2026 Tour de France stage 9 preview | Rare Van der Poel opportunity, but Pedersen is lurking

After two stages for the sprinters, the first rest day of this Tour de France is approaching. The attackers will have circled Stage 9 in red, as it gives them one final opportunity to strike during the opening week. Who could win, where might the decisive moves come and how is the race likely to unfold? IDL Pro Cycling looks ahead.

On Sunday, it is up, down, up, down, up and down again. The stage between the start in Malemort and the finish in Ussel covers 185.5 kilometres of hilly terrain and includes no fewer than 3,300 metres of elevation gain. The toughest classified ascent is only a category-two climb, but this will be anything but an easy day in the saddle.

The riders will set off from Malemort before beginning a loop through the rolling terrain of Corrèze. The road starts rising and falling almost immediately, although the first classified climb does not arrive until kilometre 77. The Côte de Naves measures 2.3 kilometres at 7.4 per cent and is classified as a category-three ascent. Given the demanding opening phase, a strong breakaway could already have established itself by then.

Soon after the Côte de Naves, the road begins climbing towards what is, on paper, the toughest ascent of the day: the Suc au May. At 3.8 kilometres with an average gradient of 7.7 per cent, it is a reasonably steep test. Following the descent, the riders will soon encounter the Côte de la Croix du Pey. Measuring 4.8 kilometres at 6 per cent, it is not the most difficult climb on the route, but the accumulated fatigue could make it more selective.

The repeated climbing — genuinely flat kilometres are difficult to find on Sunday — should be taking its toll by this point. Compared with everything that comes before it, the finale itself is not exceptionally difficult. The Mont Bessou, measuring 900 metres at 7.3 per cent, is the final obstacle of the day, with its summit located 24 kilometres from the finish.

The last climb is followed by a fast descent, after which several smaller rises remain on the road towards Ussel. In the closing kilometres, the road descends towards the flamme rouge before beginning to rise gently again during the final kilometre. The finish is situated at an altitude of 633 metres. That is 427 metres higher than the start in Malemort, although the riders will have accumulated approximately 3,300 metres of climbing along the way.

Times
Start: 1:35 p.m. CET
Finish: approximately 5:45 p.m. CET

The heatwave continues in France, and Sunday is expected to be another scorching day. Temperatures of around 36 degrees Celsius are forecast under blazing sunshine at the start in Malemort, while Ussel should be approximately two degrees cooler. A light easterly wind is expected, meaning the riders are likely to face a headwind during the final 40 kilometres.

The attackers taking part in this Tour de France will have been looking forward to this stage. When discussing aggressive racing, particularly at the Tour, Ben Healy is never far from the conversation. The Irishman has been seen at the front less often than usual so far. EF Education-EasyPost could also play the Michael Valgren card, after the Dane joined the breakaway on stage four, or give Alex Baudin the freedom to attack.

Jayco AlUla have a dangerous contender in Luke Plapp. The climbs may be slightly too easy for teammate Ben O’Connor, although Michael Matthews could produce a major result on this terrain. Simone Velasco could be an option for XDS Astana on such a demanding day, Bahrain Victorious may put their faith in Matej Mohorič and Netcompany INEOS have one of the leading favourites in the fast-finishing Dorian Godon.

There are many more attackers who deserve attention. Experienced Basque rider Ion Izagirre of Cofidis already knows what it takes to win a Tour de France stage, while a rider such as Jasper Stuyven of Soudal Quick-Step should also be capable of handling this route. Uno-X are frequently involved whenever a race becomes aggressive. The Norwegian team could turn to Anthon Charmig, who won a similar but slightly more demanding stage at the Tour Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes.

French supporters will hope Julian Alaphilippe of Tudor can suddenly rediscover his best form, although that may be wishful thinking based on what we have seen recently. Romain Grégoire finds a route that appears tailor-made for his qualities, and Groupama-FDJ United will hope to finally make their presence felt. Kévin Vauquelin of Netcompany INEOS is another rider to watch should a strong group of climbers get clear.

Perhaps the most dangerous team on paper is Lidl-Trek. With the exceptionally strong-climbing Mads Pedersen, the team bring one of the absolute favourites to the start, while Quinn Simmons and Mathias Vacek should also be capable of winning on this terrain. That trio already showed what it could achieve on stage four. Sports director Steven de Jongh has revealed that the team reconnoitred this stage in detail. Lidl-Trek did the same ahead of stage four — and Pedersen won.

Freshly crowned British champion Fred Wright of Pinarello-Q36.5 should also be considered, along with new Danish champion Magnus Cort of Uno-X, Vlad Van Mechelen of Bahrain Victorious and Georg Zimmermann of Lotto-Intermarché. Jonas Abrahamsen said during the Tour of Belgium that he had specifically targeted this stage, so the Uno-X rider certainly deserves close attention.

Last but not least: two pure attackers. First up is Mathieu van der Poel. On paper, even if it’s pushing the limits, this could be right up his alley, but the Alpecin-Premier Tech rider hasn’t really been able to find his rhythm in this Tour yet. This should also be a good course for Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5), but will the Brit focus on the general classification or not?

For the GCcontenders, at least, it seems a little too easy—and, above all, too hard to control. If they’re given the space and freedom, riders like Tiesj Benoot (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike) might be able to make a run for it.

Top Favorites: Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Dorian Godon (Netcompany INEOS)
Outsiders: Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Ion Izagirre (Cofidis), Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ United), and Magnus Cort (Uno-X)
Long shots: Michael Valgren (EF Education-EasyPost), Luke Plapp, Michael Matthews (both Jayco AlUla), Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious), Jasper Stuyven (Soudal Quick-Step), Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), Fred Wright, Tom Pidcock (both Pinarello-Q36.5), Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X), and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech)