Arnaud Démare: ‘Like a boxing match’

Race reportJul 13, 2025

World Team TeamTour de France

Arnaud Démare joined the sprint in Châteauroux. Kevin Vauquelin is 3rd overall in the Tour de France.

Arnaud Démare

It was hot on Sunday, and fortunately with the wind at our backs, there was little air to cool us down. The peloton rode fast all day, given the quality of the frontrunners. Even though it was a flat stage, it wasn't all plain sailing. The finish was very, very fast. I got into the right train when I saw Israel-Premier Tech coming up, and it wasn't easy enough to be in front. I believed it when I saw that I was in the right train. There was a lot of elbowing in the final, and it was like a boxing match to keep your place. I put on the brakes a few times in the last 700 metres and it was difficult to get going again after that.

Kévin Vauquelin

Tomorrow is Bastille Day, 14 July, so the stage on offer is a tough one and the peloton will be determined to start very strongly. These flat stages have given me a bit of a breather, as the start of the Tour has been very energy-consuming. These two slightly quieter days were very welcome and it's very important in a three-week race to settle down. We'll have to push hard on the pedals tomorrow. We'll see, it's a bike race, you never know what can happen. The Tour is going well so far, and we're going to try to keep up the momentum.

Laurent Pichon

Sport director

The ninth stage of the Tour de France was ridden with the wind at your back and the risk of a breakaway in the final. There were many tense moments in the peloton. Just like the start of the Tour, the ARKEA-B&B HOTELS team was involved with Kévin Vauquelin and Arnaud Démare. We gave it everything we had and didn't get caught out. Arnaud was in a good position at the start of the sprint, but unfortunately things settled down a bit on him on the right. It's a bit of a shame from a personal point of view for Arnaud but the main thing is preserved, everyone is safe and sound this evening ahead of a more difficult stage tomorrow, 14 July.

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