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The race heads across the Massif Central to the extinct volcano of Puy de Dome, site of a famous showdown in 1964 between Raymond Poulidor (MvdP's grandfather) and Jacques Anquetil and an equally famous photo.
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I'm not sure the Tour actually needs more drama this year, it's already given more in 7 days than some Tours have managed all race!
Anyway...
Puy de Dome hasn't featured in the Tour of 35 years, mostly due to logistics (it's a very narrow road) so the return here is something of a throwback and it'll also be a specatator free zone (too narrow, it's a protected national monument etc). Only one team car up to the foot of it and then on the mountain, service will be from motos and team staff stationed on foot.
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It's a brute of a finish, probably the toughest summit finish of this year's race although on paper it doesn't look it. And to get there is a string of narrow country roads, very lumpy terrain and it's going to be hot.
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The two obvious picks - Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar. The former looking to claw back some of the time he lost on the rather ill-fated attempt to distance Pogacar, the latter looking to close the gap even further and swap his white jersey for a yellow one. The climb plays to both of them although the heat might favour Vingegaard. Neilson Powless is still after a stage win and obviously the polka dot jersey. The stage is set for a breakaway but how much leeway they'll be given and how quickly it gets annihilated once the GC contenders light it up remains to be seen. Expect some full guns attacks though as there's a rest day tomorrow.
Another stage for chateaux and castles plus the fascinating volcanic history of the area - it's here that Volvic mineral water are based.
https://www.geo-sports.org/2023/stage-9-explosive-days/
How do they get down?
On the train?
Road.cc have a good article on the Tour history with the Puy de Dome
An insight from Romain Bardet and his prediction at about 9:44 in
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Not the last time I'll say this, but thanks @crazy-legs and @Klunk 😁 that image going through the sunflowers is amazing
This is going to get crazy i think.... They'll be at it on the final climb for sure !
vive le fromage!
https://twitter.com/_Danimarta/status/1677989897129414657
stretching it a bit but love the sentiment 🙂
Very excited for this one!
never 'eard of 'im!
looks tense and the haven't even turned a pedal!
stretching it a bit but love the sentiment
I expect it's more that Pinot is a goat fanatic rather than The GOAT.
Talking of GOATs I am still struggling to come to terms with yesterday
I went for a ride, nice relaxed coffee stop, got home and it's 1km to the [i]depart reel[/i]
Perfect timing!
somebody must of said something as all hell's broken lose!
the startline cheese
perhaps they sense Jumbo or Arab oil aren't going to ride :/
Certainly all kicking off, that's a big (and probably unwieldy) break. Still teams trying to fire a rider across to it and it's all being brought back - the peloton seem happy to let the break go but not happy about anyone else trying to join it.
Jumbo aren't going to ride, I think don't want the Pog gaining bonus seconds ?
Jumbo aren’t going to ride, I think don’t want the Pog gaining bonus seconds ?
The breakaway will be left to contest the stage win, the peloton will become a GC race towards the end.
9 minute gap?! 🤯
looks hot
I'm liking Ned, David and Marcel. I wonder who will be next week's mystery commentating guest. Please let it be an eloquent person. I fancy Dan Martin, or Lizzy Deignan.
Is Bob Jungels in the break? This stage is made for him.
french ditch
seems they've called jumbo's bluff 🙂 on the front #honourtheshirt 😉
king Kelly will be spitting feathers.... wtf gravel!
https://twitter.com/Gregory__Gomez/status/1678030956400107520
Bardet can see this climb out of his kitchen window, yet he's not really ridden it ??? wtf is wrong with these people 😉
The mural above is painted on the Tourist Office in St Leonard de Noblat and very impressive it is. We freewheeled the 4 miles down to a road junction to watch them ride by at 2pm...then (confirming just how oppresively hot it feels) struggled uphill back home. Coincidentally, we moved out here 9 mths ago and lo and behold we get a 1 in 20 yr visit by le Tour. Chapeau. (Thanks for doing these daily stage threads.)
happy birthday Daniel lloyds mum 96!
the internet is a strange place, random horse and chips....
with la half chateau
seems everyones a virgin !
break almost on 12 minutes
Bardet can see this climb out of his kitchen window, yet he’s not really ridden it ??? wtf is wrong with these people 😉
It's closed to traffic, including cyclists. Tourists get ferried up in the train, the road is there for emergency access only. General consensus online is that you can get away with riding it at absolute crack of dawn before the funicular opens but any other time, you'll be stopped. I can imagine on a road that narrow if it gained anything like the popularity of Ventoux for example it'd be heaving with cyclists and the potential for collisions between riders climbing and descending would be very high.
that is not the (stw) way 😉 pussy 🙂
All kicking off in the breakaway!
chaotic chase group - unless somebody smashes it into a smaller sub-group it'll be lucky to get him back
... oh !
7 out of 10 for effort
more doom
break in pieces !!!
can see the end of this being mental
I think Mohoric is trying to kill them one by one
Le Puy de Doom
https://twitter.com/eduardochozas/status/1677825713515233282
This breakaway is just mental!
ominous imagery on the tv
https://twitter.com/Eurosport_TR/status/1678057484164947971
more that Bardet chap who ever he is fluff
https://twitter.com/SBSSportau/status/1678057349993631746
mental frantic stuff in the break!
That's one hell of a view to look up to. Already climbing quite steeply, look up and there's a massive great volcano in front of you.
Peloton riding hard, it's going to absolutely shatter into tiny little pieces any second.
yep
don't think the locals will take kindly on the yellow jersey not competing for the win on an icon climb :/
Nice decorative work on the little mountain trams!
don’t think the locals will take kindly on the yellow jersey not competing for the win on an icon climb :/
I reckon we may see a bit of spectacle from that jersey sometime pretty soon
Turns out that Matej Mohorič can climb as well as he can descend. These Slovenians are kinda handy aren't they?!
don't think riding for 8th will cut the mustard with the locals, they like their Panache
Woods ! - hope Jorgenson doesn't crack
(surely not Mohoric once it gets steep)
Christ that is steep. SO steep.
not the same without fans on the way up :/
Simon Yates looks good considering he had a hard crash yesterday
not the same without fans on the way up
Makes it a unique climb 🤷♂️
seems theres enough round for barriers and supporters
Epic for the win - now lets see the GC battle. Fantastic ride from Tom Pidcock.
Wow, Latour
OK, strap in everyone
really damp squib