VAL D'ISERE, France, July 17 - The favourites will be expected to test each other during the 159.5-km ninth stage of the Tour de France from Val d'Isere to Briancon on Tuesday.

The riders will be made to work after Monday's rest day, climbing to the highest point of this year's race, the Col de l'Iseran, at 2,770 metres.

"The riders are straight into the thick of it with a climb up the Iseran, over 15 km at six per cent," said Tour competition director Jean-Francois Pescheux.

The Col de l'Iseran, an out-of-category climb, is the place where three-times Tour winner Louison Bobet pulled out in 1959 just before announcing he was ending his career.

After the climb, the peloton should have time to regroup before taking on the category-one Col du Telegraphe and the out-of-category Col du Galibier. Attacks are expected at this point of the stage.

Frenchman Christophe Moreau, seventh overall, said: "I'm waiting for the Galibier because that is such a hard climb that you can make a difference there."

With a 40-km descent to Briancon, the top contenders will probably have time to regroup but the final two km are at 6.7 percent and should decide of the winner.