MTB mecca Morzine welcomes the Tour de France for its first day in the Alps!

This is a (relatively) easy introduction to the Alps before 2 brutal days tomorrow and Thursday where the real GC fight is expected to happen.
Today – all the previews are talking it up as one for the breakaway, possibly one for the Polka Dot jersey contenders to have a bit of a go before the big guns come out to play tomorrow.

Heading north out of Morzine all the way to the lake before coming back inland and climbing up to the little mountain airport at Megeve. For those of you that did the Etape du Tour in 2016 (Megeve – Morzine), this is where the start village was located although the route between the two towns was very different.

Lumpy without being exceptional, it’s got 2700m of climbing in it and the finish is a long drag of single % gradients rather than a true monster. The same finish was used in the Dauphine in 2020 when Lennard Kämna won.
Today could also be another one for Bob Jungels who has clearly got a lot of confidence back after his win the other day and Simon Geschke might fancy his chances of defending the Polka Dot jersey for a while longer.

Today is likely one for the breakaway to finally get established on maybe the second climb of the day before it splinters into bits at the finish. Will Pogacar be looking to close it all down aagin? He came very close on Stage 9, UAE clawed back a gap of a minute in the final 1.5km to come within seconds of Pinot at the line…

Another hot and sunny day at the Tour so the scenery shots will once again be fantastic. 🙂

Just what I need whilst I lie on the sofa recovering from Covid.

UAE train up the final climb chasing a breakaway?

Should be fun.

Kamna for the win.

This isn’t helping me sort the house out before I go away on some road trips.

It’s too easy to find the whole afternoon has passed, still the rest day yesterday did allow me to get some things done, like buy another bike 🙂

Luke Durbridge has withdrawn after a positive COVID test

UAE have JUST announced that George Bennett has ALSO test positive and withrawn – may explain why he had such a bad day.

Rafael Majka apparently also tested positive but viral load is low enough to allow him to continue…

Rafael Majka apparently also tested positive but viral load is low enough to allow him to continue…

does he have to ride @ the back 😕

Race rolled out 10 mins ago, ITV4 just starting their live coverage now. Small flurry of attacks, not a lot sticking so far…

Rafael Majka apparently also tested positive but viral load is low enough to allow him to continue…

Anyone know what the viral load is to be able to continue and how that limit was arrived at?

…… and the GC is suddenly coming to life, young Pidders is trying to sneak into the chase group hiding behind some bigger riders 😀

young Pidders is trying to sneak into the chase group hiding behind some bigger riders

Awesome, unleash Ganna to drag him across….I reckon Ganna and Wout dragging people away is what’s needed to break UAE

wow, looks like they’re shifting today, breakaway has less then 100km to go meanig they’ve covered abut 40 odd km so far in about 50 minutes (based on the flag drop at 1pm)

Ganna and Fuglsang in the break alongside THREE from B&B HOtels (Van Moer, Gougeard and Petit) plus one more

this is crazy stuff

Just what I need whilst I lie on the sofa recovering from Covid.

That was me last week. I always have a tendency to fall asleep at about 20km to go, and wake just in time to spoil any replay by catching the podium. Unfortunately, the Covid made that worse, with unscheduled naps randomly through the day, but never interfering with my finish line nap. 😀

wow, looks like they’re shifting today, breakaway has less then 100km to go meanig they’ve covered abut 40 odd km so far in about 50 minutes (based on the flag drop at 1pm)

Predominantly downhill so far (bar that little 4th Cat lump). Lot of competition for the break though, I think they all know it’ll be a stage-winning opportunity.

Edit: Phil Gilbert in the breakaway – good lad! Last Tour for him.

Pete Kenneaugh confirms, average 53.8 kph so far. Ganna taking Pidcock up the road at the moment

There we go, break gone. 25 riders and the peloton sits up.
Fred Wright the lone Brit rider in there.

Some good names though. Lennard Kämna (who won on this climb when it was the Dauphine finish), Edvald Boassen Hagen, Philippe Gilbert, Magnus Cort (maybe looking to get the Polka Dot back!), Simon Clarke (who won Stage 5 on the cobbles)

Connor swift also in the break so 2 brits.

Ganna and Van Baarle up the road – are Ineos planning a big move later?

From the break, Kamna for the win

😅 Finally, the breakaway has formed! And it's a big one! Here is the list of riders ⤵

😅 L'échappée s'est enfin formée ! Et ils sont nombreux à l'avant ! Les voici ⤵

#TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/VelaNW9EUI

— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 12, 2022

From the break, Kamna for the win

Dylan van Baarle isn’t a bad shout for the win actually, especially if Ganna can blow things up a bit on the run in.

Connor swift also in the break so 2 brits.

So he is! Hiding.

Yeah DvB is a good call if they stay away and use Ganna to pressure everyone rather than having them wait to meet the chasing riders

the BBC aren’t doing any live coverage of Stage 10…I wonder why?

the BBC aren’t doing any live coverage of Stage 10…I wonder why?

Cos ITV4 and EuroSport have the coverage rights?

I’ve ridden this road. Did the Etape du Tour when it was Megeve to Morzine (2016) and we parked the car in Sallanches so had to ride from Morzine over Les Gets, down to Cluses and then along this valley road. I remember it being absolutely bloody sweltering, even late afternoon.

protestors on the road, bloody dm gammons moaning about road tax 😕

Insulate Britain??? 😉

yeah race paused – all have been brought to a halt so they can maintain the time gaps while they clear the demonstrators

I have just switched it on and saw the race has been neutralised – thank gawd it wasn’t an accident.

Wiggins description of what was happening was . . . well. . . interesting!

ACtually, only the breakaway has been stopped, the peloton is rolling gently on, when the demo is cleared then the break will be allowed to go and when the gap is back up, the peloton will be freed

… and that’s how you deal with protestors 😀

@nbt

That’s exactly what they do although the impetus may be lost, gaps are reinstated, suppose it’s a nice opportunity for a nature break and some scran.

hangings too good for them! 😉

The adverts on ITV4 make me laugh though – clearly aimed at the normal demographics of their normal daytime audience – cremation services, life assurance, equity release 😂

Bettiol is on the move again, the peloton waiting to be released

And they’re on the move!

Protesters in defending "Mont Blanc environment" block the route during the 109th Tour de France 2022, Stage 10 Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images pic.twitter.com/F5DdtuRYmu

— daniel mcmahon (@cyclingreporter) July 12, 2022

This is good – wonderfully tactical throughout, each rider having to consider all sorts of factors. Kämna in virtual yellow jersey…

Well that another entertaining day. Kamna now in the mix for GC.

Looked like the rest of the favourites in GC were happy to let the breakaway win, you can see why when you see the stage tomorrow. Looks tough.

That was a great finale (on the ITV4 highlights show). Looking forward to Wednesday – I rode up the Galibier a few weeks ago and came down the side they’re descending so I want to see by just how much they’re faster. At least 15kph I guess!

I thought that was a cracking stage. Nice to see some different names fighting it out while the GC names took (sort of) a day off.

It stayed tense all the way. Magnus Cort was there, then he wasn’t then he very much was. Fred Wright was dropped then was in 2nd for a few tantalising moments. Lennard Kämna was the main threat, then he was dropped, then he was there again. Great stage, good close racing.

Image Gallery: https://www.letour.fr/en/stage-10/image-gallery and https://www.cyclist.co.uk/news/10780/tour-de-france-2022-stage-10-gallery

A cracker of a stage. Just the kind of racing I love to watch.

Lizzie Deignan was great in comms and punditry as well.