Stage 9: Saint-Girons to Bagneres-de-Bigorre, 168.5km, high mountains

This stage picks up where yesterday’s stage left off – the boys have five climbs to get over, four of those cat 1s, and there’s no messing around. The first climb – and the only cat 2 in this stage – kicks off immediately, with the summit coming at 28.5km into the stage. It’s a day when a breakaway is likely to disappear up the road and never be seen again. Continue reading →