In this episode Patrick and Benji recap the 9th stage of the 2026 Tour de France.
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9 Comments
Lidl Trek’s tactics today were so shit and they cost my goat another stage win and more green jersey points, I am apoplectic. However, I can take some small solace in knowing that Bauke Mollema just podiumed the Tour of Austria at 39 years old. All part of his buildup to win Lombardia again in his last race, it’s happening, I can feel it in my bones.
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Stage 9 results
Total scores after stage 9
Patrick: 174
Benji: 205 ✅
A further 5 points lead extension by Benji today. And an important public vote.
Breakdown
Patrick
Route release: no pick locked in
Week before: Pederson 0 pts
Day before: VdP 10 pts
Total: 10
Benji
Route release: "some rouleur" 0 pts
Week before: VdP 15 pts
Day before: Pederson 0 pts
Total: 15
For stage 10 week before pod Patrick went for Berwick with Benji picking Healy. On route release they both went for Healy, but had some choice words to say about the parcours design. "Why take one of the best stages of the last few years, replicate it 90%, and make it just a bit worse." Indeed Patrick.
With 33 points on the line for KOM, this could be a stage for the likes of VPP, or Carapaz to get up the road. Benji went Carapaz on today's pod, with Patrick picking Pog.
As we're heading to the first rest day I feel it's important we get clarity on the loser 'prize' for this edition. So here goes the public vote. Patrick and Benji have both had an opportunity to cull any of my wonderful ideas, and have not done so (either that or they've blocked my email address as they're sick of me 🤣) This leaves us with the following options for the listener's to cast their vote on.
1. Full smurf outfit included blue face / body paint.
2. Banana, in the style of the running banana man from a recent stage.
3. Full cockerel outfit (a symbol giant c**k)
4. The loser must dye his hair and eyebrows a colour of the winners choosing.
These options have been carefully selected to ensure that there will be no excuse to take off the outfit mid pod, due to reasons of 'audio quality' or 'suffocation risk….'
Vote by simply commenting your preference below.
Photos of the options are available to view pinned on the top of my twitter page. Ruthamydavidson. You can also comment your vote there too if you'd prefer, but either option is a valid entry. I'd you struggle to find me, if you go to Benji's page he's shared a couple of my posts previously. I'm hoping he'll be so kind as to share the public vote too…..thanks in advance Benji.
I can in no way guarantee they'll actually do this, however they have historically been very sporting so fingers crossed. Cast your vote now ☺️
Lenny is on 4:21 there is no shot he is allowed in the break
Pretty evident UAE controls this race. They decide who goes in the break or not.
You can talk around it all you want and create all the fake drama you want but the fact is that he won the stage. He created the winning move himself, he kept the peloton at bay himself, he did most of the work in the group himself, he led the sprint out himself and won it. And he did it in an oven with 3000m of climbing. One of his best performances. F-ing epic.
It was a great stage!
Pogacar said afterwards that Wellens said keep it close to a minute because he (Wellens) felt good and wanted to go for the win.
I will shed a tear when we don't have vdp and wout to bully a bunch 😊….its human nature to be curious about what next and not marinate in the moment. Those two have been so class on and off video game like consistent quality. Mads has been such a nice balance too in every brute strength race Glasgow or Flanders it's those 3 and tadej always. If ganna had terpstra souplesse or posture and style on the bike hed be a force…. but anyway chapeau mathieu he's so fn class and awesome. Its like Sagan or Gilbert how fun he is in a finale especially. Sagan not winning a msr is best example of how good vdp is he's set up teammates on that race hes so consistent. Hes literally first or second at Flanders no matter only tadej has ever dropped him hes a phenom. Enjoy while we can 🎉