Time to wrap up here – thanks for joining me for an absolutely ridiculous day of racing over the cobbles. I’ll leave you with our race report, and the early news that Richie Porte is out of the Tour. Thanks for joining me, and all your emails. Bye!
General classification
- Greg van Avermaet (BMC) 36h 7min 17sec
- Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) at 43sec
- Philippe Gilbert (Quick-Step) at 44sec
- Bob Jungels (Quick-Step) at 50sec
- Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) at 1min 31sec
- Rafal Majka (Bora-Hansgrohe) at 1min 32sec
- Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) at 1min 33sec
- Chris Froome (Team Sky) at 1min 42sec
- Adam Yates (Michelton-Scott) same time
- Mikel Landa (Movistar) same time
John Degenkolb speaks: “[I’m feeling] pure happiness. I’ve been chasing this victory for so long. It’s really hard to describe.”
He’s fighting back tears. “It was a really hard day. We had a plan to stay out of trouble, and that worked out really well. I have been through a lot of things in the past, and had such a hard time.
“I’d like to dedicate this victory to one of my best friends, who passed away last winter. This was for him. Everyone said I was finished after what happened [the training accident in 2016]. I’m so thrilled to get a big race victory.”
Updated
Race report
Here’s our snap report, with Jeremy Whittle’s full write-up to come:
Full GC coming up, but Van Avermaet has stretched his lead over Geraint Thomas to 43 seconds. Philippe Gilbert, who was here, there and everywhere, is in third place overall.
Stage nine result
- John Degenkolb (Trek-Segafredo) 3h 34min 26sec
- Greg van Avermaet (BMC) same time
- Yves Lampaert (Quick-Step) st
- Philippe Gilbert (Quick-Step) at 19sec
- Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) st
- Jesper Stuyven (Astana) st
- Bob Jungels (Quick-Step) st
- André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) at 27sec
- Edvard Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data) st
- Timothy Dupont (Wanty) st
Updated
It’s somehow fitting that Degenkolb has won today. He hasn’t been quite the same since an awful training accident in 2016, when he and his Sunweb colleagues were hit by a car in Spain. He’s returned to the big time here after a brutal stage that has pushed the riders to the absolute limit.
Taking flight 🙈 Bring on the rest day #TDF2018
— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) July 15, 2018
📸 @benoit_tessier pic.twitter.com/JWU3d7SsGF
Updated
John Degenkolb wins stage nine!
200m to go, and Degenkolb has to try and lead from the front. He powers for the line, and van Avermaet can’t get past him. What a win for the German!
Updated
Degenkolb sits up at the front with 500m to go. It would be an amazing victory for him. For any of them. But who’s going to take the chance?
Just 2km to go – it’s flown by, hasn’t it? – and the stage will be won either by race leader Van Avermaet, Degenkolb or Yves Lampaert. Sagan has been followed up the road by Bob Jungels, who’s in the top five overall.
Now Dumoulin is having a go! After all the pain and misery they’ve gone through, you’d think they’d be happy to roll into Roubaix from here. Sagan is going away, in pursuit of more green jersey points.
Froome and Thomas try to up the pace at the front of the peloton and shake off any weary rivals. Bardet has dropped back into Landa’s group back down the road.
Romain Bardet has suffered a third puncture of the day, after fighting back into the main group. Oh, Romain. He’s had a shocker.
These three have managed to carve out a 50-second gap to the peloton. Greg van Avermaet is looking to stretch his overall lead, but he’s battling Quick-Step’s Lampaert, and Trek-Segafredo’s Degenkolb, who won Paris-Roubaix in 2015.
Updated
Van Avermaet has picked up a three-second bonus, leading the way with 15km to go. The three leaders have a gap of around 20 seconds, with one more cobbled stretch to go...
We’re onto Sector 2, another maximum difficulty stretch of around 1.5km. Van Avermaet breaks away with John Degenkolb and Yves Lampaert, and the chasing group, led by Sagan, are struggling to keep pace. Incredibly, Dan Martin and André Greipel, both battered and bruised, are among the leading riders.
The breakaway has been caught, and there are two stretches of pavé to come. The first, like so many that came before, is going to be horrible. Landa, Uran and Bardet are still in the grupetto, almost a minute behind the group. They need to cut the gap, somehow.
“Who advocates for the riders in the design of the race?” asks Alicia Camacho. “The crashes make this seem like an elimination race, not the Tour, and have a long-term impact for the riders.”
