IAM Cycling sprinter reaches 122kph on Tour de France stage nine descent

Leigh Howard topped the speedometer at 122kph (75mph) on stage nine of the Tour de France

(Photo: Twitter/@leighhoward1)

A long sweeping descent from the day's first climb on stage nine of the Tour de France guaranteed that many riders would reach triple figures on the speedometer, but IAM Cycling's Leigh Howard went a bit further than that.

The Australian sprinter had to stop to change both wheels and then his whole bike before being forced to chase back to the group on the the descent to avoid being left in nomansland.

>>> Only 122kph? Some riders went even faster on the Tour de France stage nine

In the process, Howard topped his speedometer out at a mindboggling 122kph, which works out as 75mph in real money.

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Howard, who lives in Andorra where the stage finished, is reportedly set to pop home on Monday's rest day to pick up the handle to his coffee machine - something he's been without since stage one.

The former Tour of Britain winner also tweeted a video of his teammate Jarlinson Pantano cycling the last metres of Sunday's rain-drenched finale holding an umbrella borrowed from a spectator.

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Stuart Clarke is a News Associates trained journalist who has worked for the likes of the British Olympic Associate, British Rowing and the England and Wales Cricket Board, and of course Cycling Weekly. His work at Cycling Weekly has focused upon professional racing, following the World Tour races and its characters.