After the first rest day of the 2024 Tour de France, riders will return to Stage 10 on Tuesday, July 9th departing from Orléans and arriving in Saint-Amand-Montrond. The stage will cover a distance of 187.3 km and is one of the flattest stages in the 2024 Tour, with no categorized climbs throughout the day.
Orléans is a historic city of 117,000 resident located in north-central France, approximately 120 kilometers southwest of Paris. It serves as the capital of the Loiret department and the Centre-Val de Loire region. The city is situated on the banks of the Loire River, nestled in the heart of the Loire Valley, which is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The last time Saint-Amand-Montrond hosted a Tour de France stage finish was in 2013, when Mark Cavendish won in a reduced sprint after crosswinds split the peloton.
The route is predominantly flat, running south through the Sologne forest, and will be an ideal stage for sprinters. The final 60 km may be exposed to crosswinds, potentially leading to echelons and splits in the peloton. This stage is likely to end in a bunch sprint, barring any significant splits caused by crosswinds in the final portion of the race. There is an intermediate sprint is located at Romorantin-Lanthenay, 57 km into the stage.
Eyes will be on Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) in particular, being the only rider with multiple stage wins and leading the sprint classification overall thus far at the 2024 Tour de France, meaning the Eritrean rider is looking in peak form in the sprint field. Girmay, currently leading the green jersey competition, may look to extend his lead in the intermediate sprint as well.
Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) and Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco AlUla) have each taken a stage thus far at the 2024 Tour de France, and will look to be a threat on the day. Cavendish, having captured a historic 35th stage win earlier in the 2024 Tour to overtake Eddy Merckx, in particular will likely be looking to extend this record-setting number. Strong sprinters having solid showings thus far which includes Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny), Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Pro Cycling Team), and Arnaud Démare (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) are also names to keep an eye on during Stage 10.
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