In the last stage through the French Alps the tour will go from Chambéry to Gap. Stage 10 covers 179 kilometers and features several challenging climbs, including the Côte de Laffrey and the Col du Noyer. This course is where Lance Armstrong took his famous ride through a field to avoid the wrecked Joseba Beloki in 2003.
The stage begins in Chambéry, which is hosting its second Tour de France. The last time Chambéry hosted a stage was in 1996. Chambéry has also hosted the World Championships, most famously when Greg LeMond supported his recent Tour de France comeback in 1989 with a win in the World Championships here.
The day features two sprints, one at 19.5 kilometers into the day at La Buissiere and the other towards the end of the day in La Fare-en Champsaur. There are also three category climbs. The Category 1 climbs is at the Côte de Laffrey, which is a 7.0-kilometer climb with a steep grade of 9%. This climb is followed by the Côte des Terrasses at 98.0 kilometers. The climb covers 3.3 kilometers of mountainside and has a grade of 7.1%. The final climb of the day, the Col du Noyer, is a 7.4 kilometer climb with a grade of 5.3%.
The day finishes at the city of Gap. Gap has hosted nearly 20 stages of the Tour de France. This town has seen wins by cycling greats such as Hincault, Nencini, Zabel and more recently, Vinokorouv. Hopefully we will be able to add a name from Team RadioShack to that list!
By Fitzalan Gorman, staff writer
Video preview of stage 10
Thanks for the concise brief Fitz. Perfect! And nice touch with the video preview. You folks really made this site a blast. I leave it up while I watch the race on versus tracker. Absolutely perfect. Life is so good these days.
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