I’m not entirely sure of the internal politics, but the pavé has become a feature of the race again under director Christian Prudhomme. There’s more information here, but this quote seems to sum up his approach to planning the race: “In my contacts list I have a handful of riders but around 600 politicians.”
Updated
Gaudin and Van Rensburg, obscure Renaissance artists and members of today’s doomed breakaway, can see the dust being kicked up by the peloton behind them. 22km to go, and it’s very much up for grabs.
Updated
“It’s absolute chaos on the Tour cobbles, I do not envy those chaps out there today,” writes Shaun Lowthian. “If there’s a break in the action, readers might enjoy our new comedy short as a warning for what can go wrong for people on two wheels.”
Give it a watch, it’s excellent.
Tom Dumoulin tries to stretch the front of the group as they twist and turn down country lanes, and Gilbert goes down hard on a right-hand bend! At this point, it’d be easier to tell who hasn’t had a crash.
Another awful crash, with Landa going over a pothole as he’s taking a drink and going down in a heap. This has been brutal.
This race is so punishing, just watching it has given Eurosport’s Sean Kelly a mid-commentary bout of cramp.
Rafal Majka, run over by Olivier Naesen. Photograph: Kim Ludbrook/EPA
Updated
Gilbert’s attack comes to a quick halt – perhaps caused by a mechanical – allowing Sagan to take up the reins. He doesn’t fancy making his move with 35kms still to go, and the attack peters out. Gaudin and Van Rensburg have carved out a 20-second lead, with the rest of the breakaway slowly being swallowed up.
The peloton head into Sector 6, a dusty, winding, 1400m stretch. More pain for Team Sky, as Michal Kwiatkowski goes down hard on a corner. Astana are setting the pace at the front of the pack, but Quick-Step’s Philippe Gilbert is making a move...
AG2R are hauling Bardet back into contention, while the breakaway is beginning to get nervous as the gap shrinks to 35 seconds. Someone will have to make a move – and Van Rensburg goes away, chased by Direct Energie’s Damien Gaudin. His team-mate, Jerome Cousin, is dropped.
Froome is back in the peloton, but Bardet, Van Garderen, Mikel Landa and Bauke Mollema have lost touch, and are in a group of stragglers 30 seconds back. The cobbles just keep coming – the eight-man break are onto Sector 7, with 40km to go.
One GC contender who’s having a good day is Nairo Quintana, still at the front of the peloton and well supported by his Movistar team. Thomas has caught up, with Team Sky working to bring Froome back into that group.
Froome and Thomas crash!
Both Team Sky men skitter into a verge at the same time, brought down by team-mate Gianni Moscon, who went over in front of them. Both are able to get back on their bikes first, but all of these falls will take their toll as the race goes on. Just under 45km to go, and Philippe Gilbert tries to break from the main group, followed by Sagan and Alejandro Valverde...
Updated
The breakaway head onto Mons-en-Pevele, the middle sector of 15 and perhaps the most difficult – although they will only race 900m of it. This video gives you a good idea of what riding over these cobbles is really like:
Van Avermaet makes his move! The race leader is (relatively) comfortable on the cobbles and he turns up the heat on the GC contenders. As clouds of dust fly, Froome and Thomas stay with him – and Fulsgang has worked his way to the front of the group. Not such good news for Romain Bardet, who’s suffered another puncture and is being towed back towards the bunch.
We’re onto the longest stretch of cobbles today, and there’s more pain for Tejay, going down on a corner and picking up a puncture! At the front, Cousin is back in the breakaway with De Gendt and Haga struggling to handle the pace.
Updated
Astana’s main man this year, Jakob Fulsgang, has been involved in a crash but has fought back into the main group, and Bora have helped Rafal Majka bridge the gap too. Tejay van Garderen also got back in, but is now falling off the back again. He’s not enjoying himself out there.
“Does it serve the tour to risk serious injury, mechanical problems and loss of GC leaders by having so many cobble sections today?” asks Jonathan Gilmore. “No one stage should be able to so seriously realign tour leaders, in my opinion. It’s a three week, 21 stage race.”
Here’s the seven-man breakaway:
Omar Fraile (Astana), Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal), Damien Gaudin and Lilian Calmejane (Direct Energie), Chad Haga (Sunweb), Reinhardt Janse van Rensburg (Dimension), Nicolas Edet (Cofidis).
Just under 60km to go. The breakaway has been cut to seven, with Olivier Le Gac and Jerome Cousin falling away. The main group are less than two minutes behind – and Tejay van Garderen is among a group of stragglers, a minute and counting behind them.
