"If you puncture at the wrong moment you will lose time" - Tadej Pogacar aware of danger posed by gravel stage at the 2024 Tour de France

On Sunday, the first week of the 2024 Tour de France will be brought to a close by a controversial and potentially GC shifting gravel stage. Tadej Pogacar enters stage 9 with a narrow lead over Remco Evenepoel, but is well aware that one piece of bad luck could completely change everything.

Thankfully, heading into such a key day at the Tour de France, Pogacar and the rest of the GC contenders were allowed a relatively calm day on stage 8 as Biniam Girmay took his second stage win this Grand Tour, further strengthening the Eritrean's hold over the Green Jersey. That doesn't mean it was an easy day Pogacar in the bunch however, far from it in fact.

“Actually, it was quite cold today. It was a really fast day, as Jonas Abrahamsen was flying at the front and we had to ride at his pace. It was a bit of a stressful day in the peloton," the Maillot Jaune reflects in his post-stage interview afterwards. "It’s good to tick the day off and start thinking about tomorrow."

Whilst a Grand Tour is ordinarily decided by who is the strongest over three weeks, the massive factor that luck will play into the gravel stage 9, means it hasn't been welcomed by all. With Pogacar having the most to lose tomorrow, the UAE Team Emirates leader admits that one stroke of bad luck could prove incredibly costly if ill-timed, although he doesn't feel it will be a completely race shifting stage.

"Will tomorrow’s stage be decisive? I don’t think so. Of course, you will need to stay even more sharp and focused. Every entrance to a gravel sector will be a battle. There will be wind, and maybe some rain… You can be the best on the gravel, but if you puncture at the wrong moment you will lose time," Pogacar assesses. "It will be a hectic, dangerous day. It will be key to stay close to the front and well surrounded by the team. Everybody wants to be at the front on every stage, and tomorrow’s stage won’t be no different - just more stressful than usual!”