Tour de France 2020 | Stage 9 (Pau - Laruns, 153 km)

Inquitus

The second half of the Pyrenees. This stage is harder than it looks, but the 8k of flat at the end might neuter action.



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Timetable

Start: 12:15

Côte d'Artiguelouve: 12:49/12:50/12:50

Col de la Hourcère: 14:17/14:23/14:28

Col de Soudet: 14:31/14:37/14:44

Intermediate sprint: 14:54/15:02/15:09

Col d'Ichère: 15:20/15:29/15:39

Col de Marie Blanque: 15:53/16:05/16:16

Finish: 16:15/16:27/16:40



Climbs

The opening third of the stage is mostly flat, with only the cat. 4 Côte d'Artiguelouve early on. Things become very serious after that, with the Col de la Hourcère making its debut in the race. I'm amazed it hasn't been rated HC, it's harder than many other 'new' HC climbs of recent years.



It's immediately followed by the final 3.9k of Col de Soudet. How this isn't a cat. 2 is beyond me, and the Col d'Ichère is also hard for a cat. 3. The final climb of Col de Marie Blanque follows shortly after. There was a time when ASO used it very frequently, but it's been ignored by the Tour since 2010, although the queen stage of the 2016 Vuelta did use it. It's a fairly similar climb to Mur de Péguère, but it's closer to Laruns than Péguère is to Foix. The final 4k average 11.6%, definitely hard enough to break up the GC group if anyone wants to turn the screw.



General classification after Stage 8

Adam Yates
Primoz Roglic + 0.03
Guillaume Martin + 0.09
Romain Bardet + 0.11
Egan Bernal + 0.13
Nairo Quintana s.t.
Miguel Ángel López s.t.
Rigoberto Uran s.t.
Tadej Pogacar + 0.48
Enric Mas (spa) + 1.00
Points classification after Stage 8

Peter Sagan 138
Sam Bennett 131
Wout van Aert 106
Bryan Coquard 106
Alexander Kristoff 93
Mountains classification after Stage 8

Benoît Cosnefroy 35
Nans Peters 31
Ilnur Zakarin 25
Toms Skujins 24
Quentin Pacher 20
Young riders classification after Stage 8

Egan Bernal
Tadej Pogacar + 0.35
Enric Mas + 0.47
Sergio Higuita + 2.35
Neilson Powless + 31.36

Borrowed from here

Inquitus

The 8km slightly uphill run in really seems to discourage a solo attack on the final climb.

lawrencesummers

The descent for sprint points could be interesting

happytramp

lawrencesummers wrote: »

The descent for sprint points could be interesting

Hopefully there's a large break and Sagan is out of the picture by then.

Don't want WVA getting any closer either.

Panrich

happytramp wrote: »

Hopefully there's a large break and Sagan is out of the picture by then.

Don't want WVA getting any closer either.

Surely the last two days have to have emptied his tank. I mean WVA here by the way.

lawrencesummers

Panrich wrote: »

Surely the last two days have to have emptied his tank. I mean WVA here by the way.

I wonder about that alright, with the alps still to come have Jumbo been doing to much work. I suppose we will get out answer when we get to the Grand Colombier this day week.

at1withmyself

Dan Martin attaching to form a break! Its been a quiet one so far for him, also interesting to see Ineos trying to get in the break.

at1withmyself

Not letting anyone anyway so far, anyone suffering yesterday will hurt today. Fabio Aru already 1.0km back so will be no help to podagacar today

retalivity

This is going to be energy sapping ahead of the climbs.

PatM65

Sagan and some of the Bora guys well to the fore. I reckon he's hoping to tag onto any promising break to get to the intermediate sprint.

DQS need to be careful Sagan doesn't get away here.

at1withmyself

Funny shot there of poor Fabio with what looked like the broom wagon following him.

Edit, it was the broom Wagon, poor lad has had no form since leaving Astana.

I feel for Aru, he's had a disaster run for 3 years now. He's only 30.

Boscoirl

Had meant to be on the side of the road for this stage today

MPFGLB

Deleted User wrote: »

I feel for Aru, he's had a disaster run for 3 years now. He's only 30.

Its hard to watch alright

When he first appeared in the peloton he was backed to win several GTs and for awhile he looked like he could...but in 2018 he lost it all

We have seen so many top talents startout so welland then endup retiring early

I hope he made enough money

at1withmyself

PatM65 wrote: »

Sagan and some of the Bora guys well to the fore. I reckon he's hoping to tag onto any promising break to get to the intermediate sprint.

I imagine it suits Sagan better if there is no break as he can probably remain with them on them climbs for the intermediate sprint?

First climb starting shortly so hopefully something will get away for Sam's sake!

