Tour De France - Stage 9 Saint-Girons – Bagneres-de-Bigorre 168km

manafana

Stage 9 after the skyborgs took over will the aftermath be a break.

Their is some serious climbing on day like this the descent of the first climb Col de Portet D'Aspet is quiet steep and fast an interesting start the final downhill is meant suit a bunch working together.

The Climbs:
Km 28.5 – Col de Portet d’Aspet (1 069 m)5.4 kilometre-long climb at 6.9% – category 2
Km 44.0 – Col de Menté (1 349 m)7 kilometre-long climb at 7.7% – category 1
Km 90.0 – Col de Peyresourde (1 569 m)13.2 kilometre-long climb at 7% – category 1
Km 110.5 – Col de Val Louron-Azet (1 580 m)7.4 kilometre-long climb at 8.3% – category 1
Km 138.0 – La Hourquette d’Ancizan (1 564 m)9.9 kilometre-long climb at 7.5% – category 1

The route:





The final climb:



Coverage from 9.30 am on Eurosport

Betting odds

Stage 9 further info and tips

Darkglasses

Good preview!

I'm excited about this stage, lots of different ways this could be won. Don't think Voeckler has the legs for this anymore, ascending or descending. I like Thomas de Gendt for this.

dastardly00

I'm in no condition to write a preview thread after being at the KK-Tipp match tonight

I can't see any of the GC contenders really challenging Froome during this stage given their exertions in Stage 8. I certainly can't see Froome losing any time. I think Team Sky will let a big-ish breakaway form early on, and then just control the tempo in the peloton for the whole stage.

Peter Sagan should be in the breakaway as he'll want to snap up the points at the intermediate sprint.

If it's a sprint to the finish with the GC guys contesting it, someone like Valverde could take the win.

corny

Long descent home should neutralise the stage.

I hope Alberto lights it up early like he did in 2011. He normally doesn't take defeat very well and comes out firing. A repeat of what he did to J-Rod last year at the Vuelta might be asking for too much though.

Barring a nine man crash there is no way Sky will lose time in the mountains this year. Actually Porte and Froome will probably be one, two in the TT's.

Hermy

Peter Kennaugh crashes!

Rovi

Sky trying to dominate the front of the peloton, Kennaugh off into the shrubbery!!!

dastardly00

Ouch. Nasty crash for Kennaugh. He looks fairly shook.

Rovi

Was that Nico I just saw drifting off the back???

manafana

Rovi wrote: »

Was that Nico I just saw drifting off the back???

it wasnt, was 95 Noval

just passed the pub me, astra and plantx had a coke in.

dastardly00

David Lopez Garcia (Sky) is gone out the back.

Morrisseeee

manafana wrote: »

just passed the pub me, astra and plantx had a coke in.

What 'sauce' are you on ?! :pac:

Morrisseeee

Nico goes on the attack

Rovi

Porte going backwards at a high rate of knots!

Morrisseeee

It's only just after 11:30am but the race has been blown apart :eek:
It looks like carnage atm....
There are so many groups on the climbs, it looks like the ROK !!

Inquitus

Porte dropped, rest of sky dropped, 4 Saxos, 5 Moviestars, 1 Froome this is going to be an interesting day.

dastardly00

This is nuts at the moment!

el tel

Eurosport showed a bit of footage of a vulture flying around. Metaphoric or what?

DominoDub

This 100 Tour is turning out to be non stop action :eek:

snollup

Any sign of Dan M?

lennymc

enjoying this!

IM0

what happened :eek:

Dr. Bre

sky are human again. bad for my porte bet this but great for excitement

detones

Man that descending looks fun. Who are the best at this in the current tour?

Morrisseeee

IM0 wrote: »

what happened :eek:

attack attack attack and sky got dropped dropped dropped
At least it's interesting now...........I feel sorry for those who 'tuned out' after yesterday!

Hermy

Morrisseeee wrote: »

It's only just after 11:30am but the race has been blown apart :eek:

Inquitus wrote: »

Porte dropped, rest of sky dropped, 4 Saxos, 5 Moviestars, 1 Froome this is going to be an interesting day.

dastardly00 wrote: »

This is nuts at the moment!

