The day after the first day of rest, the Tour makes its way to Issoire on Tuesday, through a bumpy stage which could benefit the adventurers.
The Tour de France is back on the road. The day after the first day of rest, which will have allowed the bodies to regenerate, the peloton will face a bumpy course during this 10th stage in the Massif Central, Tuesday July 11. The Grande Boucle will set off from Parc Vulcania, a unique place, before reaching Issoire, which welcomes the arrival of the Tour for the first time in 40 years. With more than 3,000 meters of elevation gain, the adventurers have a chance to seize, when the favorites should lose interest in the final victory.
What is the profile?
It is a hilly course of 167.2 kilometers between the volcanoes of Auvergne which awaits the peloton, for this 10th stage of the Tour de France 2023. On a course which has almost no flat meter, the riders will be challenged tough test from the first kilometers with two category 3 difficulties: the Col de la Moreno then the Col de Guéry. After an intermediate sprint more than 100 kilometers from the finish, the peloton will see the road rise again towards the Col de la Croix (6 km at 6.3% average), listed in category 2. Small climbs will then follow one another, including that of Saint-Victor-la-Rivière.
It is the last ascent of the day, the côte de la Chapelle-Marcousse (6.5 km at 5.6%), which should be the judge of the peace for the final victory even if the last 27 kilometers downhill can favor a regrouping between the leading men and a sprint between strong men in Issoire.
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Who are the favourites?
While only six teams out of 22 have already won a stage, there will be many contenders for victory on a stage which promises to be open. With a final that is not very demanding, the favorites could lose interest in the stage and give the adventurers a chance to fight for the final victory.
Among them, the French champion Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ) could give up his role as a teammate with his leader David Gaudu for a while to play his personal card on a route that suits him. Always in search of a first success, the Jumbo-Visma and Soudal Quick-Step formations will be able to count on the appetite of their two usual step hunters Julian Alaphilippe and Wout van Aert. The two classic riders seem to have ants in their legs and could try their luck again by taking the breakaway on a route that suits them.
Too tight to compete for victory in the Puy de Dôme, the Neilson Powless polka dot jersey (EF Education-EasyPost) should fight again to integrate the breakaway of the day in order to collect points in the mountain classification and play for the stage victory. If the favorites give him a voucher, the local of the stage Romain Bardet (DSM), 10th overall at 6’58” from the yellow jersey, will also want to shine on his roads.
What are the schedules ?
1:00 p.m.: start of the broadcast on France 3 and france.tv
1:05 p.m.: fictitious start
1:20 p.m.: real departure (changeover to France 2 at 3 p.m.)
5:31 p.m.: scheduled arrival (at an average of 40 km/h) in Issoire