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

[Netserk]

Time for yet another Disney sequel.

 

[Potomac]

I'm glad the Tour is taking a moment to remember André Drege.

It looked like they singled out Norwegian riders and forced them to grieve on camera.
I thought it wrong to intrude.

 

[RobertCrawley]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1809865675118158169

View: https://x.com/allergy_al/status/1809865675118158169


Vingegaard top favourite for today.

Very cool. Thanks for posting this!

 

[CyclistAbi]

Where does this argument stop though?

On gravel.

 

[gregrowlerson]

It will be interesting to see how strong the breakaway is. I'm sure Pogacar is hoping that it is weak, and that most of the classics men (he included) attack later.

 

[RobertCrawley]

It looked like they singled out Norwegian riders and forced them to grieve on camera.
I thought it wrong to intrude.

Maybe not the best way to do it, but I'm glad they took a moment.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Group of 90 rolling into the finish after a relatively untroubled stage

Don't care about the organisational aspect myself it's more a question of personal taste. Gravel in a race like this feels tacky and manufactured, some real gen z gimmick. Cobbles are historically relevant and every once in a while add to the prestige of the race, Simon Clarke charging across the cobbled roads like a German Panzer in the early 40s.

If they went over an unpaved mountain that would be a different story, bring on the carnage.

 

[Salvarani]

Group of 90 rolling into the finish after a relatively untroubled stage

Don't care about the organisational aspect myself it's more a question of personal taste. Gravel in a race like this feels tacky and manufactured, some real gen z gimmick. Cobbles are historically relevant and every once in a while add to the prestige of the race, Simon Clarke charging across the cobbled roads like a German Panzer in the early 40s.

Im pretty sure they have raced on gravel more than cobbles, historically speaking.

 

[Extinction]

It's a 3 week GT. You can't have every stage suiting the big GC riders. as it would become boring having the same riders competing for the stage win all the time. I bet there's some riders absolutely loving the challenge of a stage like this. If any of the GC riders don't like this stage or the route, they can always wait for a route that suits them best. It's a challenge over 3 weeks, like it or lump it.

I never said that. You can have puncheur stages which open the possibility for a wider range of riders, without unduely risking the GC integrity of the Tour. I'm the first to admit the entertainment factor of a gravel race, but don't think the risk of losing a front-runner compensates for that in the GC battle, which should be the priority of the Tour de France. You don't, as far as I'm concerned, give priority to the entertainment value of one stage potentially over that of the entire race. Because if any one of the Bigs crashes out or flats at the inopportune moment that's effectively what you've done. And I don't think it's worth it. We have the beautiful Strade Bianche for gravel battles of the highest caliber.

 

[42x16ss]

He was interviewed post stage and complained he has been in poor form since Suisse, yet, he showed good form in Suisse. I know stage eight was a target.

Reading between the lines I think he went too deep.

 

[RobertCrawley]

All smiles at the start of the gravel stage.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Im pretty sure they have raced on gravel more than cobbles, historically speaking.

Yeah I suppose, it's more a matter of continuity really, they've always used cobbles every once in a while, it just seems like they've brought this back because it's the in-thing at the moment. I think if it was more likely to effect the race like a big climb I wouldn't mind, but it seems a bit shoehorned without purpose here, lets get some gravel in there sell a few bikes get a few more Americans watching.

 

[ice&fire]

Let the wacky race start

 

[Netserk]

It looked like they singled out Norwegian riders and forced them to grieve on camera.
I thought it wrong to intrude.

Well, it's not about them, so that's secondary.

 

[Eclipse]

Im pretty sure they have raced on gravel more than cobbles, historically speaking.

Definitely, but I think cobbled racing has a special space having been a preserved and curated part of the calendar that people have specialised in. Gravel doesn't have the same weight.

Nice punchy start to the day at least.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Certain posters would do well to go through all the cobbles/sterrato stages in the Tour and Giro in the past 10-15 years and assess how many GC favourites had their race ruined by a crash or mechanical on one of the sectors. IMO sprint finishes are more dangerous in this regard.

That being said, this stage could also be a sprint finish…

 

[tobydawq]

Regarding some teams are better than others.

The point passed you by.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Abrahamsen should chase down Bissegger and just stop

 

[Tim Cahill]

UAE doms look to be closing down splits, either a signal of intent or perhaps not wanting a GC rider to sneak into a dangerous looking move.

 

[RobertCrawley]

UAE doms look to be closing down splits, either a signal of intent or perhaps not wanting a GC rider to sneak into a dangerous looking move.

Also staying at the front, where life is safest.

 

[Netserk]

Gee-ro!

 

[Tim Cahill]

Panic stations in the group as they realise that they somehow let a threat like Tour of Poland KOM Jarrad Drizners into a dangerous move.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

If Gee wants to be in the break on this kind of stage, he should drop 15 minutes sooner rather than later.

 

[Samamba]

What is Movistar doing???

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Looks like Movistar and Arkea are committed to getting in the break.