Terpstra has crashed, colliding with a Cofidis rider on a corner and giving him plenty of verbals as he dusts himself off. The race is still split into several bunches, but the GC contenders that had been cut adrift are getting back into the main bunch. Sector 10 will take us to the town of Orchies, via a tree-lined, dirt-caked, impossibly narrow stretch of pavé.
The GC contenders are split
Niki Terpstra, the 2014 Paris-Roubaix winner, was one of the riders to attack on the cobbles. That change of pace, and the subsequent crash, has split the bunch. Froome, Thomas, Sagan, Van Avermaet, Bardet and Nairo Quintana are in the first group. Vincenzo Nibali, Rigoberto Uran and Adam Yates are in the second, some 20 seconds behind.
Updated
Another big crash, as a few riders try to turn up the pace at the front of the peloton. Rafal Majka is one of the men caught up in that, although the GC contenders seem to have avoided it. Gorka Izaguirre has a puncture and with the team car lagging behind, has to continue for a few metres on a flat tyre, wobbling and squeaking in forlorn fashion.
Cobbles are unforgiving. Don't you agree Gorka Izaguirre?
— Le Tour de France (@LeTour) July 15, 2018
Les pavés ne pardonnent pas, n'est-ce pas Gorka Izaguirre?#TDF2018 pic.twitter.com/8eAN79rEGh
Updated
As the peloton prepare to take Sector 12 (they’re numbered in reverse order, from 15 down to 1), they’ve cut the gap down to 2min 15sec. Sky’s Egan Bernal takes a spill as they turn onto the cobbles, but looks OK to continue. Michael Valgren of Astana is still pushing on despite an unpleasant-looking injury:
Heroes, I tell you. Heroes @LeTour #TDF2018 chapeau @MichaelValgren pic.twitter.com/MJGB0pcUUp
— seb piquet (@sebpiquet) July 15, 2018
The main group have eaten into the breakaway’s lead during the longest stretch of clear tarmac that we have left. The remaining 12 runs of cobbles all featured in this year’s Paris-Roubaix classic, won by Sagan.
“What’s up with Cav?” wonders Andrew Benton. “He seems to have lost his edge this year, just a few wins short of the record.” I’m not sure of the precise reasons, but he’s 33 now and so much has to come together to win sprint stages. He certainly had problems with the leadout yesterday after Dimension-Data had got themselves in a good position. He’s made it look a lot easier than it really is for many years.
Dylan Groenewegen, winner of the last two stages, is involved in a crash on the way out of the third cobbled stretch. He’s limping, but finally gets a new bike and sets about trying to catch up with the group.
Fortunately, he's back on the bike!
— Le Tour de France (@LeTour) July 15, 2018
Ouf, il est remonté sur son vélo !
💪 @GroenewegenD#TDF2018 pic.twitter.com/hld20pCKIg
Updated
“So gutted for Richie, he’s had no luck at all! Hoping it’s not too serious,” say Sarah and Nathan. The latest news on Porte is that he’s gone to hospital for an examination. He seemed to hurt his shoulder, or possibly his collarbone, in that early crash.
Antwan Tolhoek is back in the peloton after that puncture. Still nine riders out in the lead, 3min 40sec clear.
Omar Fraile (Astana), Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal), Jerome Cousin, Damien Gaudin and Lilian Calmejane (Direct Energie), Chad Haga (Sunweb), Olivier Le Gac (Groupama FDJ), Reinhardt Janse van Rensburg (Dimension), Nicolas Edet (Cofidis).
Thomas de Gendt took an intermediate sprint that seemed pointless until the insatiable Peter Sagan jostled through the pack to take 11th place, and five extra green jersey points. Peak Sagan.
Updated
The last time a Tour de France stage had this many miles of cobbles was in 1983, when Belgium’s Rudy Matthijs won at Roubaix. That was five weeks before I was born.
The breakaway pass the 100km-to-go mark, still 3min 30sec clear of the peloton, who are currently being squeezed mercilessly along the second stretch of cobbles. Bardet is being helped back to the bunch by a couple of his AG2R lieutenants.
Updated
This could be an interesting day for the two men at the top of the general classification – Greg van Avermaet and Geraint Thomas. Both are entirely capable of winning this stage and getting a firmer grip on the yellow jersey. Could that change their teams’ tactics for the rest of the race? Van Avermaet’s team leader Porte is out, but his backup, Tejay van Garderen, is a strong GC contender on paper.
