Stage 9

The road

At the start

Pinot is broken, Marie-Blanque waits

Thibaut Pinot slipped off the back on the road to Loudenvielle clutching his back, and France's Tour looks finished on day eight. Adam Yates keeps yellow by three seconds; four riders climbed off yesterday, Giacomo Nizzolo among them. Today is short and vicious — the Hourcère, the Soudet, and last the Col de Marie-Blanque, whose final kilometres hit double digits nineteen from the line at Laruns.

How it was won

1. 185 km to go

   Hirschi flies clear

   Marc Hirschi attacks alone over the misty Col de la Hourcere and dives down the far side, building more than three minutes as Jumbo-Visma marshal the chase.

2. 219 km to go

   Pogačar tests the red

   On the steep double-digit ramps of the Col de Marie Blanque, Pogačar attacks again and again to blow the GC group apart, only Roglič, Landa and Bernal able to hold his wheel.

3. 319 km to go

   Wheels touch for the bonus

   Over the summit Pogačar lunges for second place and the bonus seconds, but Roglič surges past him; the pair clash wheels before Pogačar apologises for the error.

4. 46 km to go

   Hirschi caught on the descent

   Hirschi takes wild risks on the plunge to Laruns but the Roglič group hunts him down inside the final kilometres, denying the Swiss a brave solo win.

5. 5At the line

   Pogačar wins, Roglič in yellow

   Pogačar wins the sprint in Laruns ahead of Roglič and Hirschi, but it is Roglič who takes the yellow jersey after a day of relentless Pyrenean aggression.

The result