Tour de France : Dutchman Wins Longest Stage

Dutchman Adri van der Poel beat four opponents in a final sprint to win the 161-mile ninth--and longest--stage, and Erich Maechler of Switzerland maintained his overall lead Thursday in the Tour de France bicycle race.

Van der Poel charged late to finish the flat stage in 7 hours 5 minutes 54 seconds, just ahead of Italy’s Roberto Amadio, Belgian Ludo Peeters, Dutchman Theo de Rooy and Frenchman Dominique Garde.

The riders face a major test today in the 54-mile 10th stage, the Tour’s first individual time trial.

“I attained my objective, which was to keep the yellow jersey until the time trial,” said Maechler, the overall leader six consecutive days. “But tomorrow, the time trial is a little too long for me. “

West German cyclist Viola Paulitz won the pack sprint in the first stage of the Women’s Tour de France, while prolog winner Jeannie Longo of France retained the leader’s yellow jersey in a 40-mile leg from Sable-sur-Sarthe to Renaze.