Tour de France 2024 Favourites stage 9: Strade Bianche à la Tour

foto: Cor VosGravel roads in the Tour de France – not everyone's chuffed about them, but one thing's for sure: they're going to add a dash of extra excitement to the race. The riders tackle 14 white roads and some climbs over a 199 kilometres course with 2,000 metres of elevation. Who's going to come out on top? (Slideshow route/profile)

Well, not everyone’s happy about it… Actually, the team managers of the GC contenders aren’t thrilled – punctures, mechanical issues, you can’t rule them out -, but the general public loves it. Why? Drama is always around the corner. And let’s be honest, that’s one of the charms of the race. Just like heroics. And the battle. And the beauty and the pain of suffering.

The Strade Bianche sparked a renewed interest in racing on rough roads. Naturally, riders who’ve proven themselves in the Italian gravel classic are the main contenders for the stage win. Pogacar won Strade this spring after a solo break of 81 kilometres. He was also the best in 2022. But it’s unlikely the GC contenders will be fighting for the win. The course just isn’t challenging enough for that.

There’s a fair chance that an attacker is going to celebrate in Troyes. On the other hand, the last 50 kilometres are completely flat, so a sprint from a small peloton isn’t out of the question either.

Favourites 9th stage 2024 Tour de France

*** Tom Pidcock, Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert
** Pello Bilbao, Davide Formolo, Maxim Van Gils, Romain Grégoire, Bryan Coquard
* Jasper Philipsen, Biniam Girmay, Arnaud De Lie, Gianni Vermeersch, Valentin Madouas

Another interesting read: route 9th stage 2024 Tour de France.