DominoDub wrote: »

This 100 Tour is turning out to be non stop action :eek:

Drugs or no drugs the Tour makes for great viewing when it's like this.
I really hope there's more of this to come.

Inquitus

If Froome gets a puncture or a mechanical he is fúcked.

IM0

was it saxo doing the damage, or did sky shoot themselves in the face or what?

BQQ

Dr. Bre wrote: »

sky are human again.

Or DB said "that was way too obvious lads. You're going to have to pretend to be slow now" :pac:

Idleater

lennymc wrote: »

enjoying this!

think I'll go browse for flights seeing these roads again.

I remember the nice chat I had with a group out for a spin up this hill.

IM0

saw the start and saw sagan playing games, and thought right the break will go early, sky will control as usual tapping out a high tempo and itll be the usual snoozefest....so I said right Ill do something for a while, put the TV back on and its carnage :eek:

:rolleyes:

feck!!

dastardly00

IM0 wrote: »

what happened :eek:

Sorry too much action to tell you :pac:

TheBlaaMan

Dan is ahead of the Porte group and just off the back of the Froome group with three of his team-mates ahead of that again..........are Garmin setting this up for Dan to have a crack from a long way out?

Unless it slows down, and Porte get back on, there is going to be some old style collaboration used to crack Froome......

Morrisseeee

How many riders are going to finish outside the time limit ??
More attacks !! the poor auld Froome dawg :pac:

Darkglasses

This is too good. I thought it was kind of a stupid phrase, but did he take the yellow jersey too soon? He's going to be in hell today.

IM0

love the timingwith eurosport to tripple the amount of ads they have at key point s in the stage ffs :rolleyes:

manafana

if i was froome id find someone i dont mind giving yellow to till the alpes. they can easily reproduce saturday then

Inquitus

manafana wrote: »

if i was froome id find someone i dont mind giving yellow to till the alpes. they can easily reproduce saturday then

I agree, he can't defend like this for 100km, he risks losing huge time imo.

Darkglasses

Nico Roche looking good pacing the Contador/Evans group up the hill.

Who does not look good, is Tom Danielson. Worst sunglasses I've ever seen in the peloton. Where's Briko these days?

dastardly00

Nico has been doing a massive amount of work at the front, he's gonna blow fairly soon.

dastardly00

Bradley Wiggins must be sitting at home with his feet up thinking... 'thank fcuk this didn't happen to me last year'! :pac:

The tax man

Reckon Sky just booted up the death star yesterday and showed it's strength but they found a few bugs in the system and it's down for maintenance today.:pac:

Great action so far today.

Brian?

In the EPO days Sky would have come out fresh as a daisy and done it all over again.

I think try dug too deep yesterday and couldn't recover. I do think they're clean.

manafana

The tax man wrote: »

Reckon Sky just booted up the death star yesterday and showed it's strength but they found a few bugs in the system and it's down for maintenance today.:pac:

Great action so far today.

bigger days ahead i feel, sky panicing bit much for while their just need let the break go mark the two spainards.

neris

Are the riders allowed to take water or food from spectators on the side of the road?

Brian?

manafana wrote: »

bigger days ahead i feel, sky panicing bit much for while their just need let the break go mark the two spainards.

Bertie hasn't got the legs. Froome just needs to mark Valverde.

Harrybelafonte

Nicholas Roche tired after his efforts. Lost his group.

dastardly00

Richie Porte is at the back of the group he is in. And the rest of the Sky domestiques are at the front of it.

manafana

Brian? wrote: »

Bertie hasn't got the legs. Froome just needs to mark Valverde.

yeah i agree, saxo don't have the nuts it seems to play their wildcard in Kreuziger

mistermatthew

rule Bertie out at your peril. first week of vuelta he had no legs. he got better. he knows how to win a three week tour. not something froome or the rest of sky do.

sky full of talent but little grand tour experience unlike saxo

Anyone

Cant watch ITV anymore, adverts are a disgrace. Hopefully they will lose the rights to show this next year.

Talib Fiasco

Yeah it's incredibly naive to rule Contador out this early. For god's sake we're only after one mountain stage. If anyone is capable of pulling it out it's him. This tour is already shaping up to be twice as exciting as last years...which wouldn't be hard at all.