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News + Features Stage 9 - Gérardmer to Mulhouse > 171km This report filed July 10, 2005

Course: With four Cat. 3s, a Cat. 2 and this Tour's first Cat. 1 climb (the 9km, 7-percent Ballon d'Alsace) through the Vosges, the climbers will finally get some terrain to their liking. But on completing the last downhill from the Ballon, there are still 43km to ride in the valley before reaching the finish in Mulhouse.

History: This is the 100th anniversary of the Ballon d'Alsace becoming the first major climb included in the Tour. The last time a climbing stage through the Vosges ended in Mulhouse was in 1992, when a soon-to-retire Laurent Fignon broke clear on the Grand Ballon climb to score a solo stage win. Mulhouse is where Armstrong took his only stage win (in a time trial from Freiburg) in the 2000 Tour.

Favorites: With a rest day following this stage, expect plenty of action. All the favorites will want to be in the (small?) front group that emerges from the mountains, but an early breakaway with the likes of Jens Voigt, Michael Boogerd or David Etxebarria could well succeed.