Updated
Romain Bardet picks up a puncture on the first stretch! Because the cobbles come thick and fast over the final 100km, it’ll be difficult to get back into contention. He may be fortunate that it happened early, with some larger gaps between the pavé coming up.
Ten becomes nine in the breakaway – Lotto-Jumbo’s Antwan Tolhoek has a puncture! The rest safely exit the first 1600m stretch, as the chasing pack start jostling for space back on the main road...
Welcome in Hell. 😈
— Le Tour de France (@LeTour) July 15, 2018
Bienvenue en Enfer. 😈#TDF2018 pic.twitter.com/FwTQhyE9mu
Updated
Here we go! The breakaway tackle the first section of cobbles, which have apparently been swept to minimise dust and gravel. These prima donna modern-day cyclists, eh?
The breakaway is passing through Cambrai, the first of 15 stretches of pavé now just a couple of kilometres away.
Porte has had a rotten run of luck at the Tour, save for a fifth-place finish with Sky in 2015. He suffered pneumonia in 2014, was hamstrung by mechanical failure in 2016, and last year he suffered a horror crash that prompted debate about rider safety:
Here’s our report on Richie Porte abandoning the Tour:
Dan Martin, who said his late crash yesterday was like “being clawed by lions”, is patched up but struggling at the back of the pack. Adam Yates is also near the back – not sure why at this stage. The breakaway is now 3min 40sec clear – Van Keirsbulck and Claeys have given up their chase.
Here’s a clip of Porte realising his Tour is over. Very sad to see.
😥In tears, @richie_porte quits @LeTour. 🚑
— Le Tour de France (@LeTour) July 15, 2018
😥Richie Porte, en larmes, abandonne. 🚑#TDF2018 pic.twitter.com/vZUztJBHKv
Steve Horne writes from the roadside:
“It is scorching on the pavé today with a less than zero chance of rain so no prospect of Froome sliding out. Just a matter of getting tyre pressures just right, so the rims kiss the cobbles – and then going hell for leather.”
Here’s that 10-man breakaway in full:
Omar Fraile (Astana), Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal), Antwan Tolhoek (LottoNL-Jumbo), Jerome Cousin, Damien Gaudin and Lilian Calmejane (Direct Energie), Chad Haga (Sunweb), Olivier Le Gac (Groupama-FDJ), Reinhardt Janse van Rensburg (Dimension), Nicolas Edet (Cofidis).
Updated
“I am feeling very sorry for Porte, he doesn’t seem to have much luck at all,” says David Alderton. “I think many had high hopes for him this year. Crashes have made the top of the GC interesting – Thomas on the podium would be fantastic. I’d have thought Bardet would be higher up the rankings, but he seems to have been fairly quiet. Speaking of quiet, wasn’t De Gendt in every break last year? He seems not to have been so far.”
He is today – in a 10-man group around 2min 30sec ahead of the peloton. Guillaume van Keirsbulck and Dimitri Claeys are in a second group behind them, but they appear destined to be caught before we reach the cobbles.
Updated
Porte, who was forced out on stage nine last year too, was caught up in a big collision in the bunch. That also affected André Greipel, who’s been receiving treatment. Movistar’s José Joaquin Rojas was involved in the crash, and has also abandoned. Tom Dumoulin, short on luck in this Tour so far, suffered a puncture but is back in the main group.
Updated
Richie Porte crashes out!
Some big early news – we’re only 10km into the stage, but Richie Porte is out of the Tour after a crash.
#TDF2018 We are devastated to say that @richie_porte has crashed out of stage 9. We will provide more information when we can. Thank you to all of our fans for your support. #Ride_BMC pic.twitter.com/PjgYvD0g8Q
— BMC Racing Team (@BMCProTeam) July 15, 2018
Preamble
This year’s Tour has been a slow burner so far, but that’s about to change. After a couple of serene, occasionally soporific flat stages, today we hit the Hell of the North. Today’s stage includes 15 stretches of bone-shaking cobbles, 12 of which feature in the infamous Paris-Roubaix one-day race.
There’s a memorable stage win up for grabs, but for many, it’s all about survival. Race leader Greg van Avermaet won the classic last year, but others like Dan Martin, injured in a nasty crash yesterday, and Chris Froome, whose Tour ended around these parts in 2014, will just hope to get through it.
And while we wait to get going properly, some reading for you:
Updated
