(By Tim Maloney, European Editor)
After the final Alpine effort, stage 10 heads south from Tallard, just south of Gap through the Alpes de Haute Provence to the port city of Marseille and opportunistic riders who are looking for a result will certainly be on the attack. The two Cat. 3 climbs, Bastides and Gineste in the final 30 kilometres will be decisive in determining who gets the winners big bowl of bouillabaisse for the stage that finishes in front of Marseille's Stade Vélodrome.
Climbs:
Km 57: Côte de Châteauneuf-Val-Saint Donat: 3.3 km climb to 3.1 % / 4th Cat.
Km 93: Côte de Villedieu: 1.1 km climb @ 5.2 % grade / 4th Cat.
Km 201.5: Côte des Bastides: 7.5 km climb @ 2.9 % grade / 3rd Cat.
Km 219.5: Col de la Gineste: 7.5 km climb @ 3.2 % grade / 3rd Cat.
Sprints:
Km 82.5: Oraison
Km 154.5: Saint-Maximin-La-Sainte-Baume
As Thor Hushovd said yesterday with a sigh of relief: Au revoir, Alpes. We are heading down to the Mediterranean today. 229.5 long kilometres from Tallard to Marseille, the port city in Southern France. The sprinters have acknowledged that it is unlikely to be a sprint finish, as a small group is expected to get away.....
And more doping news for the day. Patrik Sinkewitz, who collided with a spectator a couple of days ago, tested positive. The T-Mobile rider's A probe was tested positive for Testosterone and the German has been suspended from T-Mobile immediately.