- Feb 9, 2013
- 6,853
- 8,065
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Seeing as stage 9 isn't/wasn't exactly a party starter might as well get a peek at what stage 10 has in store tomorrow. Merci, merci DE for the write-ups!
One more stage before the rest day, courtesy of the second Monday being the 14th of July. This is the only mid-mountain stage and a lot of riders will have it marked in their calendars, but will the GC teams cooperate?
Map and profile
Start
Another long transfer has taken the riders out of the flatlands, through the hills and into the Massif Central proper, for the stage start in Ennezat. Founded in the 11th century around the still-extant collegiate church, this is a small, rather unassuming town in the Limagne, the great valley that contains Clermont-Ferrand (which is just to the southeast). As such, Ennezat forms part of the heartlands of the Auvergne. Although fairly prosperous in the Middle Ages, the Auvergne has long been one of the least developed and most sparsely populated regions in France that is now characterised by an aged, declining population. The only exception is Clermont-Ferrand, the only real city for hours in any direction. Ennezat has experienced both sides of the coin: after long years of stagnation and decline, it rebounded as a commuter town for Clermont-Ferrand from the 1960s onwards. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this is its first time hosting the Tour.
(picture by François Goglins at Wikimedia Commons)
The route
Although Ennezat sits in the middle of the wide valley, the climbing starts almost immediately after the official start, courtesy of a long neutralisation that takes the riders into Riom, the old capital of the Auvergne. The first half of the stage consists entirely of climbing out of the Limagne towards the Chaîne des Puys, the volcanic range that contains the Puy-de-Dôme, descending back, and then doing it all over again. The first of these climbs is the Côte de Loubeyrat, the first cat. 2 of the race albeit a clearly overcategorised one.
Following a bit of a plateau and a shallow descent, the riders make it to Volvic, home of the eponymous mineral water brand. Here, the climb up Côte de Tourtoule starts. Although uncategorised, this is a harder climb than the cat. 2 before it – clearly, ASO are taking inspiration from RCS.
This time, the terrain after the climb is less plateau and more road along the mountainside that is never flat. After the main descent on this section, it’s time for the intermediate sprint in Durtol.
Immediately after this, we enter Clermont-Ferrand, best known as the hometown of Michelin. On the outskirts of the city, the riders encounter the start of the next climb, Côte de La Baraque. The riders do the section of the profile below between 11.0k and 4.8k, with the first 4.8k of those being categorised.
The plateaus and valley sections are almost entirely absent from the next stretch, and so the end of the fast descent is also the start of the Côte de Charade.
The second half of the climb is a part of the former Formula 1 circuit of the same name, and ASO have actually included half a lap of the current circuit located just to its south. After another descent, we hit the Côte de Berzet. They ride the entirety of the profile below, with the KOM after 3.4k.
This time, there is no descent back to the valley. Instead, the road continues to drag uphill to Col de la Moréno, the first time this Tour cracks 1000 metres of altitude. We leave the Chaîne des Puys behind, heading instead for the older and higher Monts Dore (we will be finishing just below Puy de Sancy, the highest mountain of both this range and the Massif Central in general). This necessitates the only longer section of valley of the entire stage. Said section comes to an end with the ascent of Col de Guéry. This is the rider’s introduction to the finale, and our introduction to the new style of Cyclingcols profiles. I think it’s a big downgrade, but we’ll have to deal with it.
There is no rest for the wicked, because a short false flat downhill leads directly into the next climb, Col de la Croix Morand. They only do the final 3.5k of the profile below.
Following a descent and the last bit of valley, the road starts climbing again. Officially the Col de la Croix Saint-Robert is only 5.1k, but that ignores the arguably harder uncategorised section up Rocher de l’Aigle.
Final kilometres
A short riders takes the riders into the town of Le Mont-Dore. However, the finish is at the ski station, and the climb up to it starts immediately. Although it’s only the final 3.3 kilometres of the profile below, that distance at 8% is going to hurt when you’ve already done more than 4000 metres of elevation gain before that.
The town of Mont-Dore developed around its thermal springs. Although baths already existed here in the Roman era, the current facilities were established in the early 19th century. It then expanded its touristic facilities with the development of lifts up the mountains, initially with France’s oldest electric funicular and then by developing facilities on the Puy de Sancy. A cable car terminating just below the summit was first constructed in 1936, and after the Second World War this was augmented by a ski resort that, after being linked to Super-Besse (a more familiar location for the Tour), became the largest in the Massif Central. Its springs are also used for the production of mineral water. Perhaps surprisingly given its prominence within the Auvergne and the lack of alternative uphill finishes in the region, it has never hosted the Tour before.
(picture by Tangopaso at Wikimedia Commons)
What to expect?
