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STAGE 9 OF 21Sunday 12 July

Malemort → Ussel

Hilly185.5 KMMassif Central

Into the Massif Central on a constantly rolling day to Ussel. The last stage before the first rest day — tired legs and a hilly profile make it a classic breakaway opportunity.

KEY CLIMBS

—

Suc au May

3.8 km · 7.7% avg

—

Mont Bessou

0.8 km · 5.5% avg

—

Côte des Gardes

2.2 km · 4.8% avg

THE TACTICAL READ

WHO IT SUITS

The breakaway. A rolling Massif Central day before the first rest day is tailor-made for a move the GC teams won't chase.

WHAT TO WATCH

A long, brutal fight to form the break on tired legs. Once it sticks, the question is which rider has saved the most for the closing climbs.

ROADMAN PREDICTION

The break wins, and the winning move is large and strong. A hilly-classics rider or a GC outsider given freedom takes the biggest result of their season.

THE ROADMAN TAKE

WHAT THIS STAGE DEMANDS

Rolling terrain punishes riders who only train steady. The repeated accelerations out of every dip are anaerobic efforts stacked on an aerobic day. Sweet-spot and over-under work prepares you for exactly this — staying with the group when the road keeps kicking up.

WHAT DAN LORANG WOULD PUSH

The Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe head of performance builds riders who can repeat hard efforts deep into a stage — periodised training that layers intensity on top of a big aerobic engine, not random hard days.

TRAIN FOR IT

The Roadman content that builds what Stage 9 asks for.

Cycling interval training for beginners→Training plans hub→FTP Zone Calculator→

← STAGE 8

Périgueux → Bergerac

STAGE 10 →

Aurillac → Le Lioran

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