View the results and standings after the tenth stage here.
Preview
Our columnists Erik Breukink and Michael Boogerd follow the Tour de France closely. Every day, one of the two former participants in the largest cycling spectacle in the world looks ahead to the day to come. Today Breukink, who himself finished third in the 1990 Tour, shines his light on the tenth stage.
The ride takes you from Albertville, host of the 1992 Olympics, southwest over 190.7 kilometers to Valence. At the start of the stage, the only climb for the King of the Mountains classification is the 7 kilometer long Col de Couz of the fourth category. At about 40 kilometers from the finish, however, the road goes up another 5 kilometers and there the sprinters will have to ensure that they do not have to unload.
Three times before, the Tour arrived in Valence. In 1996, Colombian José Jaime González won from a group of escapees. In 2015 and 2018 the stage ended in a sprint, with victories for the German André Greipel and the Slovakian Peter Sagan. Both riders are now back in the peloton.
Way open for ‘Cav’?
The road for a third victory in this Tour – and a 33rd overall – for Mark Cavendish seems to be open when Deceuninck-QuickStep pushes for a sprint. „Now that Julian Alpahilippe has dropped out of the standings, his team – and therefore that of ‘Cav’ – will drive for him. He now also has a goal, with that record and of course the green jersey.”
But steering towards a mass sprint is not easy, Breukink also knows. “They will want to go for the sprint and maybe other teams too. But controlling the course at this stage of the Tour is becoming increasingly difficult.”
Now that several sprinters have dropped out due to Monday’s grueling ride, who is left to threaten Cavendish? “I think Nacer Bouhanni is doing well, but he doesn’t have a team to put him in position. They will probably let a small leading group drive away, that’s the story.”
Record Merckx
And the legendary record of Eddy Merckx (34 victories), will it break? “The fact that we are even talking about it says enough. Nobody saw this coming. He wouldn’t even go a week before the Tour. And I think that Deceuncinck manages to force a sprint and then ‘Cav’ has so much confidence with that green jersey around his shoulders.
Slovenian jersey wearer Tadej Pogacar resigns after the rest day with a 2-minute lead over Australian Ben O’Connor. Briton Cavendish will defend the green points jersey and Colombian Nairo Quintana will defend the polka dot jersey.
The start is at 13:20 in Albertville. The first rider is expected in Valence around 5.30 pm.
Follow the tenth stage of the Tour closely here
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