Chris Froome maintained control of the yellow jersey and extended his overall advantage at the Tour de France - but his key lieutenants endured a day to forget.
Team Sky's Ritchie Porte and Peter Kennaugh, who so ably supported Froome during Saturday's stage eight victory, both struggled.
Porte surrendered his second place in overall standings after losing 15 minutes while Kennaugh, impressing on his Tour debut, lost valuable time following an early crash, after he clipped the wheel of Ryder Hesjedal and tumbled down an embankment.
Dan Martin became the first Irish winner of a Tour stage in 21 years when he launched a late breakaway with Jakob Fuglsang and then got the better of the sprint in Bagneres-de-Bigorre.
Alejandro Valverde moved into second overall, one minute and 25 seconds behind Frrome, while Bauke Mollema and Laurens ten Dam are next in the general classification.
“I won’t lie that was a really hard day. One of the hardest days I’ve ever had on the bike," said Froome.
“I did feel in control in that lead group. A lot of guys have got different things that they are racing for which meant there was reason for them to ride.
"So I think tactically it ended up being a day where everyone could actually just sit on the wheels and follow the respective leaders of those teams."
The first rest day of the Tour is on Monday, before the race resumes in Saint-Girons on Tuesday.
© Sportsbeat 2013