Tour de France stage nine preview

Stage nine of the Tour de France 2022 starts in Aigle and finishes in Châtel Les Portes du Soleil.

It’s 47 years since Châtel’s only previous Tour stage finish, Lucien Van Impe the winner of a mountain time trial in the final days of the 1975 race that convinced the Belgian climber that he could contend for the yellow jersey. His success augured well, as he won the overall crown the following year.

Tour de France stage nine: expected timings

Tour de France stage nine route

From the start close to the UCI’s HQ in Aigle, the riders will complete a large circle at the eastern end of Lake Geneva, crossing the Col des Mosses and the more testing Col de la Croix, before heading over the long but steady Pas de Morgins to French soil for the final and very straightforward 4km ascent to Châtel that will be a big-ring blast for the stage contenders and GC favourites.

Useful Tour de France 2022 resources

• Tour de France 2022 route
• Tour de France 2022 standings
• Tour de France 2022 start list
• Tour de France 2022 key stages
• How to watch the 2022 Tour de France
• Past winners of the Tour de France
• Tour de France leader's jerseys
• Tour de France winning bikes

Tour de France stage nine: what to expect 

Like the two previous uphill finishes, this stage offers a nice balance, potentially favouring both breakaway specialists and GC contenders. The former are likely to be buoyed by the comparative ease of the finish, which may encourage the favourites to hold back on all-out attacks until the bigger mountains that come after the rest day. The critical climb for all those with hopes of featuring on the podium today is the Pas de Morgins, which is steady but quite long. Setting a rapid tempo here will thin out the break, if it’s still clear, and the GC favourites.

Tour de France stage nine: riders to watch

If the yellow jersey favourites do decide to go on the offensive today, this looks like ideal terrain for defending champion Tadej Pogačar and his Slovenian compatriot Primož Roglič, who are both equipped with the climbing ability and, significantly, the finishing speed that will make a difference on the final two climbs.