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2014 Tour de France: Stage 10 live commentary, blog

14th July, 2014
Classifications following Stage 9

1. GALLOPIN 38h04'38''
2. NIBALI Vincenzo 38h06'12'' (+01'34'')
3. MACHADO 38h07'18'' (+02'40'')
4. FUGLSANG 38h07'56'' (+03'18'')
5. PORTE 38h08'10'' (+03'32'')
6. KWIATKOWSKI 38h08'38'' (+04'00'')
7. VALVERDE BELMONTE 38h08'39'' (+04'01'')
8. ROLLAND 38h08'45'' (+04'07'')
9. CONTADOR 38h08'46'' (+04'08'')
10. BARDET 38h08'51'' (+04'13'')
Richie Porte has been waiting a long time - but so has Tejay. Who will be the main man? (Image: AFP)
Expert
14th July, 2014
150
1061 Reads

For the second day in a row the course profile for the Tour de France resembles a row of saw teeth.

But today’s Stage 10 (161km beginning in Mulhouse) will be infinitely tougher than yesterday’s Stage 9, with four out of the seven classified climbs being category one, including the uphill finish at La Planche des Belles Filles.

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While it is fitting that a Frenchman will spend Bastille day in the yellow jersey, one gets the sense that Tony Gallopin’s (Lotto Belisol) ownership of the maillot jaune will be temporary. He will almost certainly lose the jersey today as the main contenders are expected to bring out the heavy artillery.

Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) is still the best placed of the general classification riders but Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) has flagged his intentions to attack. Team manager Bjarne Riis has also stated, “If Alberto has the legs then Alberto will try.”

What that means for cycling fans is a mouthwatering duel on the slopes of La Planche des Belles Filles, the scene of Chris Froome’s first Tour stage victory back in 2012.

But while Nibali and Contador look set to smash each other senseless on the final climb, Australia’s Richie Porte (Sky) will be hoping to take advantage of their preoccupation with each other. Porte has never led a Grand Tour team before but he has ridden in support of Bradley Wiggins, Froome and Contador over his seven Grand Tour appearances and has no doubt picked up the tricks of the trade that will ensure he is not caught out when push comes to shove.

At the conclusion of today’s stage we will know whether Porte is a genuine contender or just another member of the support cast.

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Another rider who may feature today is Katusha’s Joaquim Rodriguez. The noted climber has been ordinary so far at this edition of the Tour but the revelation that he was losing time ‘on purpose’ so that he could sneak away and claim King of the Mountain points without being chased down by the GC boys may go some way to explaining his apparent poor form.

We will see today whether the foxy Spaniard really was bluffing or, as many suspect, is just poorly out of form.

The climbs and when they will appear are as follows –

30.5km – Col du Firstplan (8.3km @ 5.4%) category 2
54.5km – Petit Ballon (9.3km @ 8.1%) category 1
71.5km – Col du Platzerwasel (7.1km @ 8.4%) category 1
103.5km – Col d’Oderen (6.7km @ 6.1%) category 2
125.5km – Col des Croix (3.2km @ 6.2%) category 3
143.5km – Col des Chevreres (3.5km @ 9.5%) category 1
161.5km – La Planche des Belles Filles (5.9km @ 8.5%) category 1

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