PREVIEW | Tour de France 2023 stage 9 - Return to historic Puy de Dôme climb the first big challenge in yellow for Jonas Vingegaard

Preview. Stage 9 of the Tour de France will be an exciting day of racing in the Massif Central as the riders head into the Puy de Dôme and the steep summit finish will see another battle between Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar.

Stage 9 of the Tour de France will see the grand return of the Puy de Dôme climb, after 35 years of absence. The day will be mostly rolling, with only the final climb as a serious challenge. The riders arrive at the Massif Central, the day will be packed with small climbs however it will be all about that final climb. It will be hard and the first summit finish of the race, in a climb that will be quite a sight for the peloton.

Estimated start and finish times for Tour de France stage 9: 13:30-18:05CET

The climb features a total of 13.3 kilometers at 7.7% However, the final 5 kilometers average out at around 11%, in an ascent that currently does not allow virtually any vehicles up the road, but will open an exception for the Tour de France.

All riders will with no doubt save their legs towards the final 5 kilometers, and this is another case of an ascent where you can't expect big accelerations, because indeed it is so constant that by far the most efficient way to get to the top is in a constant pace, and slipstreaming will mean very little. The end of the first week of racing.

The Weather

The heat will be felt, however the wind may play just as much of a role on the day. Southwestern wind throughout the afternoon will see a tailwind throughout most of the day. On the final climb itself there could be a headwind in the first section, the road will then be exposed but in very steep gradients it won't cause so much effect.

The Favourites

Tadej Pogacar - Will UAE work for Pogacar to try and win the stage, get bonus seconds, jump into yellow... Probably not. Right? Well UAE are keen on some weird tactics at times, but taking into consideration how it went in the Col de Marie Blanque, it's unlikely that UAE will want to take the risk here. Pogacar has his stage win, he's within reach of Vingegaard's yellow, it's best to just keep it as it is.

Jonas Vingegaard - Jumbo-Visma have spent quite a lot today in search of finally taking the win with Wout van Aert. It has not worked, it won't do the team any favours, this isn't a stage where having satellite riders will help, Jumbo have the lead but I think they will be happy with a breakaway going up the road and just go up the road, save the team. Even if a break gets a big gap, in the mountains at this point neither UAE or Jumbo have to worry about another rider going into yellow, Hindley was likely the most dangerous for the two but he was already "taken care of" at the Tourmalet. It's between the two. The final climb is too hard for there not to be gaps, I would have Vingegaard above Pogacar in this finale, there's nothing explosive about it.

Top 10 Fight - The fight for the podium and Top10 spots, not the stage win. The competition is a level below those two, but when it comes to other spots it's an important day. The toughest summit finish of the race so far, don't expect anyone to attack here in the final climb, it's an ascent to do by pace, and they are racing among each other, not against Pogi and Vingegaard. Jai Hindley could take some more time in his podium fight. The fight for fourth place right now is very tight with Adam and Simon Yates, Carlos Rodríguez and David Gaudu. Romain Bardet could also do well here since it's on home roads, he will be very motivated to perform. Sepp Kuss isn't exactly a contender for the podium but he sits 10th, and can climb up the GC here.

The question lies on if the breakaway can succeed on this day. My opinion is yes, although UAE sometimes do that work, I doubt they and Jumbo-Visma will ally to control the day. In the Massif Central the breakaways are hard to control, and the temperatures will be very high. Ultimately, it would make no difference, it's all about those final five kilometers when it comes to the fight for the yellow jersey. The start isn't too hard but it does feature a few hilltops where riders have the chance to get away.

The likes of Pello Bilbao, Thibaut Pinot, Felix Gall and Mattias Skjelmose have the opportunity to combine stage winning ambitions with the GC, they should all have freedom to go for it, equally the quality to fight for the win. Many riders will try however. The KOM jersey contenders for example Neilson Powless, Tobias Johannessen, Daniel Martínez and Ruben Guerreiro will certainly all try to get in the mix, I wouldn't call KOM his goal but Giulio Ciccone could turn to that too if he performs here.

Michael Woods fell out of contention and here finds a well suited climb to his skills, and could quickly adapt to his new role in the race. Valentin Madouas and Julian Alaphilippe further defend the nation's interests for a stage win, whilst the likes of Jack Haig, James Shaw and Matteo Jorgenson will also be outsiders for the day.

Prediction Tour de France 2023 stage 9:

*** Giulio Ciccone, Tobias Johannessen, Felix Gall
** Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogacar, Daniel Martínez, Ruben Guerreiro, Michael Woods
* Jai Hindley, Carlos Rodríguez, Sepp Kuss, Simon Yates, Adam Yates, Thibaut Pinot, Pello Bilbao, Jack Haig

Pick: Giulio Ciccone