Stage 10 of this year's Tour de France is an interesting 167-km (104-mi) mountain stage that begins in the southern French commune of Tarbes. It takes riders mostly west where they encounter a couple of category-4 climbs before heading south. Another category-4 climb will be traversed before the cyclists become fully aware that they are cycling a mountain stage in the Pyrenees. A 15.3-km (9.51-mi) hors catégorie climb finishes off the stage with an ascent to an elevation of 1610 m (1 mi) to la Pierre St Martin, which is near France's border with Spain.
Will well-rested riders be fast at the start as they position themselves for the final ascent? Will they conserve energy for the final, brutal climb? Will they really hold back, knowing that several mountain stages are still to come? I can't wait to see how the teams set themselves up tomorrow. Below is our prediction.
- Stage 10: 4h 24' 38" (prediction)
If cyclists had only tomorrow's stage, I think we'd be too slow. With all the mountain cycling to come, I think the riders will hold back a little. We shall see!
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