Tour de France stage 9 preview: Breakaway battle looms on relentless road to Ussel

The profile offers little respite, with short climbs, rolling roads and constant changes of pace shaping the stage.

It is terrain made for an early breakaway. A large group could establish itself in the opening kilometres, before the repeated climbs and accelerations gradually split the race apart and create an opportunity for a solo victory.

The stage was initially set to cover 185.5 kilometres, but organisers shortened the route by 30 kilometres after a red heat warning was issued. The opening section south of the start was removed from the parcours.

Key information:

• Start: 13:45 (CET)
• Estimated Finish: 17:22-17:41 (CET)
• Stage type: hilly
• Stage length: 154.63km
• Elevation gain: 3300m

Follow stage 9 live at Domestique with our live reporting.

Lidl-Trek are likely to take control from the start, with Mads Pedersen’s green jersey ambitions giving the team every reason to keep the race together until the intermediate sprint.

That makes the stage easier to read in three distinct phases: the run to the sprint, the main attacking section and the final.

The opening phase lasts just 15 kilometres, with the intermediate sprint coming around 140 kilometres from the finish. The road drags steadily uphill on an awkward false flat, but Lidl-Trek have more than enough strength to shut down any early moves.

Then, the middle part, the "attacking" zone. After the intermediate sprint, the road drags up a bit further, and there is some rolling terrain and then a descent, together 20km long. However, as the peloton will be let loose as wild animals here, the chance is big that they will neutralise eachother here. 

Then, a nine-kilometre valley, one of the only genuinely flat sections of the day, preludes the part where the breakaway will probably get away.

That next section covers roughly 50 kilometres, from 110 kilometres to go until the final 60 kilometres. It begins immediately with the Côte de Naves, a 2.2 kilometre climb at 7.3 per cent, and the road continues to drag upwards beyond the summit.

A short descent takes the riders towards another climb of 3.1 kilometres at 5.6 per cent. There is no real chance to recover afterwards, with a 15 kilometre stretch of rolling roads and false flat terrain leading into the Suc au May.

The 2.7 kilometre climb averages 9.7 per cent, while the final kilometre rises at around 12 per cent. It should make a major selection and could split the breakaway into smaller groups.

Only 500 metres of descending follow before the riders hit another 500 metre climb at 6.6 per cent. With the effort of the Suc au May still in their legs, this is an obvious place to attack.

A five kilometre descent follows, before another 15 kilometres of rolling terrain.

After all of that, there will still be 60 kilometres remaining. The final part starts, unsurprisingly, with another climb.

The Côte de la Croix du Pey is 4.3 kilometres long at an average of 5.9 per cent, with a two kilometre section in the middle at around eight per cent.

Once again, there is little respite. A 31 kilometre rolling section follows, making this a stage for riders with a huge engine.

Mont Bessou then provides the final obvious opportunity to go solo. The climb is only 600 metres long, but the first 400 metres average ten per cent before the gradient eases to 5.5 per cent for the final 200 metres. A rider capable of accelerating again once the slope begins to flatten could create the decisive gap.

The summit comes with just under 24 kilometres remaining, and the terrain afterwards favours an attacker.

A seven kilometre descent is followed by a two kilometre climb at five per cent. From there, the riders face six kilometres of false flat downhill, a shallow 1.7 kilometre rise at 2.7 per cent and another five kilometre section of descending false flat.

The final 500 metres rise at 4.6 per cent. Should nobody arrive alone, the stage will end with a tough uphill sprint.

Key points

• Intermediate sprint - 140km to go
• Côte de Naves | 3rd category climb - 2.2km at 7.3% - 107.5km to go
• Suc au May | 2nd category climb - 2.7km at 9.7% - 81km to go
• Côte de la Croix du Pey | 3rd category climb - 4.3km at 5.9% - 55.5km to go
• Mont Bessou | 4th category climb - 600m at 9% - 24km to go

Everything points towards a successful breakaway.

The stage contains too many climbs and too few straightforward sections for one team to control comfortably. Unlike stage 4, where Lidl-Trek managed the gap before setting up Mads Pedersen, the race to Ussel offers almost endless opportunities for fresh attacks.

