It’s a cliché as old as the race itself: you can’t win the Tour de France in the first week, but you can certainly lose it.
Sunday's ninth stage, the last before the first rest day, is one of those that threatens to crush dreams. Taking place around the town of Troyes, it counts fourteen gravel sectors, stretching out over 32km, and stands out as a unique parcours in this year's edition.
For the Classics riders, the one-day specialists, the day offers an exciting chance for a stage win. For the GC riders, however, there's a fear the expected chaos might lead to costly losses.
"I think Sunday is a tough stage, it's definitely not an easy stage," said Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), who sits second overall. "It's a region that always goes up and down, a region of often the first stages of Paris-Nice, which are always tough ones."
For the Belgian, whose experience racing on gravel is sparse, the most important thing will be positioning, and to arrive "ready for fighting".
"I think between the favourites, if everything happens in a normal way, there shouldn't be too big gaps," he said. "In the end, I think it's not a stage that can make somebody win the Tour, but if you have bad luck during the day in the wrong moment, it could make you lose the Tour, if you're a bit unlucky."
It will come as no surprise that Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), race leader and Strade Bianche winner, is licking his lips at the gravel stage.
"I'm looking kind of forward to it," the Slovenian said. "I did a recon, so I know what's waiting for us. I would say it's not like the most fun stage, but it depends how we race, depends on the wind, depends on the weather, depends on the peloton, what they want to do.
"I think it can be a lot of varieties how the race can go, but I think I'm ready for all. Normally, I like these kinds of stages, but you never know what can happen. We'll see, we’'l see."
Other riders are less excited. Speaking to Cycling Weekly, Jai Hindley (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) cut a relaxed figure while he forecast a day of anxious racing.
"I think it will be super stressful," he said. "I didn't do the recon, but from what the guys told me, the gravel will be chaotic, but also the roads in between are really shit. If it's windy there, it will also be chaos."
Does the Australian think gravel has a place in the Tour route? "For sure," he said. "In the end, you have to be able to do everything.
"Back in the day, when they were riding up the mountains, it also wasn’t on tarmac, you know what I mean? I think it also has a part. Not everyone agrees, but I think it's all part of the history. It still deserves a spot even though it's chaotic and can ruin some races.”
Stage nine will begin in Troyes this Sunday at 12:15 UK time. The first gravel sector will come after just 47km of racing, with the final one 10km from the finish. The longest sector extends 4km.
