Tour de France Stage 9: The Dreaded Cobblestones
No stage during the Tour de France’s first week has riders more nervous than Stage 9. The reason? Almost 22K of pavé (cobblestones) divided into 15 sectors, including some of the nastiest cobbled roads the region has to offer. Recent Tours have featured pavé, but never this much and never this late in the race.
The pavé starts 47.5K into the stage, with sectors 15 and 14 (they’re numbered in descending order) both coming before the day’s Intermediate Sprint. A narrow entrance to the first sector means that splits-or crashes-could happen early.
But these are just an appetizer. The real racing begins once the peloton hits Marchiennes, the last town before the sectors become longer, harder, and more frequent. For example, sectors 12-9 all come in quick succession, offering 8.5K of pavé in less than 20K. Expect it to force a major selection of the stage, with teams fighting to keep leaders at the front and out of trouble. Sectors 4, 3, and 2 are also pretty heinous.
Luckily for the riders, weather won’t be an issue. The forecast calls for sunny skies and dry roads, meaning a dusty day for the peloton. Only light winds are expected, so headwinds should not be a problem as the riders approach the finish in Roubaix.
Riders to Watch
Expect two races to emerge: The race to win the stage, and the race to gain the most (or lose the least) among the overall contenders. The first will be contested by veterans of Classics like Paris-Roubaix: Peter Sagan, overall leader Greg Van Avermaet, and Niki Terpstra. Dark horses include Jasper Stuyven and Yves Lampaert.
For GC contenders, Sunday is all about survival. Riding the pavé is as mental as it is physical, which is why several of the Tour’s stars rode some spring Classics earlier this season to get a taste of what was to come. Among them, Vincenzo Nibali (who crushed the pavé en route to winning the 2014 Tour) and Alejandro Valverde (who almost won a cobbled semi-Classic earlier this year) appear the most as home on the stones. And while everyone loves to discount Chris Froome’s bike handling skills, he did fine on the pavé during the 2015 Tour.
The biggest issues might arise for teams with both a GC contender and stage favorite. Will Van Avermaet, for example, sacrifice his yellow jersey to shepherd Richie Porte through the finale? Will Sagan ride for Rafal Majka?
Flat tires and mechanicals are also a major issue, as it can take a while for team cars to reach riders on the narrow, cobbled roads. Caravan order is determined according to the General Classification, so BMC, Sky, and Quick-Step Floors have the first three cars in line-and the advantage that comes with them.
When to Tune In
Even before France advanced to the World Cup final, this stage was scheduled to end early. So you have a choice: Either get up early and watch the stage live (it should hit Sector 12 around 8:30 a.m. EST), or set your DVR, go for a ride, and enjoy the stage with cold Belgian beer later in the afternoon.
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