Tour de France Tour de France 2023, stage 9: Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat - Puy de Dôme, 182.4k

[RedheadDane]

Yes, I am not paying attention to podium ceremonies, does the white jersey get them too? Because otherwise Vingegaard might have lions with him, while Pogačar would have to imitate Van Aert or something for the bonus seconds.

I'm talking total number of lions, not just this year.
And another question is; are they Jonas' lions, or are they - in fact - Frida's?

 

[Peyroteo94]

one of the things i'm really interested in is seeing if UAE's climbers start to show much better form in the last week again.

He only needs Adam. Adam can drop everyone bar Kuss (and he is having a great week so far. It will come the day where he will bonker, he always bonks a least one time in gt's). Stage 15 looks wonderf for Pogacar. It is his type of stage.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

So Pogi attacked and gained a bit of time! I'm pleasently surprised he managed to do it on such a steep section that should be good for Vinge. However, when Kuss stopped working and Vinge didn't attack I knew that he didn't feel that good. This time is not much overall but mentally it's important. Vinge knows he will be the target for the remaining 2 weeks and his lead is as slim as possible.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

By the way, can we conclude that Puy de Dôme is a very mid climb? The last four kilometers are the only thing that matters and there are no spectators.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

Just watched the stage, though admittedly fast forwarded middle intermezzo part. But first 20- and last 20-30k's were absolutely awesome to watch!

More of those kinds, please.

 

[Anderis]

I told you that Bilbao would be better than Landa.

 

[DNP-Old]

Quite a fitting sign.

 

[Pantani_lives]

I was glad to see Woods overtake Jorgenson, because otherwise it would have been decided on the flat.

Pogacar keeps nibbling seconds back. This is good for the suspense. The battle for third is open. Pinot, Gaudu and Bardet looked like cyclists in the 1960s.

The Puy de Dôme made a successful comeback, providing us with a suspenseful race on several fronts, and magic scenery. I don't think they'll wait another thirty-five years to come back this time!

 

[Valv.Piti]

By the way, can we conclude that Puy de Dôme is a very mid climb? The last four kilometers are the only thing that matters and there are no spectators.

Yes, I think its rather mid as well. Very hard climb for sure, hot, legendary, but the no spectator thing is of bigger importance than I thought to myself.

Was a good climb, but it felt kinda meh with spectators and everything that goes along with that.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

By the way, can we conclude that Puy de Dôme is a very mid climb? The last four kilometers are the only thing that matters and there are no spectators.

Nothing new about the climbvitself, I too was surprised by ASO HC'ing it, but in historic perspectives huge gaps in GC have been made and nice way to honour it . And must say this edition lived up to spectacles both in front and GC riders.

Only reason for degoratory title is definitely the no-show of spectators for the real vulcanic part.

 

[Pippo_San]

There's a lot of tactics in the way Pogi is crawling back time without giving the KO blow yet.
The Tour has a long way to go yet and JV still has all the work to do this way.
The Dutch bees are gonna use all their energies in these two weeks and the Slovenian is there, waiting for the right moment to strike and deal massive damage.

 

[DaveJones2]

I'd guess that if Carlos Rodriguez was able to use all that energy expended on moving his knees inwards on propelling his bike forwards instead he'd be quite the force to be reckoned with!

My knees ache with sympathy every time he's on screen

 

[fbjim]

By the way, can we conclude that Puy de Dôme is a very mid climb? The last four kilometers are the only thing that matters and there are no spectators.

It looked brutal. Pogacar getting 10 seconds there looked like he was reaching for every second of that gap.

 

[Salvarani]

I was glad to see Woods overtake Jorgenson, because otherwise it would have been decided on the flat.

Pogacar keeps nibbling seconds back. This is good for the suspense. The battle for third is open. Pinot, Gaudu and Bardet looked like cyclists in the 1960s.

The Puy de Dôme made a successful comeback, providing us with a suspenseful race on several fronts, and magic scenery. I don't think they'll wait another thirty-five years to come back this time!

They will probably go the other way around and completely over-use it, becoming the new La Planche des Belles Filles.

 

[fbjim]

I think the Tour always wants one of those GC-capable climbs outside of the two major ranges, Puy de Dome (and Puy Mary) could be fine joining up with the two other climbs usually used for it- PDBF and Mende.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Then make it open to all Social Media. He could make an Instagram post with his plush lions. Or does Vingegaard‘s phone only have one option, calling his wife?

I assume he has many friends on Fishbook.

 

[Rob5091]

Chapeau Woods & IPT - surprised he was allowed to get in the break, but no threat on GC so the break had to drop him long before the last climb. Was not quite long enough though for Jorgenson.
Is it Vingegaard's turn to be effected by high temperatures or has Pogacar improved? Jumbo seemed frazzled so are probably looking forward to a rest day. Jumbo are also dragging Pogacar around and need to put on their thinking caps.

 

[fbjim]

also the biggest problem I have with PDBF apart from overutilization is that it's aesthetically a nothing. It's a main road climb with a gravel ramp at the end. Puy de Dome is at least incredibly scenic, and it's a legendary finish.

That said I really doubt they'd overuse a climb where they aren't allowed to have fans for the last 4K.

 

[Blanco]

By the way things are going in the break, Wva would have won this stage with ease.

Yeah, sure...

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

I'd guess that if Carlos Rodriguez was able to use all that energy expended on moving his knees inwards on propelling his bike forwards instead he'd be quite the force to be reckoned with!

My knees ache with sympathy every time he's on screen

I'm in exactly same visible suffering being behind the wheel of more newcomers in my bike club, their saddles set far too low.

However on the otherhand, think of Pozzo...
Even happens to the extreme in pro peleton

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

So, now we have a break in the GC action until Friday, yes?

 

[Monsi]

So, now we have a break in the GC action until Friday, yes?

Yeah, and then we practically have 5 consecutive GC stages in 6 days, only separated by that second rest day next Monday.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Very similar to Andy Murray

Incoming ban for slander

 

[Boehmand]

So, now we have a break in the GC action until Friday, yes?

Yep.

Tuesday is a puncheur stage

Wednesday is a sprinters stage

Thursday is a puncheur stage, but with 28 K from the last climb, for the strongest sprinters to come back, for a slight uphill sprint (like yesterday).

I don't expect much GC action Friday on Grand Colombier, because it's not hard enough for either of the big 2 to drop each other significantly, and both Saturday and Sunday are GC days as well, so they will both be scared to pay the price of going deep the next 2 days, so I expect Friday to play out much like today.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Why the hell are people surprised ASO gave Puy de Dôme HC status? They've kind of started giving out some rather tame HCs in recent years (as mentioned, things like Arcalis, Plateau des Glières, Pla d'Adet, Finhaut-Emosson and Col de la Biche have been given that status recently), and Puy de Dôme is both tougher and more historic than those.

Yes, the last few kilometres' steepness means that's where all the action is, but that's no different to Col de la Loze, just that that's longer. As mentioned by Netserk, there's similarities in the profile of Puy de Dôme to the Passo Fedaia in shape and profile, and in characteristics it's also similar to Bola del Mundo only if the hormigón section was paved and was 50% longer. I don't see it as too dissimilar to the likes of the Col de la Joux-Plane which is one of the other borderline HCs. Definitely I feel ASO goes on feel (and likes to over-categorise climbs with altitude as an additional factor), as there are other climbs like Col de la Ramaz and Col Luitel which have never been HC but are tougher than many which have, even leaving out the obvious outlier of La-Ruchère-en-Chartreuse.

Puy de Dôme is most definitely an HC climb by the standards of modern ASO.