Van Baarle and Artz wary of Tour de France Stage 9 as Lidl-Trek targets the breakaway: ‘That tells you enough’
CyclingSaturday, 11 July 2026 at 18:20
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Follow us on GoogleStage 9 of the Tour de France promises to deliver a major spectacle. The 185.5-kilometre stage from Malemort to Ussel features four categorised climbs, while the road will rise and fall throughout the day. Among the Dutch riders in the peloton, there is plenty of respect for just how difficult it will be to compete for victory on terrain like this.
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The breakaway specialists have not received many opportunities at this Tour de France so far. Mads Pedersen was the only rider to win after spending the day in the break, taking victory on Stage 4, but that was as good as it got for the attackers during the opening eight days. The general classification contenders have already taken centre stage several times, including in the team time trial on the opening day, while the sprinters have been given three chances.
However, the attackers can dream on both the day before and the day after the first rest day. Their chances of success appear even greater on Stage 9 than on Stage 10, where a particularly demanding finale towards Le Lioran awaits on Tuesday. With a little bad luck for the breakaway, a team such as UAE Team Emirates-XRG could decide to take control again for Tadej Pogačar.
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Stage 9 of the Tour de France on Sunday—a perfect opportunity for the breakaway riders!
Lidl-Trek fully focused on Tour de France Stages 9 and 10
Lidl-Trek sports director Steven de Jongh has therefore done his homework. “I drove the entire Stage 9 route in the car, so that tells you enough,” the Dutchman told IDLProCycling.com with a laugh. De Jongh also reconnoitred the whole of Stage 4, when his team placed Quinn Simmons and Mathias Vacek in the break alongside eventual winner Pedersen.
The same three riders can be expected to go on the offensive again on Sunday and Tuesday. “Simmons and Vacek are riding very strongly at the moment, and Stages 9 and 10 are certainly stages where they can be part of the move,” De Jongh said. However, the sports director believes Simmons and Vacek may need to remain patient. “Stage 10 will definitely be too hard for Mads, but Quinn and Mathias can handle it when they are in the right group.”
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Stage 10 of the Tour de France is on the schedule for Tuesday, following the first rest day.
Van Baarle expects an extremely hard fight for the Tour de France breakaway
The downside of there having been so few opportunities for breakaway riders is that the battle to make the front group on Sunday and Tuesday is likely to be enormous. That intense fight could prove costly even for riders who appear perfectly suited to the stages on paper. “It is a beautiful stage, but after two relatively easier days, it might be just a little too difficult for me,” Dylan van Baarle said on behalf of Soudal Quick-Step.
The Dutchman told us on Saturday that he would normally wait until the rest day before studying the route book in detail. “I really take it day by day, and on Monday I will look at where the opportunities are during the second week. I have not studied those stages closely yet, but I hope I can grab some of those opportunities with both hands.”
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Dylan van Baarle
Artz must manage his energy carefully on Tour de France Stage 9
Huub Artz is another Dutch rider whose chances in the upcoming breakaway stages are difficult to judge. The young Lotto-Intermarché rider made his biggest impression during the opening week in the sprints, but he had already highlighted a stage such as Sunday’s before the Tour began. “It is one of those stages where, in this peloton, you have to be extremely strong to compete for the victory.”
“On Sunday, we will find out who the strongest riders really are,” Artz predicted. “The level is so incredibly high that, even on a very good day, I will have to ride intelligently. It is very easy to blow yourself up in the heat, and I cannot put myself in the same category as someone like Mathieu van der Poel. I will see what is possible.”
Van Baarle and Artz both admitted that they had not yet spoken to their fellow Dutch riders about potentially joining forces during Stage 9. “Maybe that is something I should do on the rest day,” Van Baarle concluded with a laugh.
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- No teammates on the Tourmalet. Too fast up the Tourmalet.
merganzer10-07-2026 - Reef is whistling past the graveyard by denying what was plain to see: Tadej crushed Jonas, beating him in the ascent and, even more decisively on the descent, where most of the gap was created. In the world of reality, rather than the fantsay that Reef related, Jonas will not become a better descender between now and Paris, and Tadej won't get less adept at the skill. Moreover, it wasn't only about the mano y mono, between the two Tour leaders, but the unraveling of Visma, and the dominance of UAE, especially IDT. Barring injury or some other anomalous occurrence, we'll look back at Tadej's win on stage six as the day he won the 2026 TDF.rjb10-07-2026
- Remco continues alternating between Dr. Jekyl and, as he did today post-race, Mr. Hyde, lashing out as others for not racing according to his preferences. This isn't the first time he's complained about opponents' tactics, but it's the first time I've heard him do it to a teammate, and that lack of discretion and team loyalty may come back to haunt him. I though he'd outgrown these childish pouts; obviously, I was mistaken.rjb10-07-2026
- - How many times has Pog actually worn yellow now? The article hints he’s lost count—anyone got the exact stat?robert6506-07-2026
- - Unreal start to the Tour: two punches in three days. If he’s taking yellow this early, the real game is load management before the first true summit finish.davidm06-07-2026
- - Grandissimo Tadej! Maillot jaune meritato, squadra perfetta oggi.sprocketspiny06-07-2026
- - Not sure I buy the “nothing really tough” description. 3,850m of climbing in that heat is brutal, even if the gradients aren’t HC. Felt a bit dismissive.cadencekingm06-07-2026
- - Pogacar’s humour about the gels was gold. Also, nice to see him credit Del Toro. That Barcelona gesture coming back today was a proper team arc.michael5406-07-2026
- - Quick question: when they say “break got a free pass” by Visma, does that mean Visma just stopped chasing completely? Or is it more like they eased but still controlled the gap?velodromevirtuoso106-07-2026
- - Sorry, but the piece glosses over how Vermeersch shredded the gap. That was the hinge of the stage. Give him more credit than a single line.raceready706-07-2026
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