The boys in France get a little bit of a break on Monday, with most of the pros going out for coffee shop rides. (Although not everyone does the same thing. Some do nothing, others can go out for hard and longer rides, worried about getting cobwebs in their legs.)
What do most of the pros do on a rest day? Well, sure, rest. But other things too. “It’s about sleeping in, getting a two-hour ride in, a few media obligations, massages, and even haircuts,” Pinarello Q36.5’s Nick Zukowsky said during last year’s Vuelta a España. “One of our teammates had a hairdresser fly in. We’re just freshening up and getting ready for another chunk of racing.”
Stage 10 of the Tour de France
The Tour de France returns to familiar ground on Tuesday as the peloton tackles a rugged stage through the Massif Central. Tuesday’s race finishes at Le Lioran, the same summit finish where Jonas Vingegaard stunned Tadej Pogačar with a late attack and sprint victory in 2024.
Two years later, Pogačar will have a chance to settle the score. The Slovenian already has two stage wins this Tour and has the yellow jersey, but the terrain appears perfectly suited to his explosive style. The big question is whether he wants another victory (probably? He certainly enjoys winning) or whether he will allow the breakaway riders take a dub.
The Bastille Day stage covers 166.6 km from Aurillac to Le Lioran and packs a bunch of of climbing into the final 80 km. In total, there are 3,900 m.
The first classified climb is the Col de la Griffoul (5.9 km at 6.7 per cent), but the real battle begins later with the Puy Mary (7.8 km at 6 per cent). The climb gets steeper near the top, with the final 2.2 km averaging 8.8 per cent, before riders tackle the Col de Pertus (4.4 km at 8.5 per cent).
After that, only 14 km remain, including the final ascent of the Col de Font de Cère before the finish at Le Lioran. It is the exact finale that produced one of the most memorable mountain battles of the 2024 Tour.
The fight for the overall
For the GC riders, this could be another chance to test each other. Pogačar is obviously the big favourite; dude has almost three minutes on Jonas Vingegaard. If he decides to go for it? We could see even bigger gaps.
I guess there’s also riders like Richard Carapaz, while Tom Pidcock, Isaac Del Toro, or Paul Seixas all suit a stage with repeated climbs and a technical finale. Pidcock came close on Sunday–despite problems with his shifter. He must be hungry for a big day. But again: Pogi. It all comes down to his mood; whether he wants to obliterate everyone or leave some crumbs for the others.
You can catch all the action on Flobikes.com, and after, Canadian Cycling Magazine will have a report!