Tour de France Tour de France 2024, Stage 9: Troyes > Troyes, 199.0 km

[CyclistAbi]

Get back to me after the stage with a list of riders who punctured and we'll work out whether it was 100% luck (ie: a lottery) or not.

You know what they say, after the battle everybody can be a general. But OK, if any of the GC leaders will puncture or have a mechanical, we can discuss tomorrow, after the stage, things like was that leader wheel sucking at that time, or not. And did other leaders wheel suck at that time, or not. To determine if it was more about skill or just luck.

Fair enough.

 

[CyclistAbi]

If we are discussing skill, to determine control over ones faith on gravel from the perspective of such race. Team winning the battles for positions, at front, that for me can be considered a skill. Your teammates, at front of you, avoiding holes, that indeed can be considered a skill.

Still, when it comes to gravel and punctures, mechanicals or even crashes, from GT racing point of view. Majority of team leaders are not gravel specialist and even the ones that are are hinting, that in the end it's a gamble for them too.

So suitability of such stages at a GT race, this is a valid question and the observation, being a lottery at best, is a valid one too.

From a Tour point of view is hence more of a circus then honoring some tradition. Riding a bunch of non specialists across the gravel.

 

[scribers]

This is a km 0 stage

 

[movingtarget]

Hard to predict this one. Some of the GC riders will hate it, the same way they hate the cobbles. Expect a few one day specialists to get in the break and keep driving the pace.

 

[gregrowlerson]

This one has "Roglič adjusting his shoulder after doing double summersalt over some sheep on the road" written all over it.

The one thing that I am certain of on this stage nine
Is that Little Richie Porte would have never made it out alive

 

[red_flanders]

I'll say I think this stage is dumb, for many of the reasons outlined here.

There's only a chance for a great rider to lose the race because of a mechanical, not really for anyone to make a difference and win. One could say the same of the pavé stages, but pavé has a deep and rich history in the sport, and generally they have offered a chance to made a difference in the race.

I love Strade, but it's a race where climbing and bike-handling really matter. And it's perfectly reasonable to have this kind of variation on a one-day race. There are lots of one-day races to target throughout the calendar. The Tour is a race the entire peloton targets as the A race. It is the Super Bowl or the World Cup, the biggest race of the year. To have it ended because someone has a flat on gravel....I don't see the point or how that advances the sport. I just don't want the Tour ended for ANYONE because of a mechanical on a fad stage.

I dig any kind of bike riding. Whatever gets people outside and fit. But I have relatively little interest in gravel and zero interest in seeing it in the Tour.

 

[Hugh Januss]

If we are discussing skill, to determine control over ones faith on gravel from the perspective of such race. Team winning the battles for positions, at front, that for me can be considered a skill. Your teammates, at front of you, avoiding holes, that indeed can be considered a skill.

Still, when it comes to gravel and punctures, mechanicals or even crashes, from GT racing point of view. Majority of team leaders are not gravel specialist and even the ones that are are hinting, that in the end it's a gamble for them too.

So suitability of such stages at a GT race, this is a valid question and the observation, being a lottery at best, is a valid one too.

From a Tour point of view is hence more of a circus then honoring some tradition. Riding a bunch of non specialists across the gravel.

Kind of true, what if one stage is an omnium on the nearest velodrome. Oh, yeah with a madison thrown in.

 

[Jungle Cycle]

MVdP, Kung, Mohoric, Skujins, Healy, Lapeira, Lazkano from sector 11/10..
Mohoric ftw

 

[Rob5091]

The one thing that I am certain of on this stage nine
Is that Little Richie Porte would have never made it out alive

LRP had problems making it past the first week on numerous occassions.

Remco has reconned and is looking forward to the stage (despite what Lefereve has said) so expect high speed and elbows out for positioning. UAE's super team might well cause the day's most entertaining moments. Asthe last 50km are relatively easy a bunch sprint is not unlikely.

 

[scribers]

MVdP, Kung, Mohoric, Skujins, Healy, Lapeira, Lazkano from sector 11/10..
Mohoric ftw

Whatever group goes the GC guys will try to follow. Not all will stay on

 

[iBanesto]

Fun must be!

Remember Bettiol was working for Pogacar that day too...

 

[Rackham]

I'll say I think this stage is dumb, for many of the reasons outlined here.

There's only a chance for a great rider to lose the race because of a mechanical, not really for anyone to make a difference and win. One could say the same of the pavé stages, but pavé has a deep and rich history in the sport, and generally they have offered a chance to made a difference in the race.

I love Strade, but it's a race where climbing and bike-handling really matter. And it's perfectly reasonable to have this kind of variation on a one-day race. There are lots of one-day races to target throughout the calendar. The Tour is a race the entire peloton targets as the A race. It is the Super Bowl or the World Cup, the biggest race of the year. To have it ended because someone has a flat on gravel....I don't see the point or how that advances the sport. I just don't want the Tour ended for ANYONE because of a mechanical on a fad stage.

I dig any kind of bike riding. Whatever gets people outside and fit. But I have relatively little interest in gravel and zero interest in seeing it in the Tour.

