Climbers Eye Stage 10 of the Tour
Climbing specialists competing in the current Tour de France will continue to benefit from the route chosen for this year’s race during Stage 10 on Wednesday.
At 179km, the stage is relatively short but treacherous, containing both difficult climbs and windy descents. The medium-mountain stage will take riders from Chambéry to Gap in the French Alps, with three climbs along the way.
Of these, the ascent of Côte de Laffrey, spanning 7.0km to a 9% incline, and the final climb up Col du Noyer, 7.4km in length to a 5.3% incline, will be the most challenging for the riders.
However, those are not the only obstacles that await. In 2003, Spanish rider Joseba Beloki tumbled in the heavy wind on the Col du Noyer pass when trying to stave off Kazakh rider Alexander Vinokourov.
With Beloki retired, Vinokourov, now riding for Team Astana, will be one of the overall contenders seeking to climb in the standings on Wednesday.
Until Stage 7 of this year’s Tour, Vinokourov kept a nearly identical pace with teammate Alberto Contador, but has since fallen from 5th to 13th place in the overall standings.
Contador, meanwhile, has advanced to 2nd place overall after finishing 6th in Stage 9. The Spaniard, tipped by most to defend his 2009 Tour victory, has yet to claim the yellow jersey in this year’s race.
Known to climb the Tour’s mountains with unmatched endurance, Contador will be looking to pounce during the 5 remaining mountain stages in this year’s Tour.
Last year’s runner-up Andy Schleck will look to defend his overall lead in the standings during Wednesday’s stage.
Schleck, who claimed the yellow jersey for the first time of his career on Tuesday by finishing just behind Contador in Stage 9, is poised to challenge the Spaniard for the overall lead throughout the remainder of the Tour.
Team Sky’s Bradley Wiggins, who finished 4th overall in the 2009 Tour, has had to adjust his hopes for an overall victory to the more realistic aim of finishing in the top 10.
Currently in 16th place overall, Stage 10 will prove a crucial moment for the British all-rounder.
As the last mountain stage before three plain stages take riders through southeastern France, climbing cyclists aiming for the polka dot jersey will also be keen to perform on Wednesday.
The race to become “King of the Mountains” was dominated by Frenchman Jérôme Pineau before any real climbing began in Stage 8. After that first high-mountain stage, Team Quick Step rider Pineau saw his lead in the race for the polka dot jersey shrink from 12 points to none.
He now shares the lead with fellow countryman Anthony Charteau, who rides for French Team Bbox Bouygues Telecom.
After Tuesday’s Stage 9, when Charteau showed impressive form by bagging the most climbing points up the feared Col de la Madeleine, the climber said he was looking ahead to challenging Pineau for the jersey.
“The polka-dot jersey was definitely not my goal. I thought only about the stage victory, because it is very important to us,” said Charteau, who finished 5th in the stage, just ahead of Contador.
“Of course we don’t climb the Col de la Madeleine every day, so it’s with a great deal of pride that I’ve etched my name on that pass, but I thought first and foremost of the stage win,” he added.
“Now I have the consolation of the polka-dot jersey, I think there will be a good battle with Jérôme Pineau.”
Climbing specialists and the Tour’s overall contenders will look to pounce on the terrain of Stage 10 before the sprinters take centre stage once again on Thursday.
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