Stage 8 Breakdown:

Stage 9 takes the riders on a hilly 185.5km journey from Malemort to Ussel. After two days for the sprinters, the puncheurs and breakaway specialists get their chance. With around 3300 metres of climbing spread across the stage, this is a demanding day that is unlikely to end in a bunch sprint.

The stage is filled with short but repeated climbs through the rolling roads of the Corrèze region. None of the climbs are especially long, but the constant up-and-down terrain will make the race hard from the start. The final kilometres continue to rise and fall, making it difficult for the sprint teams to control the race and giving attacking riders a great opportunity to fight for the stage victory.

A strong breakaway is expected to go clear early in the stage, and several teams without a general classification leader will be eager to be part of it. The GC contenders will likely stay close to the front to avoid losing time, but unless someone decides to attack late, the stage win should come from the breakaway. This looks like one of the best opportunities of the first week for an aggressive rider to take a memorable victory.

Favorites:
| +++ | Ben Healy, Mathieu v.d. Poel, Romain Grégoire
| ++ | Wout van Aert, Tom Pidcock, Julian Alaphilippe
| + | Quinn Simmons, Axel Laurance, Mauro Schmid