Stage 9, from Vielha val d'Aran > Andorre Arcalis, was a proper mountain stage. 184.5KM is a pretty long stage, never mind the five categorized climbs of the day - 1 x Cat 2, 3 x Cat 1 and an HC mountain-top finish at 2,240M.
Those are the kind of numbers that test the arithmetic skills of all sprinters. Coefficients, gradients, average speeds, wind - even the temperature all play a part in calculating how to get to the end of the stage just before the time cut-off.
Dan did his job again today, a day that saw three more race abandons. He finished 186th on the road, in a huge gruppetto that came home 35:26 behind the stage winner. Tomorrow is a very welcome rest day.
Racing during a pandemic has proved to be a very strange time for cycling. The 2020 season was affected in ways unseen since the two world wars. Shane Stokes looks at the prospects for the current year, which once again sees Covid-19 having a negative effect on the sporting calendar.