The 110th edition of the Tour de France, the longest running and most important cycling competition on the planet, continues its tour of France. The ninth stage of the Tour de France will cover 182.4 kilometers between Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat and Puy de Dôme, through a route that presents a challenging topography.
Returning to the Puy de Dôme, that sleeping monster of the Auvergne mountain range, is a long-awaited moment that fuels the purest competitiveness. After 35 years of absence, its steep slopes are once again part of the French competition, awakening the thirst for victory of the fiercest climbers.
Auvergne’s rugged terrain, with its unforgiving topography, does not spare the weak. Before even tackling the summit of the Puy de Dôme, runners will already have felt the wear and tear on their legs from the challenging accumulated slopes. The last 4 kilometers to reach the summit are a real test by fire. With an average unevenness that is close to 12%, each pedal stroke becomes a fight against gravity. This is where the wheat is separated from the chaff.
The winner of the previous stage was Mads Pedersen, from the Lidl-Trek team, with a powerful and agonizing sprint that allowed him to prevail over Jasper Philipsen and Wout van Aert. It is the second time that he has won a stage in the French event.
The 2023 Tour de France will continue this Sunday, July 9, at 1:30 p.m., from Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, with a mountain stage in which the riders will cover 182.4 kilometers. The conference can be seen on television on RTVE and can also be followed live on the La Vanguardia website.
