With breakaways not doing much in the Tour de France, American debutant Quinn Simmons is hoping for a chance to make an impact on the race in the days following a rest day in Morzine.

So far, only two of the eight road stages have been won by Blake, as Simon Clark won the chaotic cobbled stage 5 and Bob Jungels took a 60km solo win in Chatel on Sunday.

Elsewhere, the super teams of Quick Step-Alfa Vinyl, UAE Team Emirates, and Jumbo-Visma took six wins, with race leader Tadej Pogachar and green jersey Wout Van Art each taking two.

Simmons told Cycling News on Sunday evening that he has several stages on his target list, with Lausanne, the eighth stage in which he joined the breakaway two days ago, on his list, but he will have to decide what to do day by day.

"Yeah, we have a few stages coming up, but we have to see how the race is going. On a day like Lausanne, which I initially wrote down, when I see the sprint teams wanting control, I don't think I'm going to try at that point."

"If you have guys like Wout and Pogachar who are almost certain to win, why not go after them?

"I think the fact that those two are dominant changes the dynamic a little bit for us. It was the same in Tirreno - Adriatico, twice I went into breaks where I thought I should go, but in the end they pulled for Pogachar.

In Tirreno, Simmons emerged as a climbing force. He made the break on the queen stage up Monte Carpeña, dropping Julian Alaphilippe in the process.

He took the same jersey at last month's Tour de Suisse, coming close to a summit finish stage win in the process. So what is Simmons' secret?

"To be honest, when I first turned pro, I was a little overweight. 'I focused on losing weight with my coach. I've been working a lot on my climbing. I'm not doing anything special, just trying to get stronger."

"Of course, everyone is at a higher level here, but on a day like today, if I can get into the break with the right guys, I think I have a chance. But there are a hundred other players who think like me. But there are a hundred other players who have the same idea as me.

"The objective today (stage 9) was to make a breakaway. But a day like today is a bit too much for me anyway.

Simons, who made his Grand Tour debut at last season's Vuelta a España, said he has seen improvement in his climbing, although he did not lead the race in the Alps on Sunday.

"Compared to last year's Vuelta, on a mountainous day, you fall on the first gruppetto and suffer all day chasing.

"Today we were in a good group and we saved up for the next week. So at least it's a step forward."