The first stage after the rest day in Annecy is the first mountain stage of the tour. It starts in Annecy and ends in Le Grand-Bornand:
The first real challenge is the Col de la Croix Fry, which featured in the 2013 Tour de France.
Later, the HC climb Col du Glieres awaits for the first time in the Tour de France, which is very steep until it flattens out at the top, which is the first gravel section included in the Tour since 1991. This climb has a history with World War II, where the Maquis des Gliéres, a resistance group composed of French and Spanish maquisards, were based. In 1944, the Vichy regime declared, that anyone helping the Maquis would be executed immediately. They were getting parachute drops from the Royal Airforce. After Britain and America thought, that a big uprising in Haute-Savoie, where this story takes place, was ongoing, the Maquis became important as a part of the psychological warfare against the Nazi regime and their collaborators.
In March, the Nazis attacked the Maquis and overwhelmed the Maquis, who were given orders to retreat. A few days after the battle, most of the maquisards were found dead or tortued to death after being taken prisoner, because the Nazis considered the fallen martyrs of freedom, the maquisards, as terrorists...
After that ascent, Col de Romme and Col de la Colombiere is the last two obstacles...
...before the descent down to the finish line:
Le Grand-Bornand has been laying asphalt to a stage finish 4 times by the Tour. First time was in 2004, where Lance Armstrong won, after catching Klöden, who had caught Lance's attacking domestique Floyd Landis. 3 years later, in the 2007 race, the 8th stage finished in Le-Grand-Bornand, where the young German Linus Gerdemann won and took the yellow jersey.
2009 where Andy and Fränk attacked on today's climb Col de Romme, trying to drop the multiple Tour winner, Lance Armstrong and the 2007 winner Alberto Contador. Succeding in dropping Lance with 2 minutes. Contador could still hang on with the brothers, climbing the Col de la Colombiere together, and descending down to today's stage finish, and without really contesting the stage win, Fränk crossing the line first. Lance Armstrong finished 2'18'' behind with a young Italian named Vincenzo Nibali.
In 2013 Rui Costa arrived first, winning from the breakaway in front of breakaway companions Klöden, Bakelants, Dani Navarro, Gesink, De Marchi and others.
Will this stage be for a breakaway to take, or will the big loser of the day, Rigoberto Uran, perhaps try to get some time back? Or will we see the beginning of the promised Movistar-offensive against the SKY armada?
General classification after stage 9:
1. Greg Van AVERMAET (BMC)
2. Geraint THOMAS (SKY) + 43''
3. Philippe GILBERT (Quickstep) + 44''
4. Bob JUNGELS (Quickstep) + 50''
5. Alejandro VALVERDE (Movistar) + 1' 31''
6. Rafal MAJKA (Bora) + 1' 32''
7. Jakob FUGLSANG (Astana) + 1' 33''
8. Chris FROOME (SKY) + 1' 42''
9. Adam YATES (M. Scott) st.
10. Mikel LANDA (Movistar) st.
Notable abandons
Richie PORTE (BMC)
José Joaquin ROJAS (Movistar)
Polka-dot jersey competition after stage 9:
1. Toms SKUIJNS (Trek) 6
2. Sylvain CHAVANEL (Direct Energie) 4
3. Dion SMITH (Wanty) 4
Points jersey competition after stage 9:
1. Peter SAGAN (Bora) 299
2. Fernando GAVIRIA (Quickstep) 218
3. Dylan GROENEWEGEN (NL-Jumbo) 132
4. Alexander KRISTOFF (UAE) 129
5. André GREIPEL (Lotto-Soudal) 106
Weather forecast
Annecy:
Le Grand-Bornand:
The first real challenge is the Col de la Croix Fry, which featured in the 2013 Tour de France.
Later, the HC climb Col du Glieres awaits for the first time in the Tour de France, which is very steep until it flattens out at the top, which is the first gravel section included in the Tour since 1991. This climb has a history with World War II, where the Maquis des Gliéres, a resistance group composed of French and Spanish maquisards, were based. In 1944, the Vichy regime declared, that anyone helping the Maquis would be executed immediately. They were getting parachute drops from the Royal Airforce. After Britain and America thought, that a big uprising in Haute-Savoie, where this story takes place, was ongoing, the Maquis became important as a part of the psychological warfare against the Nazi regime and their collaborators.
In March, the Nazis attacked the Maquis and overwhelmed the Maquis, who were given orders to retreat. A few days after the battle, most of the maquisards were found dead or tortued to death after being taken prisoner, because the Nazis considered the fallen martyrs of freedom, the maquisards, as terrorists...
After that ascent, Col de Romme and Col de la Colombiere is the last two obstacles...
...before the descent down to the finish line:
Le Grand-Bornand has been laying asphalt to a stage finish 4 times by the Tour. First time was in 2004, where Lance Armstrong won, after catching Klöden, who had caught Lance's attacking domestique Floyd Landis. 3 years later, in the 2007 race, the 8th stage finished in Le-Grand-Bornand, where the young German Linus Gerdemann won and took the yellow jersey.
2009 where Andy and Fränk attacked on today's climb Col de Romme, trying to drop the multiple Tour winner, Lance Armstrong and the 2007 winner Alberto Contador. Succeding in dropping Lance with 2 minutes. Contador could still hang on with the brothers, climbing the Col de la Colombiere together, and descending down to today's stage finish, and without really contesting the stage win, Fränk crossing the line first. Lance Armstrong finished 2'18'' behind with a young Italian named Vincenzo Nibali.
In 2013 Rui Costa arrived first, winning from the breakaway in front of breakaway companions Klöden, Bakelants, Dani Navarro, Gesink, De Marchi and others.
Will this stage be for a breakaway to take, or will the big loser of the day, Rigoberto Uran, perhaps try to get some time back? Or will we see the beginning of the promised Movistar-offensive against the SKY armada?
General classification after stage 9:
1. Greg Van AVERMAET (BMC)
2. Geraint THOMAS (SKY) + 43''
3. Philippe GILBERT (Quickstep) + 44''
4. Bob JUNGELS (Quickstep) + 50''
5. Alejandro VALVERDE (Movistar) + 1' 31''
6. Rafal MAJKA (Bora) + 1' 32''
7. Jakob FUGLSANG (Astana) + 1' 33''
8. Chris FROOME (SKY) + 1' 42''
9. Adam YATES (M. Scott) st.
10. Mikel LANDA (Movistar) st.
Notable abandons
Richie PORTE (BMC)
José Joaquin ROJAS (Movistar)
Polka-dot jersey competition after stage 9:
1. Toms SKUIJNS (Trek) 6
2. Sylvain CHAVANEL (Direct Energie) 4
3. Dion SMITH (Wanty) 4
Points jersey competition after stage 9:
1. Peter SAGAN (Bora) 299
2. Fernando GAVIRIA (Quickstep) 218
3. Dylan GROENEWEGEN (NL-Jumbo) 132
4. Alexander KRISTOFF (UAE) 129
5. André GREIPEL (Lotto-Soudal) 106
Weather forecast
Annecy:
Le Grand-Bornand:
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