Tour de France Stage Nine

Stage Nine:  A day of glory for Tony & Tony

For the first time, Tony Martin has won a different stage than a time trial at the Tour de France but it looked like a time trial as he used the mid mountains stage in the Vosges to ride away with Alessandro De Marchi for 90 kilometres and solo for 59 kilometres! It was an enormous exploit by the German world champion for time trial but not the only amazing achievement of this eventful day as Frenchman Tony Gallopin took over from Vincenzo Nibali in the overall lead.

It didn't last more than five kilometers before a breakaway took shape in the first climb of the day, the col de la Schlucht. It was made of Danny Pate (Sky), Jesus Herrada (Movistar), Joaquim Rodriguez and Simon Spilak (Katusha), Sergio Paulinho (Tinkoff), Alessandro De Marchi (Cannondale), Laurens ten Dam (Belkin), Jan Bakelants (OPQS), Ben Gastauer (AG2R), Tom Dumoulin (Giant), Kristjan Durasek (Lampre), Arthur Vichot (FDJ), Tony Gallopin (Lotto), Amaël Moinard (BMC), Perrig Quémeneur, Cyril Gautier and Thomas Voeckler (Europcar), Dani Navarro and Nicolas Edet (Cofidis), Michael Albasini (Orica), Danilo Wyss (IAM), Leo König and José Mendes (NetApp) at Brice Feillu (Bretagne). Soon after Voeckler passed in first position at the top, the front group was reeled in but De Marchi rode away again at km 16 and was rejoined by Tony Martin (OPQS). In that order, the duo took the KOM points at the top of col du Wettstein.

Read more at www.letour.com/le-tour/2014