It’s a cliché as old as the race itself: you can’t win the Tour de France in the first week, but you can certainly lose it.
Sunday’s ninth stage, the last before the first rest day, is one of those that threatens to crush dreams. Taking place around the town of Troyes, it counts fourteen gravel sectors, stretching out over 32km, and stands out as a unique parcours in this year’s edition.
For the Classics riders, the one-day specialists, the day offers an exciting chance for a stage win. For the GC riders, however, there’s a fear the expected chaos might lead to costly losses.
“I think Sunday is a tough stage, it’s definitely not an easy stage,” said Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), who sits second overall. “It’s a region that always goes up and down, a region of often the first stages of Paris-Nice, which are always tough ones.”
For the Belgian, whose experience racing on gravel is sparse, the most important thing will be positioning, and to arrive “ready for fighting”.
“I think between the favourites, if everything happens in a normal way, there shouldn’t be too big gaps,” he said. “In the end, I think it’s not a stage that can make somebody win the Tour, but if you have bad luck during the day in the wrong moment, it could make you lose the Tour, if you’re a bit unlucky.”
It will come as no surprise that Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), race leader and Strade Bianche winner, is licking his lips at the gravel stage.
