The first nine stages of the 2017 Tour de France were filled with controversy, drama and some sensational racing, and there's plenty more still to come when La Grande Boucle resumes after Monday's rest day.

Star sprinters Peter Sagan and Mark Cavendish have already gone home, while Richie Porte and Geraint Thomas bowed out during Sunday's epic stage towards Chambery.

As expected, Chris Froome holds the yellow jersey after nine stages, but without domestique Thomas, he could face a real battle in the Alps and Pyrenees.

To access the full schedule and route info for the remaining stages, visit Cyclingnews. All stages will be broadcast on Eurosport and ITV in the UK, while viewers in the U.S. can follow the race through NBC Sports.

Preview

The peloton said goodbye to one of the top contenders for the overall win on Sunday, as BMC's Porte suffered multiple fractures in a spectacular crash. His team provided an update on the damage via Twitter, and while his injuries were severe, things could have been a lot worse:

The crash was yet another reminder of how quickly a grand tour can be turned on its head. Fans of the sport may remember the 2016 Giro d'Italia, where Steven Kruijswijk appeared to be on his way to a dominant win until a crash in Stage 19―he ended up off the podium completely.

Froome will hope to avoid a similar fate, but there's plenty of climbing and descending still to come. Stage 12 will finish at the sky station of Peyragudes, and it's followed by another stage that has the potential for fireworks on Bastille Day.

The peloton won't hit the high mountains of the Alps until after the second rest day, and based on the first nine days of racing, Froome and Team Sky won't have to worry about his main rivals too much on the shorter, steeper climbs.

Nairo Quintana and Alberto Contador, both regarded as more explosive climbers, have shown plenty of signs of weakness so far. InsideThePeloton has not enjoyed watching the pair ride:

Instead, the threats will likely come from elsewhere and in the high mountains, where Astana have hurt Sky through the duo of Fabio Aru and Jakob Fuglsang.

The Italian proved he cares little about popularity contests and the peloton's unwritten rules on Sunday, attacking Froome just as he indicated he had suffered a mechanical issue with his bike. While most fans, pundits and former professionals called it bad form, Michael Rasmussen urged Aru to keep it going:

Bad form or not, it put Froome and Sky under real pressure. By the end of the stage, the defending champion was completely isolated, and the only reason he didn't lose time was because the rest of the group cooperated in the hunt for Romain Bardet.

Could the Astana duo get the better of Froome and Sky with more coordinated attacks? Perhaps, although the three-time winner still sits comfortably in the driver's seat, and the time trial in Marseille should aid him greatly, with Porte no longer able to gain time there.