Tour de France 2022 Favourites stage 9: Attackers in the Alps

image: Cor VosStage 9 at Le Tour sets off from Switzerland to finish just across the border in France. Although the riders are traversing the Alps, the route is not overly hard. Which is good news for breakaway specialists. (Slideshow route/profile)

The flat opener travels along Lake Geneva for awhile before the route starts to go uphill after 25 kilometres. The gradients are moderate while climbing towards Châtel-Saint-Denis and after moving through the district capital the route continues on the flat. The breakaway should be established by now, and otherwise it will be when the climbing intensifies around the midway marker – first on the Col des Mosses (13.3 kilometres at 4.1%) and then the Col de la Croix (8.8 kilometres at 7.6%).

Following the downhill and 15 kilometres on the flat the riders are approaching the finale. Le Tour re-enters France on the Pas de Morgins (15.4 kilometres at 6.1%) before a 6 kilometres descent takes them to the foot of the last uphill section of the day. Which is 3.5 kilometres long and rises at 4% before crossing the finish line in Châtel.

One could argue that the GC riders will have little to gain on such a parcours, although one never knows with the insatiable generation of nonconformist cyclists and attackers that’s dominating cycling in recent years. Possibly the Pas de Morgins will serve as the tonic to ignite the GC fireworks. If so, it could prove to be fatal for the breakaway – if not, one of the attackers is going to celebrate in Châtel.

Our bet would be – stage hunters.

Favourites 9th stage 2022 Tour de France

*** Bauke Mollema, Tim Wellens, Lennard Kämna, Thibaut Pinot
** Warren Barguil, Matej Mohoric, Pierre Latour, Andreas Leknessund
* Maximilian Schachmann, Alexey Lutsenko, Michael Woods, Stefan Küng

Another interesting read: route 9th stage 2022 Tour de France.