"I feel like I could have won the stage" - Jordi Meeus sour about losing to Jonathan Milan in Valence
Cycling
It hasn't been an ideal Tour de France for Jordi Meeus so far, having crashed earlier in the race and with just an 8th place from stage 9 to speak of. With Danny van Poppel not at the start this morning, there weren't many reasons for optimism, but the big sprinter surged in the rain to arrive just shy of green jersey Jonathan Milan.
Afterwards, the Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe felt like there was more possible today: "I'm really disappointed. I feel like if I launched first, I would win the stage," Meeus sounded fairly down after finishing second in Valence.
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"I think I rode perfectly in the finale, I was always very well placed, away from the chaos and the crashes. But hats off to Milan, he had a very good sprint. I was really close to the finish line, but it wasn't enough."
The winner on Champs-Élysées from 2023 doesn't dare to dream about repeating his success, fully aware it's not the same stage he won two years ago. "It's not sure if there will really be two sprints left before the end of the Tour, you never know. So to have a real opportunity to win and not to capitalize on it is very disappointing."
Arnaud De Lie
Although Tim Merlier was held back by a crash, Belgians had multiple cards in the mix today and Arnaud De Lie came close to joining compatriot Meeus on a virtual podium of the day.
"I think I needed to be more in Milan's wheel and not be next to him, because when he started his sprint, I touched his wheel, and that made me lose all my speed," the Lotto sprinter explained what costed him a better result.
Arnaud De Lie has all the reasons to smile this Tour as he seems back to his best
"It's disappointing, because I think there was a way to do better than fourth. But you have to look at the positive: even if there was a crash, I did quite well," explains the former Belgian champion. "I'm not saying I would have won, but I would have had a much better chance of being able to do something compared to the previous sprints."
Not all is lost yet, De Lie says more optimistically. Unlike many others, the 23-year-old looks forward to Montmartre stage in Paris. "There's still a chance. Maybe not a bunch sprint, but I think that with the legs that the team has, and that I have, we can arrive with big ambitions."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- Love this guy. He is such a pure racer.mij07-11-2026
- Fair enough. Everyone’s entitled to one and I respect yours! Nothing wrong with being a one week and GT guy if that’s his vibemij07-11-2026
- LOL...it's a predetermined finish ! N one is 'clashing' at these exhibition crits!frieders307-11-2026
- Surely the UCI and the race organisers have a responsibility to ensure the best medical care is available to riders when incidents like this happen. All very well pushing for global expansion but not so good if riders lives are put at risk because medical support is not up to scratch.Andy12306-11-2026
- Well it clearly helps that this was Pidcock's own car, no?Occam06-11-2026
- The American performance at the World's road race was a masterclass in cycling tactics. If it wasn't McNulty, it might well have been Jorgensen or Simmons to take off and win in a solo break.Occam06-11-2026
- What a gimmick
Rafionain-Glas06-11-2026 - Thats only cause he rides for UAE. In any other team he would be captain in many races atleast. UAE is just to crazymiguel06-11-2026
- He seems to be the rare athlete whose passion and curiosity about life beyond his sport equals his extraordinary achievements in it. It would be great for him to risk less of that life. He seems very grateful and joyful for what he has already attained.
MarkFour06-11-2026 - As much as I admire and even revere Wout, the less I know about his backside the better.MidnightRider06-11-2026
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