Pinot attacking now trying to get away , good for him.

retalivity

Surely Aru will get back in with the sprinters once the climb starts?

Eamonnator

Am I right in saying, there'll be no points for either Sam or Sagan today?
That climb before the intermediate sprint appears too tough for either of them.

at1withmyself

retalivity wrote: »

Surely Aru will get back in with the sprinters once the climb starts?

Top far back now, I expect he'll abondons on the climb as he won't make the time cut today.

Eamonnator

Eamonnator wrote: »

Am I right in saying, there'll be no points for either Sam or Sagan today?
That climb before the intermediate sprint appears too tough for either of them.

They showed Sam in a group with Alaphilippe there a few minutes ago but I'm not sure where they are on the climb. I think theres enough ahead to mop up the points. WvA could take some though?

Inquitus

Aru climbs off!

Mefistofelino

Did Sagan and Cosnefroy have bike changes? The TdF tracker is showing them 4 minutes off the back.

neris

Keneaugh on itv isn't the greatest with maths.

Itziger

If there's not an attack on the old Marie Blanc I'll be writing to the organisers. Irate of Itzig.

c.p.w.g.w

Inquitus wrote: »

Aru climbs off!

Was it Aru that had a strange medical diagnosis a few years back? Not been the same since then would make sense

velo.2010

Hirschi has had a lot of very obvious 'sticky bottles' today. I wonder if he will be penalised?

bazermc

As long as it’s not a sticky glue bottle. Brilliant Kelly!

bazermc

Holy ****e

Near disaster there at the top.

neris

Some descending going on there

c.p.w.g.w

Some ride from Hirchi

bazermc

Bernal in yellow or Rog?

Edit yep Rog for yellow

neris

That was a great finish

c.p.w.g.w

bazermc wrote: »

Bernal in yellow or Rog?

Rog, got bonus seconds on the climb and finish

at1withmyself

Deleted User wrote: »

Near disaster there at the top.

Bonus seconds available at the top for top 3

Panrich

You'd feel for Hirschi. Very brave effort.

Gutted for Herschi, but chapeau to him for fighting for it.

dastardly00

I think all of us wanted Hitachi to win that! So close!

at1withmyself

Roglic is 21 seconds ahead of Bernal, 21 seconds of bonus's earned so Bernal is doing very well and keeping really quiet

Yeah I think Bernal is looking ok, some questions around a few of his team though surely?

Itziger

I can't figure out those GC times. How come Quintana and Uran are at just 32 seconds if they lost 54 today? They weren't ahead of Roglic before today, were they?

EDIT: I was thinking of the gap to Yates and co.

at1withmyself

Itziger wrote: »

I can't figure out those GC times. How come Quintana and Uran are at just 32 seconds if they lost 54 today? They weren't ahead of Roglic before today, were they?

They were all behind Yates but they didn't lose 54 seconds they came in much closer then that

dastardly00

Itziger wrote: »

I can't figure out those GC times. How come Quintana and Uran are at just 32 seconds if they lost 54 today? They weren't ahead of Roglic before today, were they?

I think Quintana and Uran were only 11 seconds behind Roglic's group

MPFGLB

Pogacar looks champion in waiting for me...best climber and this is a climbers Tour ...designed fro Pinot and Allaphilipe ...the irony

I definitely wasn't backing him in a sprint ahead of Roglic there. Very impressive.

c.p.w.g.w

Pogacar was unreal last year at the Vuelta and his looking going today, stage win and some bonus seconds

bazermc

Love the way King Kelly pronounces Pogacar exactly the way it’s spelt

lawrencesummers

Deleted User wrote: »

Yeah I think Bernal is looking ok, some questions around a few of his team though surely?

I can’t help but think that not bringing Froome or Thomas was a mistake, their experience could be very valuable, we have seen TeamJumbo outlast Team Ineos a number of times and Carapaz seems to be the only one going late into the stage for Bernal.

One thing looks to be sure, Ineos won’t have the effect in the tour that they have had in recent years, Bernal is going to have to do more himself to win but he is well capable of it.

It’s shaping up to be The tightest battle in a long time

We'll see what Froome and Thomas have this week in Italy. JV have been riding all week as if they had the jersey already, not seeing even close to that level of confidence from Ineos. It's like the roles have been completely reversed this year , even with Ineos hell bent on getting a man into the break today. Normally they'd leave movistar do that and ride their own race and boss the peloton from the front.

dastardly00

bazermc wrote: »

Love the way King Kelly pronounces Pogacar exactly the way it’s spelt

It's hilarious. As you said, sometimes he says it phonetically, then sometimes he pronounces it correctly, but then also he can completely butcher it in a different way as well :pac: