After the pure climbers in the Pyrenees, followed by the sprinters in Bordeaux and Bergerac, it’s now the turn of the puncheurs and all-rounders to round off the week in style between Malemort and Ussel. Today’s route has been adjusted due to an exceptional heatwave, but the challenge remains the same for those vying for victory: 155.5 kilometres and around 3,000 metres of elevation gain on a route typical of the undulating stages that have produced particularly dynamic scenarios in recent editions. This was the case during the most recent finish in Corrèze, back in 2020. Marc Hirschi claimed victory in Sarran, passed the climbs of Suc au May and La Croix du Pey – which the riders will encounter again on the route to Ussel. The 2026 Tour peloton has no shortage of contenders to follow in the Swiss puncher’s footsteps.
Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) is one of them, and he has all the qualities needed to get his team’s annual tally off the mark; they have always won at least once on the Tour de France since joining the race in 2021. Lidl-Trek have already triumphed in Foix with Mads Pedersen, and the versatile Dane will be keen to pick up points to defend his green jersey. Teammates such as Quinn Simmons and Mathias Vacek could still support him, and maybe play their own hand depending on how the race unfolds. Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) seems to have been in fine form of late, as demonstrated by several accelerations in the peloton, and this ninth stage suits him well. The same goes for Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla), who is chasing his first victory on the Tour.
The list goes on with French hopes such as the 2025 national champion, Dorian Godon (Netcompany Ineos), who has announced his ambitions for a day adapted to his qualities. His successor Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ United) dreams of becoming the first Frenchman to win in the blue-white-red jersey since Arnaud Démare in 2017. Among the attacking riders of recent days and contenders for victory are also the Italian Marco Frigo (XDS Astana) and the Spaniards Raul Garcia Pierna and Pablo Castrillo, keen to secure Movistar’s first victory since 2019. And let’s seen when Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5) and Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) take charge.
