Tadej Pogacar's hopes of securing a fourth Tour de France crown took on a knock on Sunday when key UAE Team Emirates-XRG lieutenant Joao Almeida was forced to drop out of the race.
Almeida suffered a fractured rib along with various cuts and scrapes after a 12-rider downhill pile-up at the Mur de Bretagne on Stage 7, limping home losing around 10 minutes on the day, yet still managing to get through the following day's action unscathed.
“It was good to see Joao finish the stage OK,” said race leader Pogacar after Stage 8, as thoughts began to turn to Monday's Stage 10 and its eight classified climbs among other challenges in the Massif Central. “Monday is a brutal stage but nobody is expecting Joao to kill himself for a bike race.”
Before the fall Almeida himself was also contention for a spot on the podium – starting Stage 7 in seventh place in the general classification – and would have been a contender throughout the mountainous second half of the Tour.
But the Portuguese rider's Tour is over for this year after the pain proved too much to bear, especially knowing the challenges coming hot on the horizon, and Pogacar will be a key man down.
“Sadly Joao had to abandon,” said Pogacar after Stage 9 which saw him maintain a 54-second lead over Remco Evenepoel. “It was too much to bear and I think everybody understands and wish him all the best.
"He could have done great things on a personal level here, and of course, he would have been a great help in the mountains, both mentally and physically.Now we'll adapt and continue."
Almeida finished fourth at the 2024 Tour de France and started this year's edition on the back of strong results elsewhere, having won the Tour de Suisse, Tour de Romandie and Itzulia Basque Country.
Pogacar, meanwhile, kept a firm grip on the leader's yellow jersey despite an epic breakaway attempt from Alpecin-Deceuninc duo Mathieu van der Poel and Jonas Rickaert.
On a sun drenched slog from the Chinon vineyards, Van der Poel and Rickaert broke early and built up a lead of 5 min 30 sec on the flat roads to Chateauroux.
Rickaert won the combativity award for accompanying Van der Poel to within 10km of the line before slumping over his handlebars.
With his gung-ho all-in style Van der Poel grew his Tour de France legend here despite being caught with 700m to go, the plaudits will be both his and Merlier's.
As Van der Poel was reeled in, it looked as though Jonathan Milan would win a second consecutive stage but Tim Merlier got ahead with 50m remaining as Milan finished second with Arnaud De Lie completing the podium.
“One moment I thought I was boxed in but I can come out just before 200 metres or maybe just after, I don't know any more,” Merlier said. “I just go all in and I'm happy I can win my second stage here.”
Pogacar added: “Today was fast and furious thanks to the two guys in front and also the wind was blowing to make it hard.
"Tomorrow is a solid day. A proper climbing day, it does not look so hurtful on the profile but I think it is going to be a really hard race and we are ready."
It is a big day of climbing next up on what is Bastille Day in France with 4,400m of elevation gain across seven category-two climbs and a category-three ascent is likely to put the sprinters in trouble almost from the start on a stage that looks made for breakaway specialists.
Road signs in honour of British cycling great Mark Cavendish had been placed at entry points to Chateauroux – reading Cavendish City – in homage to the now-retired 40-year-old, after he won three stages there in 2008, 2011 and 2021.
