Pau and La Grande Boucle belong to each other like a dog to its boss. It is the most visited location in Tour de France history. In 106 editions the town hosted La Grande Boucle 72 times. Pau adds one more visit to its tally in 2020. Last year, Julian Alaphilippe stormed to victory in the town in the foothills of the Pyrenees.
This time the riders click into their pedals in Pau for a virtually flat opening of 50 kilometres. Then the Col de La Hourcère appears, which is a tough test. The ascent is 11.1 kilometres long and slopes at 8.8%. A short descent leads onto the next climb, the Col de Soudet. Peaking out at the highest point of the day (1,540 metres), the ascent is 3.8 kilometres at 8.5%.
A descent of roughly 20 kilometres takes the riders back into the valley before they tackle a hilly zone leading up to the last climb. The Col de Marie Blanque is 7.7 kilometres long and the average gradients sits at 8.6%. So that’s yet another steep climb, although the first part is doable. Consequently, the second part is even harder with gradients hovering around 12%. The first three riders over the Marie Blanque gain time bonuses of 8, 5 and 2 seconds.
A downhill of 12 kilometres flies down into Bilhères-en-Ossau. The riders storm through the village to tackle the last 6 kilometres, a section that runs slightly uphill.
Two editions ago the Tour also featured a finish in Laruns. The riders came from the other side. After attacking in the downhill of the Aubisque, Primoz Roglic outgunned a group with Geraint Thomas, Chris Froome and Tom Dumoulin. The Slovenian took the spoils.
The first three riders on the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds. Furthermore, as mentioned, the first three pilots over the Col de Marie Blanque are awarded 8, 5 and 2 seconds.
Another interesting read: results 9th stage 2020 Tour de France.
Tour de France 2020 stage 9: routes, profiles, more
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