PREVIEW | Tour de France 2023 stage 10 - Breakaway bonanza with Van Aert, van der Poel, Alaphilippe and Mohoric headlining

Preview. The second week of the Tour de France starts on stage 10 and it will be an interesting day in the hills of the Massif Central where a breakaway is expected to succeed in a treacherous day.

After the first rest day of the Tour de France, the peloton will have a hilly day through the Massif Central. This is a textbook breakaway day, with a hilly and roller-coaster start, and several climbs throughout the day. There will be almost no flat roads throughout the day, with the final (categorized) ascent summiting with 27 kilometers to go, before a downhill finish into Issoire.

Estimated start and finish times for Tour de France stage 10: 13:05-17:20CET

Early in the day there are two ascents, with 4.8 kilometers at 4.8% and 7.9Km at 4.8% where the breakaway should be formed. From there on thee will be two more categorized climbs and tough rolling terrain. There are 3100 meters of climbing without one meaningful ascent, the stage's decisive attack can come at any moment, however it makes sense to look towards the final ascent.

This is the climb to the Côte de la Chapelle-Marcousse. The ascent is 6.6 kilometers long at 5.5% and summits with 28.5 kilometers to go. The climb doesn't end there however but two kilometers later, but from there on the road is almost completely downhill into Issoire and a solo attack almost impossible to bring back. he last 9.5 kilometers will be flatter but with a slight downhill tilt which means the speeds will be very fast all the way into the line.

A lot of heat, but simultaneously the possibility of there being rain. Stormy weather this afternoon, there are chances of rain showers and the wind can also variate a lot throughout the day, from the southwest which will favor those late attackers.

The start is sharp. Now, this is a tough day, but it does not include any too difficult climb. It's not a day for the sprinters but nowadays some sprinters can climb incredibly well and they will certainly chase a breakaway here. Wout van Aert will be seeking his stage win and perhaps has here his best opportunity. Even if for the intermediate sprint points, don't be surprised to see the likes of Jasper Philipsen, Mads Pedersen and Bryan Coquard try to get in the breakaway.

These riders will be attacked throughout the day however they have the chance to succeed if they anticipate or make it into the right moves. The likes of Magnus Cort Nielsen, Alex Aranburu and Fred Wright are also very well suited to such a day and could then be dangerous exactly because of their sprint.

The day features a few decently hard climbs but also many rolling ones, and certainly many riders will not wait for the ascents. It will make for a very interesting day. Rouleurs stand a good chance, and the Tour is where the field is perhaps most luxurious. Stefan Küng, Alberto Bettiol, Kasper Asgreen, Rémi Cavagna, Matej Mohoric, Jasper Stuyven, Nans Peters, Soren Kragh Andersen, Georg Zimmermann, Lawson Craddock, Victor Campenaerts, Rasmus Tiller and Anthony Turgis are all favourites. Don't be surprised to see the cobbled classics specialists come to the fore here.

Speaking of cobbled classics specialists, we must of course consider some pure puncheurs. Take Mathieu van der Poel and Julian Alaphilippe for example, this is a good day for both and with the uphill start they must take the chance. It's a very explosive start and overall the day is good for their chances of succeeding. However they are not alone, take the likes of Michal Kwiatkowski, Matteo Jorgenson, Valentin Madouas, Neilson Powless, Quinten Hermans, Rui Costa, Krists Neilands, Dylan Teuns, Pierre Latour and stage 2 winner Victor Lafay as well.

Some of these riders are well capable of making the differences in the serious climbs, however you can still add in a few more names to the mix who should almost exclusively be eyeing the biggest climbs to make the difference. It won't be easy to manage such a scenario but nothing is impossible. Jack Haig, Mattias Skjelmose, Ruben Guerreiro and Tobias Johannessen will all have that into consideration.

*** Wout van Aert, Julian Alaphilippe
** Fred Wright, Mathieu van der Poel, Matej Mohoric, Valentin Madouas
* Mads Pedersen, Alex Aranburu, Magnus Cort Nielsen, Stefan Küng, Alberto Bettiol, Rémi Cavagna, Soren Kragh Andersen, Victor Campenaerts, Krists Neilands, Mattias Skjelmose

Pick: Wout van Aert