩
Brilliant as always.
New merch opportunity: Never Strays Far (or FTLOC) paperweights!
As of today, Roglic has had the better career than Evenepoel.
missing Ned and Davids commentary and analysis on TV this year! I'm watching SBS which is good but not a patch on you guys.
I don’t know how to break this to Ned – in some slo-mo shots of crowds today after the finish, as we waited patiently for the podium presentation, there were fans wearing not one, not two but even stacks of three bucket hats on their heads, all from different sponsors, having obviously been showered by the caravan. I truly hope Ned finds out where the sweet spot is to stand by the road in the upcoming stages!
Perfection.
It's as if we're privy to a private, totally relaxed expert's chat, between a couple of ego less cycling legends recounting the days excitement.
David, Which Year and what happen that day during a Vuelta Spania did you refused to climb until the finish line or did you abandoned? At the Angliru wall because of the steepness of the parcours? Love your podcats you guys Thanks Jem
Pretty sure it was a lettuce that Matt Stephens won. And I think it might have been for a prime, rather than the overall?
Didn't Primož was like Olympic and World TT champion? C'mon, lads, he's out there, with others, even without le Grand Boucle.
I honestly prefer the chat and analysis to the racing!
I'm just wondering why there is a motorbike parked in the bar?
Thanks Gents, such a pleasure to see and hear you.
Great show again, miss the ITV coverage but this great to listen to.
SIS may have made the first isotonic gel and be trusted by champions – but they still give me the s**ts. Love the show all the same.
MvdP closing a 40 sec. gap on the hardest climb of the day was crucial. Same as him expanding the gap on the last climb.
Loving these videos. I miss the old TV coverage but I I'm enjoying these daily chats even more. Keep them coming and keep them just as they are. The format is perfect. I feel like I'm sitting in cafes and beauty spots with you, just happily listening to you talk knowledgeably and with great enthusiasm about the sport you love.
Pidcock explained that he hadn’t fixed his rear mech. I think he would have run VdP much closer with functioning gears