The breakaway is clearly favoured, this is the kind of terrain that needs a lot of work to control without the potential for huge gaps. Despite this, we should still see a bit of GC action, although probably nothing before the final climb which means gaps will be limited.
One more stage before the rest day, courtesy of the second Monday being the 14th of July. This is the only mid-mountain stage and a lot of riders will have it marked in their calendars, but will the GC teams cooperate?
Map and profile
Start
Another long transfer has taken the riders out of the flatlands, through the hills and into the Massif Central proper, for the stage start in Ennezat. Founded in the 11th century around the still-extant collegiate church, this is a small, rather unassuming town in the Limagne, the great valley that contains Clermont-Ferrand (which is just to the southeast). As such, Ennezat forms part of the heartlands of the Auvergne. Although fairly prosperous in the Middle Ages, the Auvergne has long been one of the least developed and most sparsely populated regions in France that is now characterised by an aged, declining population. The only exception is Clermont-Ferrand, the only real city for hours in any direction. Ennezat has experienced both sides of the coin: after long years of stagnation and decline, it rebounded as a commuter town for Clermont-Ferrand from the 1960s onwards. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this is its first time hosting the Tour.
(picture by François Goglins at Wikimedia Commons)
The route
Although Ennezat sits in the middle of the wide valley, the climbing starts almost immediately after the official start, courtesy of a long neutralisation that takes the riders into Riom, the old capital of the Auvergne. The first half of the stage consists entirely of climbing out of the Limagne towards the Chaîne des Puys, the volcanic range that contains the Puy-de-Dôme, descending back, and then doing it all over again. The first of these climbs is the Côte de Loubeyrat, the first cat. 2 of the race albeit a clearly overcategorised one.
Following a bit of a plateau and a shallow descent, the riders make it to Volvic, home of the eponymous mineral water brand. Here, the climb up Côte de Tourtoule starts. Although uncategorised, this is a harder climb than the cat. 2 before it – clearly, ASO are taking inspiration from RCS.
This time, the terrain after the climb is less plateau and more road along the mountainside that is never flat. After the main descent on this section, it’s time for the intermediate sprint in Durtol.
Immediately after this, we enter Clermont-Ferrand, best known as the hometown of Michelin. On the outskirts of the city, the riders encounter the start of the next climb, Côte de La Baraque. The riders do the section of the profile below between 11.0k and 4.8k, with the first 4.8k of those being categorised.
The plateaus and valley sections are almost entirely absent from the next stretch, and so the end of the fast descent is also the start of the Côte de Charade.
The second half of the climb is a part of the former Formula 1 circuit of the same name, and ASO have actually included half a lap of the current circuit located just to its south. After another descent, we hit the Côte de Berzet. They ride the entirety of the profile below, with the KOM after 3.4k.
This time, there is no descent back to the valley. Instead, the road continues to drag uphill to Col de la Moréno, the first time this Tour cracks 1000 metres of altitude. We leave the Chaîne des Puys behind, heading instead for the older and higher Monts Dore (we will be finishing just below Puy de Sancy, the highest mountain of both this range and the Massif Central in general). This necessitates the only longer section of valley of the entire stage. Said section comes to an end with the ascent of Col de Guéry. This is the rider’s introduction to the finale, and our introduction to the new style of Cyclingcols profiles. I think it’s a big downgrade, but we’ll have to deal with it.
There is no rest for the wicked, because a short false flat downhill leads directly into the next climb, Col de la Croix Morand. They only do the final 3.5k of the profile below.
Following a descent and the last bit of valley, the road starts climbing again. Officially the Col de la Croix Saint-Robert is only 5.1k, but that ignores the arguably harder uncategorised section up Rocher de l’Aigle.
Final kilometres
A short riders takes the riders into the town of Le Mont-Dore. However, the finish is at the ski station, and the climb up to it starts immediately. Although it’s only the final 3.3 kilometres of the profile below, that distance at 8% is going to hurt when you’ve already done more than 4000 metres of elevation gain before that.
The town of Mont-Dore developed around its thermal springs. Although baths already existed here in the Roman era, the current facilities were established in the early 19th century. It then expanded its touristic facilities with the development of lifts up the mountains, initially with France’s oldest electric funicular and then by developing facilities on the Puy de Sancy. A cable car terminating just below the summit was first constructed in 1936, and after the Second World War this was augmented by a ski resort that, after being linked to Super-Besse (a more familiar location for the Tour), became the largest in the Massif Central. Its springs are also used for the production of mineral water. Perhaps surprisingly given its prominence within the Auvergne and the lack of alternative uphill finishes in the region, it has never hosted the Tour before.
(picture by Tangopaso at Wikimedia Commons)
What to expect?
The breakaway is clearly favoured, this is the kind of terrain that needs a lot of work to control without the potential for huge gaps. Despite this, we should still see a bit of GC action, although probably nothing before the final climb which means gaps will be limited.
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