Tour de France 2016: Live-Stream Schedule, TV Info, Route for Tuesday's Stage 10
The riders will resume the 2016 Tour de France on Tuesday after a well-deserved rest day in Andorra, and Stage 10 should provide the peloton with another opportunity to catch their breath.
The start of the stage, up the Port d’Envalira, is arguably the toughest in this year's Tour, but once the riders reach the summit, the biggest challenge will be over. The road to Revel is mostly flat or even downhill from that point, and another bunch sprint is likely.
A late category three climb means the pure power sprinters may not be in a position to contest the expected sprint, but the likes of Peter Sagan of Tinkoff and Orica-BikeExchange's Michael Matthews should survive comfortably.
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Date: Tuesday, July 12
Time: Noon (BST), 1 p.m. (Local), 7 a.m. (ET)
Route: Escaldes-Engordany—Revel
Live Stream: ITV Hub (UK), NBC Sports App (U.S.)
TV Info: ITV 4 (UK), NBC Sports Gold (U.S.)
Preview
The 2016 Tour de France was advertised as a climber's race, and Tuesday's stage is yet another indication why. The start of the stage is almost cruel—the riders are still sore from several days in the Pyrenees, and the first challenge they'll face is the Port d'Envalira, a climb well over 20 kilometers long.
The climb shouldn't hurt the sprinters and their teams too much―in fact, it should be a major bonus. Early attacks are almost guaranteed, and a handful of riders will likely build a huge lead, giving the peloton something to aim for.
Once the riders have climbed Port d'Envalira, the stage becomes relatively straightforward. Mainly flat roads follow the long descent, and the final climb of Saint-Ferreol will provide the punchers with a great opportunity to increase the pace and either attack or drop the sprinters.
If a rider like Sagan has great legs, he might consider a solo finish, using the ascent to create the gap and the descent to maintain it. The world champion and points-classification favourite has closed the gap to Dimension Data's Mark Cavendish in recent stages, and with Sagan's team-mate Alberto Contador out of the race, Tinkoff will give the Slovak more domestiques to work with.
Sagan took to Twitter to wish the Spaniard well:
John Degenkolb of Giant-Alpecin is another strong candidate to take the win, as he's one of the sprinters who should be able to survive the final climb. He likely won't eye an attack but will instead ask his team-mates to chase everything down and finish the job in the sprint.
Hill specialists like Etixx Quick-Step's Julian Alaphilippe will also eye this stage, and while a long break is unlikely to survive, stages immediately after a rest day are always full of surprises.
The favourites for the general classification shouldn't show themselves too much. The Alps are right around the corner so expect the top riders to conserve their energy for Thursday's finale on the legendary Mont Ventoux.
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