Today's Stage 10 of the Tour de France was a bit sluggish for most of the race. The peloton moved through some beautiful parts of France, but speeds were fairly slow. Only in the final 30 km (19 mi) or so did frantic racing begin. Speeds shot up, cross winds helped break up the peloton, and sprinters jockeyed for position in the final kilometers. And once again, the Manx Missile shot past his competition to earn his 33rd Tour de France stage win, just one behind the great Eddy Merckx. Check out Mark Cavendish just after he crossed the finish line.
Cavendish now has three stage wins in this year's Tour de France. We were a tad fast because of the slow pace for most of the stage.
- Stage 10: 4h 14' 07" (actual), 4h 07' 59" (prediction), 06' 08" fast (-2.41% error)
I'm just happy to be under 3% error! The fast pace during the final part of the race brought up the average speed to a pretty good clip.
- Stage 10: 12.51 m/s (45.03 kph or 27.98 mph)
Cavendish will have a few more shots to tie Merckx.
Tomorrow's mountain Stage 11 begins in Sorgues and ends to the northeast in Malaucène. The final part of the 198.9-km (123.6-mi) stage will be a joy to watch. There will be two climbs to the 1910-m (6266-ft) summit of Mont Ventoux. The first climb will be category 1; the second will be Hors Catégorie. The second descent off Mont Ventoux will make for a blisteringly fast finish. Our prediction is given below.
- Stage 11: 5h 16' 02" (prediction)
Will the yellow jersey face serious attack? It will be fun to see!
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