I agree.

I believe this stage is very short-sighted, i.e. in the sense people (especially casual fans) are going to get an exciting stage 9. No question. It'll be dramatic.

But at what cost? Imagine crashes, mechanicals & huge time loss + physical damage for GC favorites (especially the top 4)? Suddenly stages 14 onwards (aka the high mountains) are all boring, uneventful processions without decent drama or racing because the better riders have been wiped out in a gimmick stage.

I can't imagine there's a single fan of one of the top GC contenders who is actually looking forwards to this. Even Pog isn't immune from having a nightmare out there because there's so much out of his control.

 

[Rackham]

I think the stage profile is also unfortunate, i.e. not just the gravel sections per se but the lack of climbing. There has to be something to reduce the size of the bunch & I just don't see it here.

I fear everyone & their dog (GC teams & sprint teams alike) will want to be at the front going into the gravel sections. It's bad enough when UAE, Visma & Ineos all push through at the same time with their trains, but when a team like Israel PT also starts barging their way to the front because they think they're going to win the stage with Pascal Ackermann, that's when disaster happens for those stuck mid peloton who're either caught behind a crash or directly in one.

 

[Miha81]

I wonder if Mohoric has this kind of stage marked in his schedule.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

If the organizers wanted this stage to matter something among the GC guys (punctures, crashes excluded) they should've put gravel hills near the end (instead of adding 50 km of flat). This makes big difference.

 

[Miha81]

"A stage like that doesn’t belong in the Tour" - Richard Plugge doesn't agree with addition of gravel stages at Grand Tours

The stage all teams feared since the route presentat

cyclinguptodate.com

 

[Kwaremonster]

I hope no gc rider will be affected, for the win of the stage I fear it will be a bunch sprint. I don't understand the lack of climbing in the last part.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

I hope no gc rider will be affected, for the win of the stage I fear it will be a bunch sprint. I don't understand the lack of climbing in the last part.

Troyes paid enough to be the host of both start and finish. Only small towns/villages nearby.

 

[Rob5091]

We've had all the big teams go out with "pre-emptive excuses" for doing badly on the gravel, but how many will complain if their man gains time? I think crashes might well be a bigger problem then punctures.

 

[slim charles]

I generally like the idea of stages on pave and I think it should be in GT races more often. I generally don't hate the idea of gravel either but this stage is just not designed in a particularly good way. It will end up being a stage where you can lose everything due to bad luck (which, yes, can happen on any stage but more likely here) and there isn't really a way for GT guys to create time differences...

 

[Rob5091]

I think this is just a preparation for the Tro Bro Leon type stage we'll get next year when the Tour returns to Normandy. Now, that will be fun ... piglet for the stage winner!

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

Is there even a rider strong enough to win over fate today?

The logic, if it was a one-day classic, probably dictates MvDP, WvA, Styyven, Mohoric, Philipsen, Laporte.

But this is a stage race in which Pogi participates. Miraculously, he always gets away with the fewest mishaps.

The only one who can accompany MvDP on his good days is Pogi.

And since there is also a classification at stake, I could well imagine it getting really, really, really ugly for Vinge & Rogla, one with a better protective overcoat than the other.

1. MvDP
2. Pogi
.
.
.
5. Remco 0'53
.
.
.
55. WvA 3'21
56. Vinge 3'21
.
.
71. Rogla 5'37

Edit: Wait! Read the weatherforecast wrong! No rain, it seems! In that case nature will be a little more human compared to the imbalance of punctures...

 

[Kazistuta]

I think most, if not all, of the "Negative Johns" in here are just afraid they'll lose a rider for the GC on this stage.
Personally I'm looking forward to seeing a big one-day specialists break form halfway and them juking it out 4-5 minutes in front of a larger field with all main contenders. Everyone should be prepared for punctures on the gravel sections and have enough support riders to manage.

There's always a risk of a GC contender puncturing/getting caught behind just 1-2km before the cutoff in a sprint stage as well, so let's just see how it pans out before complaining too much.
ASO also force sprinters to climb big mountains, which they're certainly not specialists of.

 

[tobydawq]

I think most, if not all, of the "Negative Johns" in here are just afraid they'll lose a rider for the GC on this stage.
Personally I'm looking forward to seeing a big one-day specialists break form halfway and them juking it out 4-5 minutes in front of a larger field with all main contenders. Everyone should be prepared for punctures on the gravel sections and have enough support riders to manage.

There's always a risk of a GC contender puncturing/getting caught behind just 1-2km before the cutoff in a sprint stage as well, so let's just see how it pans out before complaining too much.
ASO also force sprinters to climb big mountains, which they're certainly not specialists of.

I'm really looking forward to this. It's going to be a very intense afternoon in front of the screen. This is what we live for folks!

 

[Hugo Koblet]

I love this stage design, although I would have liked more hills in it. There will be a lot of drama due to crashes and mechanicals, so I'm sure we're in for an intense afternoon as tobydawg says. Now let's hope that someone is willing to ride this stage aggressively as well.