Richie Porte (BMC) was the biggest casualty. Much like his then-teammate Chris Froome on stage 5 of the 2014 Tour de France, Porte crashed out before he even reached the cobblestones on yesterday’s stage 9 of the 2018 Tour. Stage 9 — the same stage Porte crashed out last year, too. Surely his bad luck at the Grand Tours must have run out by now?

Besides Porte’s withdrawal, the GC race wasn’t as affected by the long-awaited Roubaix stage as many expected. Sure, Rigo Uran dropped 90 seconds after a crash, and many other contenders — Chris Froome, Mikel Landa and Jakob Fuglsang — hit the deck as well. And sure, Romain Bardet had five mechanicals. In all though, it could have been a lot worse.

Now that the dust has settled, the riders of the Tour can enjoy a well-earned rest day. They’ll be back at it before too long though, and in the Alps no less. The race is just getting started.

Until then, feast your eyes on the following images from a dusty and dramatic stage 9 of the 2018 Tour. They come to you courtesy of Jered & Ashley Gruber, Kristof Ramon and Cor Vos.















































































