Tour de France 2025 nearly broke a record in the 122 years of history of this competition, the most renowned cycle race in the world. Stage 9 of the race, a 174.1km sprint stage between Chinon and Châteauroux, was the second fastest stage in the Tour de France history, referring to the average speed of the racers: 50.013 km/h.
The stage was won by Tim Melier from Soudal-QuickStep, who finished it in 3 hours, 28 minutes, 52 seconds. As reported by Cycling News, it is also the fastest WorldTour race so far this year, although races at lower levels averaged higher speeds, up to 53 km/h.
If Stage 9 was as fast it was thanks in great deal to how relatively flat it was, the direction of the wind, favourable at the beginning, as well as Mathieu van der Poel's attack early on the race. It was also very warm, 31ºC, which helps with air resistance, but made it especially gruelling for racers.
The fastest stage aver at Tour de France was stage 4 in 1999, between Laval and Blois, with an average speed of 50.36 km/h.
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