"Jonas Vingegaard has to ride in Wout van Aert's pocket all day" - Visma clear on gravel tactics at Tour de France

Much has been made of stage 9 of the 2024 Tour de France as the races takes the riders onto the gravel with potentially GC shifting ramifications. The time for talking is now over though, as the day is here and for Team Visma | Lease a Bike, the plan is clear.

"This stage is meant for the spectacle and anything can happen. It's one of those stages where everyone on the bus feels the tension," Team Visma | Lease a Bike sports director Merijn Zeeman previews of the stage in conversation with In de Leiderstrui. "We have to ride with conviction, because our riders can handle this course well."

With the defending Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard having question marks over his level following his massive crash at the Itzulia Basque Country earlier this year, it's imperative that the Dane is kept out of trouble on this day as another crash could spell disaster for any Maillot Jaune hopes Vingegaard and Team Visma | Lease a Bike have for the 2024 Tour de France.

"If possible, we also want to take initiative. Jonas Vingegaard has to ride in Wout van Aert's pocket all day. On the luggage rack," Zeeman continues, divulging a few details of the Team Visma | Lease a Bike plan. "If we get into a situation in the final where we can win, we won't hesitate. But we can only draw up that balance after the last sector."

With Vingegaard already over a minute down on his arch rival Tadej Pogacar however, and the UAE Team Emirates leader himself a multiple time Strade Bianche winner on the gravel, even at his best level, the odds would look slightly stacked against Vingegaard on a stage such as this. Whether of not the Team Visma | Lease a Bike plan can bring a fruitful outcome? We will soon find out.