Jasper Philipsen, who picked up one point in the intermediate sprint is mathematically assured of keeping the green jersey at least until the end of stage 10 to Issoire on Tuesday.

The Belgian sprinter started in green for a fifth consecutive day earlier and is 110 points clear of Bryan Coquard in second.

The first climb of the day up the Cote de Felletin is not far off now, with the break some nine minutes and 40 seconds up the road.

Image source, L'Equipe

This front cover from French daily sports newspaper L'Equipe is a cracker with a nod to Raymond Poulidor and Jacques Anquetil and the 1964 Tour.

Wonder what they are expecting later in this stage...?

No sign of UAE Team Emirates at the front of the main bunch. They are tucked in behind Jumbo-Visma, Bora-hansgrohe and Ineos Grenadiers.

Slight but sensible change of tactics?

The break has an advantage of well over eight minutes now as Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) has had a mechanical issue at the back of the bunch.

The American is one of, if not the main mountain lieutenant of Jonas Vingegaard.

Crikey. Lilian Calmejane is fuming an understandably so.

The French Intermarche–Circus–Wanty rider is taken out as a fan's pole at the side of the road, holding decorative jerseys collapses and delivers a clothesline manoeuvre that The Rock would be proud of.

Jonas Abrahamsen takes the intermediate sprint ahead of Matej Mohoric.

The intermediate sprint, which is at the Lake of Vassiviere, has hosted three stages of the Tour de France, all individual time trials: in 1985 (winner: Greg LeMond), 1990 (Erik Breukink) and 1995 (Miguel Indurain).

Jonas Abrahamsen has anticipated the sprint to win the intermediate at lake of Vassivière.

Image source, Getty Images

Now then, if you've been following the Tour de France over the last day or two you'll probably have seen how cruel sport can be at times.

Less than 24 hours after a mechanical problem contributed to Jasper Philipsen pipping him to a record breaking 35th stage win on stage seven, Mark Cavendish broke his collarbone in what is set to be his final Tour de France before retirement.

But could there be another last hurrah for the Manxman?

Well quite possibly if the Astana Qazaqstan team manager Alexandre Vinokourov has anything to do with it.

"I hope we will see him soon back in the race. In my opinion, his career cannot end here," Astana Qazaqstan team manager Alexandre Vinokourov said.

He admitted it was "too early to say something about his race programme", but continued: "I crashed out in the Tour of 2011 but I came back to win Olympic gold one year later. It would be nice if Mark comes back to the Tour for a 15th time and wins that 35th stage."

He earlier told French newspaper L'Equipe:, external"We are ready to offer him this possibility. But it is he who will decide."

The elastic has snapped. The peloton look like they are going to let this break get up the road.

At the other end of the race...

Peter Sagan (TotalEnergies) has lost ground on the main bunch after an early mechanical, while Alexis Renard (Cofidis), Sam Welsford (DSM), Jordi Meeus (Bora-hansgrohe) and yesterday's winner Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) are struggling to hold on.

Now then, 14 riders immediately zipped off up the road after the flag drop.

Clement Berthet (AG2R-Citroën), Michael Woods and Guillaume Boivin (Israel-Premier Tech), Matteo Jorgenson and Gorka Izagirre (Movistar), Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious), Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Pierre Latour and Mathieu Burgaudeau (TotalEnergies), David de la Cruz and Alexey Lutsenko (Astana), Victor Campenaerts (Lotto-Dstny), Jonas Abrahamsen and Jonas Gregaard (Uno-X) are all trying to establish a decent break

There was one non-starter today. US national champion Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) has abandoned with his team saying that his "condition has not improved as we had hoped" since a heavy crash on stage five.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Tour de France great Raymond Poulidor lived in Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat until he passed away in 2019.

This morning, his grandson Mathieu van der Poel returned to his mother’s village for the first time since the funeral and said that he visited his grandmother after not seeing her for a long time. "I'd like to break away today but the last climb is too hard for me", he added.

An emotional Van der Poel was also presented with a bike of his grandfathers at the stage sign-on.

There's been some lovely nods to Poupou, who finished on the podium eight times in 14 appearances at the Tour, without ever winning the great race.

Image source, ASO

The Puy de Dome returns to the race for the first time since 1988, before the riders are granted a rest day.

The climb up the dormant volcano has delivered some extraordinary stories over the years including an epic duel between Raymond Poulidor and five-time winner Jacques Anquetil in 1964. It was also the scene of Eddy Merckx being punched by a fan as his hopes of a historic sixth Tour victory deteriorated in 1975.

With the final sections of the 13.3km climb punching up from about 7% to more than 12% gradients, a mouth watering battle between two-time winner Tadej Pogacar and the rider who dethroned him last year, Jonas Vingegaard, is eagerly anticipated.

Image source, Getty Images

Welcome to our coverage of stage nine of the Tour de France.

This should be an absolute belter. The peloton have just rolled out of Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat and head over three categorised climbs before hors categorie ascent up the mythical Puy de Dome.

The expectation is that we'll get another epic GC duel on the slopes of the dormant volcano.

Anyone else excited?