It's another flat transitional stage today, centred around the Loire valley and heading to Châteauroux, a town perhaps most famous for its association with Mark Cavendish.
There's a drag strip of an approach to the line, which should favour one of the new crop of Tour sprinters for the win.
Stage 9: Chinon > Châteauroux
- Date: 13 July
- Distance: 174.1km
- Elevation gain: 1,400m
- Stage type: Flat
Route profile
Route map
If the start today is an unknown quantity as far as the Tour is concerned, that’s certainly not the case with the finish.
Chinon hosts for the first time, one of eight new locations in the race this year, including both the start and finish of tomorrow’s stage in the Massif Central.
There’s 51,550m of elevation across the 21 stages, yet very little of today’s stage will contribute to that hefty figure – around 1,300m. It’s the definition of flat for a Tour stage.
Over at the finish, Châteauroux has hosted the race five times, with British sprinter Mark Cavendish picking up three of his 35 Tour de France stage wins on its wide finishing boulevards.
One thing is for sure – with Cav having called it a day at the end of 2024, a new sprinter will be writing their name into the city’s sprinting hall of fame.
“The teams banking on a bunch sprint won’t be hampered by any hilly terrain as they focus on their mission for the day,” says race director Christian Prudhomme.
“Vigilance will be required at the end of the stage due to the changes in direction that could be exploited if there’s a strong wind blowing.
“However, ‘Avenue Cavendish’ is one of those finish straights that’s ideally suited to a contest between the peloton’s most renowned thoroughbreds.”
Wines and prisons: today's route highlights
We’re now into wine country, with the Loire valley the fourth largest wine-producing region in France and the largest producer of white wines. Technically, Chinon isn’t on the Loire, but its tributary the Vienne. It also doesn’t produce much white wine, being known for its reds and rosés, made from the cabernet franc grape.
It’s famous for its castle, the Château de Chinon, which was a key point in the medieval wars between the kings of France and England. Later, it served as a 16th Century prison, before falling into ruin. It was restored in the early 2000s and now sports a roof again.
One to watch: Jonathan Milan
This is a stage handmade for the sprinters and, in the absence of Jasper Philipsen (and Mark Cavendish), Milan looks to be the sprint-stage top dog this year.
