Tour 2015: Stage 10 Tarbes > La Pierre-Saint-Martin
STAGE FACT
Cofidis directeur sportif Stéphane Augé used to head up and down the finishing climb for mountain training during his years as a pro rider
Cofidis directeur sportif Stéphane Augé used to head up and down the finishing climb for mountain training during his years as a pro rider
It’s the first big summit finish of the Tour following an air transfer down to the south of France for the riders (spare a thought for the team bus drivers) and the first rest day in Pau. Something always happens on a rest day in Pau — generally a positive dope test — so we’ll be keeping our fingers crossed for a break in tradition and for chefs in the Tinkoff-Saxo hotel to keep beef off the menu.
Summit finish
This is the Tour’s first time up the long climb to La Pierre-St-Martin. Famous for its underground sinkhole, the ski resort is near the top of a col by the same name that crosses into Spain. The climb is hors catégorie — 15.3 km at 7.4% average but with typical Pyrenean variations in gradient. It’s a tough cookie to cut the ribbon on the high mountains.
Vive la France!
Today is Bastille Day, a national holiday where every good Frenchman, woman and child is expected to wave la Tricolore and celebrate liberté, égalité, fraternité and the Tour de France. The roadside will be full of fans, and patriotic French riders will duly oblige by lighting up the race. If Thomas Voeckler doesn’t do something extravagant today then we’ll eat our beret.
Today is Bastille Day, a national holiday where every good Frenchman, woman and child is expected to wave la Tricolore and celebrate liberté, égalité, fraternité and the Tour de France. The roadside will be full of fans, and patriotic French riders will duly oblige by lighting up the race. If Thomas Voeckler doesn’t do something extravagant today then we’ll eat our beret.
Santé
It’s not all big mountains today — the summit finish is preceded by 150 km of mostly rolling roads through the Jurançon wine region (glug), and history shows that the first stage after a rest day always catches some of the riders by surprise.
It’s not all big mountains today — the summit finish is preceded by 150 km of mostly rolling roads through the Jurançon wine region (glug), and history shows that the first stage after a rest day always catches some of the riders by surprise.
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