Impey Makes South Africa Proud!

South African cyclist Daryl Impey held off a furious challenge from Belgian Tiesj Benoot in the final sprint to the finish to take Stage 9.  It was a great stage to watch if you love attacks and pursuits, but not so much if you expected the famous sprinters to get out of the peloton and compete for the stage win.  The gap established by the leaders and pursuers was large enough that the peloton was happy to enjoy a leisurely ride to the stage end.  Check out Impey crossing the finish line (click on image for a larger view).

Our model did quite well today.  But as I noted in yesterday's post, I was rooting for the lead riders to sneak in under 4 hours.

• Stage 09:  4h 03' 12" (actual), 3h 56' 42" (prediction), 06' 30" fast (-2.67% error)

Given that the main sprinters were not a factor in the stage win, I'm more than happy with our error.  The peloton, including Julian Alaphilippe, came in more than 16 minutes later.  Alaphilippe keeps the yellow jersey for France on Bastille Day.  Some of the bigger sprinters, like Peter Sagan, came in more than 5 minutes after the peloton.  Check out Impey's average speed below.

• Stage 09:  11.68 m/s (42.06 kph or 26.14 mph)

It was a tad slower than our model predicted, but impressive nonetheless.

Tomorrow's 217.5-km (135.1-mi) Stage 10 is listed as flat, but with a category-4 climb and three category-3 climbs, it could very well have been classified as a light hilly stage.  The commune of Saint-Flour hosts the start of the stage, and then riders travel southwest to Albi.  They'll be making their way to the Pyrenees.  Our prediction is given below.

• Stage 10:  5h 10' 40" (prediction)

Cyclists will stay in Albi after the stage ends.  Tuesday will be the first rest day.  Will cyclists go all out, knowing that they'll be able to rest on the following day?  Will I be rooting for the lead cyclists to not sneak in under 5 hours?!?