Vuelta a Espana Stage 9 takes place on the second Sunday of the race. This stage should be one for the break to contest the win with a GC fight some minutes behind.
Stage 8 saw the breakaway succeed as the GC teams refused to chase them down. I was surprised most by Quintana’s performance of the GC riders. Froome beat Chaves but he did falter some in the final km allowing Quintana to gain some time.
Vuelta a Espana Stage 9 – The Profile
Stage 9 sees the riders cover 165kms from Cistierna to Oviedo with a climb – the Alto del Naranco, to the finish line.
The profile shows that there are 5 categorised climbs – 3 x category 3 and 2 x category 2. There is also one massive descent of about 60kms.
The stage starts with a small steep climb right out of Cistierna. Following the battles on the final climb of Stage 8 and the even scarier final climb on Monday – I feel the break could stick really early.
There follows a flatter section before the high point of the day is reached – Alto de San Isidro. This is a category 2 climb dues to its length – 11kms not its gradient (3.2%). If the break can get here with a lead in excess of 5 minutes they will be tough to catch.
The huge descent follows allowing the riders to recover before the 3 category climbs come in quick succession. They are the Alto de Sto. Emilian (6.2km – 4.%), Alto de San Tirs (5.1km at 3.9%) and Alto de la Manzaneda (3.6kms at 6.9%). The Alto de la Manzaneda would be a great climb for the strongest riders in the break to try to escape. It is the steepest climb of the day and the break riders will be tired by this point.
The category 2 Alto del Naranco (5.7kms at 6.1%) takes the riders to the finish line in Oviedo. If the peloton decide to let the break stick there will be two fights here – the break for the win and the GC riders for time. I favour this as the GC teams will be more fearful of stage 10 and in my view will save their energy for Monday’s stage.
Conquerer of Cistierna
We’re looking for breakaway riders once more and this should include those with KOTM aspirations.
Omar Fraile (Dimension Data) won the KOTM classification in the 2015 Vuelta. In recent stages he has started to appear in breaks. Stage 9 looks like the perfect platform for him to feature once more. If the break can get over the first climb with a decent lead the chances are they won’t be caught until the final climb. Fraile looks a good choice at odds of 34.0.
Thomas de Gendt (Lotto) has looked to be suffering a little – particularly on stage 7. However, his priority in the Vuelta is a stage win and KOTM points. There is a very high probability that he features on Sunday. You can back de Gendt at odds in the low 20s so the EW possibility is good.
Alexandre Geniez (FDJ) won stage 3 giving him the points to lead in the KOTM until stage 8. FDJ have no GC aspirations so stage wins and a jersey are their target. Geniez showed some climbing ability on stage 3 and he too will likely be in the break on Sunday. Geniez can be backed at 28.0-34.0. If he is in the break he knows how to win a stage!
Canondale have tried on a number of stages to get riders in the break as they target stage wins. Simon Clarke almost got to the line on stage 7, only to be caught within the final 400 metres. Benjamin King and Pierre Rolland finished high up on the stage that Darwin Atapuma took the race lead. They should place a rider or two in the break – possibly riders who have yet to go in breaks. I’m thinking Moreno Moser at 67.0 and/or Joe Dombrowski at 51.0.
George Bennett (Lotto-Jumbo) is the type of rider that would do well on the climbs on stage 9. He is a strong climber and his team need something positive from this Vuelta. Bennett has quite long odds at 126.0 but I think he can deliver on Sunday.
Look also for riders from Katusha, Cofidis, Bora-Argon, Caja Rural, Trek, AG2R and IAM Cycling to try to be part of any breakaway. These teams are looking at stage wins in the race and will target stage 9 as a potential victory. Of these teams a couple now have stage wins so there is less pressure on them to get into every break. They will however be opportunistic where they can.
If the GC riders stay close then Valverde comes into the reckoning.
Vuelta a Espana Stage 9 – Tips
Bet on Omar Fraile to win stage 9 with a 1.0/10 stake EW (1/4 odds top 3) at 34.0 with Bet365.
Back Joe Dombrowski to win stage 9 with a 1.0/10 stake EW (1/4 odds top 3) at 51.0 with Bet365.
Bet on George Bennett to win stage 9 with a 0.5/10 stake EW (1/4 odds top 3) at 126.0 with Bet365.
Back them here:
