Tour De France Stage 9 predictions, betting tips, odds and free bets (July 10, 2016)

Sunday, 10 July 2016 09:34
Written by David Bet

Stage 9 of 2016 Tour De France remains in the Pyrenees, but takes place entirely outside of France. It is a leg breaking route of 184.5km in length from Vielha Val d'Aran to a summit finish at Andorre Arcalis. Who will win? This article contains our Tour De France Stage 9 betting preview including best odds, expert predictions on Winner and Head to Head, bookie offers & no deposit free bets!

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TOUR DE FRANCE STAGE 9 BETTING PREVIEW

The 184.5km (114.6mi) route includes five climbs with four being Category 1 or higher. The Port de la Bonaigua rises up 13.7km from the start in Vielha Val d’Aran. Four more climbs await, with the final climb the Hors Catégorie summit finish into Arcalis. The penultimate climb of the day, the category one climb of the Col de Beixalis. The climb is 6.4 kilometres at 8.5%. At the top of the penultimate climb, the riders still have a difficult 25 kilometres to negotiate, with an extremely technical descent leading into lumpy roads before the final climb.

The final climb averages 7.2% over 10.1km and is a very regular ascent. The first part is the hardest but in general there is not much variation on a climb that will bring the riders up to more than 2000m of altitude.

Chris Froome head into stage nine’s summit finish with a slender 16 second lead over compatriot Adam Yates after his success at Bagneres de Luchon. He has had the reputation of being a poor descender but the Brit has shown he can make use of every terrain to beat his rivals.

Nairo Quintana looked fine on Stage 8; he was simply caught off-guard by Froome’s attack over the top of Peyresourde. The Colombian may want to strike back immediately and that makes it very likely that the break will be brought back. We don't expect the same defensive approach that Quintana used last year.

Alejandro Valverde was with Quintana at the summit of the last climb. He is not riding as a captain but he is providing full support to Quintana. As consequence, we expect him to force the pace on the final climb before the showdown between the Colombian and Chris Froome.

Daniel Martin can’t match the best climbers but he isn’t far off. The big question facing Martin is can he stay with Froome and Quintana tomorrow.

Alberto Contador lost more time on the Pereysourde and he can't do more than this after two brutal crashes in the first week. Sooner or later, we expect an attack from another Spaniard, Joaquim Rodriguez.

Richie Porte doesn’t have a history as an attacking rider but he will have to go on the offensive to close the 2 minutes gap from the lead.

His team-mate Tejay Van Garderen is closer to Froome in the GC but he has been soundly beaten in mountain stages elsewhere this and in previous seasons by Froome.

Fabio Aru was dropped at the top of the final mountain climb but got back on during the descent and put in a late attack in Luchon. He is a big question mark but we expect him to arrive behind Quintana and Froome.

Rafal Majka has his eyes on the polka-dot jersey and will be tired after the unsuccessful breakaway of Satruday's stage. Vincenzo Nibali is far from his top and he has no chance to recover 24 hours after a debacle.

French supporters will be expecting one of Thibaut Pinot, Pierre Rolland or Romain Bardet to make a bid for glory, but it is unlikely that Team Sky will give Bardet too much rope, while Rolland crashed on Saturday and Pinot doesn't have a good form.

Dark horses?

Ruben Plaza Molina, Louis Meintjes, Rui Costa and Thomas De Gendt are good options in case of winning breakaway while Adam Yates is too close to the yellow jersey and will be controlled by Team Sky. Ilnur Zakarin has been a "desaparecido" so far and could be another attacking rider.