Pedersen is likely to focus first on collecting points at the intermediate sprint. After that, the Lidl-Trek riders will likely be free to chase the stage win.

Even if a large group establishes itself early, the breakaway is unlikely to remain together. The Suc au May should produce the first major selection, while the Côte de la Croix du Pey and Mont Bessou offer further opportunities to escape.

The race is likely to come down to following the right attacks and choosing the right moment to make a move.

Riders from Visma Lease a Bike and UAE Team Emirates-XRG have not been included in the star ratings. Both teams may choose to conserve energy at this stage of the Tour, although they still possess several riders capable of winning from a breakaway.

Movistar have one of the strongest squads for a stage of this nature. With Cian Uijtdebroeks no longer in contention, the Spanish team has even greater reason to chase stage victories.

Pablo Castrillo was among the most aggressive riders on stage 4. Lidl Trek prevented his attacks from gaining any real distance, while the explosive nature of the finale did not play entirely to his strengths.

Stage 9 should suit him far better. The race will be more difficult to control and the repeated climbs should reward endurance over pure acceleration.

Raúl García Pierna finished fourth on stage 4 and has already demonstrated his condition. He combines a powerful engine with a useful finishing speed, although he has less experience of winning from major breakaways than Castrillo.

Javier Romo gives Movistar a third serious option. He has yet to feature in a breakaway during this Tour, but has looked strong and is particularly dangerous when attacking late.

Lidl-Trek produced an almost perfect performance on stage 4, but repeating that approach will be far more difficult here. Letting the riders attack out of the breakaway appears the more realistic strategy.

Quinn Simmons is the obvious candidate. The American has the power required for the rolling terrain and could benefit from rivals focusing their attention on Pedersen.

Simmons has already shown his form this summer, winning a stage at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes before claiming the United States road title. He also appeared capable of winning stage 4 before committing himself to Pedersen, and still finished 2nd behind his teammate.

Mathias Vacek offers a similar profile. He is a heavier rider but possesses the power to survive difficult climbs and remain competitive deep into demanding stages. His performances at the Tour de Suisse and during the opening week of the Tour underline his condition.

Mads Pedersen faces a complicated tactical situation. His stage 4 victory makes him one of the most closely watched riders in the peloton, while the route will be difficult for Lidl Trek to control.

His form and finishing speed nevertheless make him impossible to ignore, especially if a reduced group reaches Ussel together.

EF Education-EasyPost should also target this stage aggressively.

Alex Baudin was highly active during the battle for the breakaway on stage 3. Once he eventually escaped, he dropped his companions despite temperatures approaching 40 degrees. Only UAE Team Emirates-XRG prevented him from contesting the victory.

Michael Valgren impressed one day later, helping to reduce the breakaway for teammate Sean Quinn. The Dane planned his season around arriving at the Tour in top condition and remains one of the most accomplished stage hunters in the race.

XDS Astana also have several possible winners.

Harold Tejada has the climbing strength and endurance required to survive the route, as well as enough acceleration to finish from a small group.

Sergio Higuita has shown encouraging form, although the faster descents and false flat sections may suit the heavier riders more. His explosiveness still makes him a threat on the steeper climbs.

NSN can turn to Marco Frigo, who has regularly come close to winning Grand Tour stages without yet securing one. He is unlikely to win a sprint from a strong group, meaning he needs to attack before the finish.

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe will continue to prioritise the general classification ambitions of Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz, but Maxim Van Gils is expected to receive freedom. The relentless terrain suits him and gives him an opportunity to deliver a major result.

Other riders to watch include Ramses Debruyne of Alpecin-Premier Tech, Magnus Cort of Uno-X Mobility, and Joris Delbove of TotalEnergies.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  Pablo Castrillo

⭐⭐⭐⭐  Quinn Simmons, Raúl García Pierna

⭐⭐⭐  Javier Romo, Mathias Vacek, Alex Baudin

⭐⭐  Michael Valgren, Harold Tejada, Marco Frigo, Maxim Van Gils

⭐  Mads Pedersen, Sergio Higuita, Ramses Debruyne, Magnus Cort, Joris Delbove