Although a shorter stage than the previous day, stage 9 will put the hurt on the riders, with four Cat 3 climbs, one Cat 2 and the Cat 1 Le Ballon d'Alsace to burn the legs - just over 9km at 6.8% - which is something to get a bit excited about. It was the first climb of the Tour in 1905, and as such represents the first real test of the climbers 100 years later. Without Virenque in '05, there may be a new mountain king looking to make his mark early on the big climbs, as this represents the first real mountainous stage and an opportunity for GC contenders to consolidate their position if they're feeling up to it. Whoever takes the stage will have to possess a decent sprint, as it's a good 60km from the summit of Ballon d'Alsace to the finish in Mulhouse, and those teams that can assemble any sort of order after the descent will be in with a real chance of the stage win.
-
X2O series leader Joris Nieuwenhuis temporarily pauses cyclo-cross season due to knee injury
Dutch rider is top of the standings of lucrative time-based series -
Q36.5 Rain Shell Jacket review: A solid waterproof option, but in need of refinement
Some missing features detract from an otherwise pretty good waterproof by today’s standards -
'We do it because we can' - Fausto Pinarello on custom painted bikes and who he wishes had painted a Pinarello frame
Pinarello has made bikes for cycling stars, celebrities and even the pope over the years -
UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup Gavere: Mathieu van der Poel fends off Thibau Nys to take win number four
Nys, Tibor del Grosso round out the podium
