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The first week of the 2023 Tour de France has been littered with absolutely breath-taking action.
Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard of Team Jumbo-Visma landed the first blow against rival Tadej Pogacar on Wednesday’s fifth stage.
Vingegaard left the 2020 and 2021 Tour de France champ in the dust on the Col de Marie Blanque, taking more than a minute of time in the process.
But Pogacar and Team UAE Emirates hit back just one day later. Pogacar took the stage six victory atop Cauterets and recovered 24 seconds in the process.
That left us with Vingegaard in a familiar spot, donning the yellow leader’s jersey. But Pogacar is right on his heels, only 25 seconds back.
On Monday, the riders will have their first of two rest days during the three-week tour. But not before a potentially legendary Stage 9 on Sunday that could determine this year’s tour winner.
Sunday’s 182.4 kilometer stage goes from Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat in central France to Puy de Dome.
The Tour stage 9 finishes on top of the Puy de Dome, a sleeping volcano as you may know. What may be new to you is that the mountain and its surroundings are part of a World Heritage site. The road to the top is blocked for tourists since 2010. No spectators on Sunday either. pic.twitter.com/iIQmwtvwEZ
— Reno (@renovandael) July 8, 2023
Puy de Dome is a dormant volcano and the road that the riders will race up wraps around the landmark.
But for as beautiful as the volcano may look, it will be a brutal climb for the riders. The climb up Puy de Dome, which hasn’t been ridden in the Tour de France in 35 years, is over 12 kilometers long and the final 4.5 kilometers average insane gradients of over 11 percent, some of the steepest in the entire tour.
The Tour returns to Le Puy de Dôme tomorrow for the first time in 35 years.
Our latest Kilometre 0 tells the story of the Tour's dramatic relationship with the volcano in the Massif Central.
It's online now for Friends of the Podcast.
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Only the best climbers, Vingegaard and Pogacar among them, have a chance to contend for the victory. And those who aren’t feeling at their best could lose massive amounts of time in just a short distance.
Should one of the two favorites to win the tour falter, it could mean the end of their hopes, and Vingegaard knows it.
🗣️"The Puy-de-Dôme will be a key moment of the #TDF2023. It will most certainly have a role on the GC" – 🇩🇰 Jonas Vingegaard
🔈Hear from our @MaillotjauneLCL after today's stage ⤵️#TDF2023 https://t.co/bh9ztBmfae
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 8, 2023
“I think for sure it will be one of the decisive moments,” the Danish rider said on Saturday. “…For sure it has a big influence on the GC.”
There are 12 stages remaining following Sunday. And nothing is truly over this early into a grand tour, especially with a lot of climbing left. But the Puy de Dome could could well be the stage everyone looks back on when it’s all said and done in Paris.