Tour de France 2016: Stage 9 Results, Latest Standings and Highlights

Giant-Alpecin's Tom Dumoulin finished solo to win Stage 9 of the 2016 Tour de France on Sunday, a monstrous stage in the high mountains of Andorra. 

The Dutchman tackled the final climb on his own after spending the bulk of the day as part of a large breakaway.

Chris Froome of Team Sky kept hold of the yellow jersey, as the favourites mostly stayed together ahead of the first rest day. Tinkoff's Alberto Contador, who crashed twice during the first days of the race, abandoned before the final climb.

Here's a look at the stage results, via Sky Sports Cycling:

The current general classification:

Recap

Sunday's stage to Andorra was expected to hand the peloton yet another severe test, and the majority of the riders were likely already looking ahead to Monday's rest day. As shared by ITV Cycling, the riders would spend a lot of time out of the saddle:

For the favourites, the dream scenario was that of a long, early break taking a huge lead, allowing the top riders to take their time getting organised.

Contador had other ideas, however, as the Tinkoff man attacked early. Sky's Sergio Henao and Movistar's Alejandro Valverde joined him, while Dimension Data's Mark Renshaw became the first man to abandon the race on Sunday almost simultaneously.

KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/Getty Images

Valverde and Contador were part of a 25-man group that broke early, a group that also included Tinkoff's Peter Sagan, but as soon as the Slovak put in a shift at the front of the group, the former Tour winner was dropped.

At the front, Valverde had a long talk with his team car before deciding to sit up straight and fall back into the peloton, and Sky responded by dropping their pace and handing the leading group a big advantage. Former professional cyclist Michael Rasmussen didn't like the move from the Spaniard:

In the background, Contador was also spotted talking to the team car, and after a lengthy discussion, he moved up to shake Froome's hand before falling back. Just past the midway point of the second first-category climb, the Spaniard did what had seemed inevitable for a long time, per the Tour's official Twitter account:

Per Patrick Fletcher of Cycling News, team owner Oleg Tinkov wasn't surprised to see his team leader drop out of the race:

"

It was not a surprise to me, because I am in the team and we knew that Alberto [Contador] was not doing well. When he attacked we were surprised and then he started coming back. But what can I say, it is disappointing of course, but the race goes on and we are going to fight for the mountain jersey and the green jersey and to try to win some stages.

"

The break passed into Andorra with a lead of almost 10 minutes, as Sagan grabbed the top spot in the intermediate sprint to close the gap to Dimension Data's Mark Cavendish in the points classification to just seven points.

Lotto-Soudal's Thomas De Gendt pushed the pace at the front and seemed primed to challenge for the stage win, but those dreams quickly vanished once the group hit the Col de Beixalis.

The climb was a relative unknown for the peloton but carried a fierce reputation for being absurdly steep and twisty, per the Guardian's William Fotheringham:

De Gendt was the first big-name rider to crack, while further back, Giant-Alpecin's Warren Barguil struggled as well. Thibaut Pinot of FDJ and Rui Costa of Lampre-Merida were the favourites in the lead group, and with 25 kilometers left to race, the stage win seemed almost guaranteed for the leaders.

Dumoulin launched an attack shortly before the start of the final climb, building a lead of 30 seconds before hitting the slopes of Andorra Arcalis. The Dutchman put his head down and steadily made his way up the climb, with Costa and Pinot driving the chase.

Christophe Ena/Associated Press

Tinkoff's Rafal Majka eventually went after Dumoulin on his own, but with five kilometers left to race, he still chased the leader by more than 40 seconds. Rain had also started to fall, making the challenge of climbing Arcalis that much harder.

In the background, the favourites for the yellow jersey kept unusually quiet, and it was Henao who launched the first attack. Froome countered with three kilometers left, but Movistar's Nairo Quintana kept his wheel.

Astana's Fabio Aru was dropped, one of many favourites to struggle, while Trek-Segafredo's Bauke Mollema and BMC Racing's Richie Porte traded blows, dropping Valverde as well. 

JEFF PACHOUD/Getty Images

Per Eurosport UK, things got a bit hectic during the climb:

Dumoulin held on for the stage win, beating Costa and Majka to the finish line, but at this point, fans were watching the battle for the maillot jaune. Froome, Quintana, Porte and Adam Yates of Orica BikeExchange made the best impression, but the group crossed the finish line together, opting to move the battle to next week.

The riders will have the day off on Monday, and with more climbing on the schedule in the near future, they'll likely use the day for recovery rides, a handful of interviews and little else. On Tuesday, the sprinters will have to survive some early bumps in the road to contest another bunch of sprints, the first of two relatively flat days.

The Tour will return to the mountains on Thursday, as the iconic Mont Ventoux will play host to the riders on Bastille Day.