Cycling in Yorkshire
Cycling in Yorkshire
Stage 10 of the Tour de France 2023 is a 167.2km hilly stage from Vulcania amusement park (on the edge of Clermont-Ferrand) to Issoire.
Christian Prudhomme expects there to be a breakaway today, and the ups and downs of the Chaîne des Puys will be attritional, leaving only the strongest ahead of the pack at the finish.
If it's a breakaway day, which baroudeurs will be in contention? It could be a stage for Alberto Bettiol, Fred Wright or Hugo Houle.
These are video highlights of Stage 10 Tour de France 2023.
This is the Stage 10 TDF 2023 Blog.
Race Details | Poll | Map & Profile | Timings | Videos | Food & Drink | Route Notes | Favourites
| Date | Tuesday 11th July 2023 |
|---|---|
| Stage classification | Hilly |
| Distance | 167.2km |
| Intermediate sprint | Le Mont-Dore |
| Climbs | Col de la Moréno (Cat. 3) Col de Guéry (Cat. 3) Col de la Croix Saint-Robert (Cat. 2) Côte de Saint-Victor-la-Rivière (Cat. 3) Côte de la Chapelle-Marcousse (Cat. 3) |
This is a map of the route of Stage 10, Tour de France 2023.
This is a zoom-able map of the route of Stage 10 of the Tour de France 2023.
This is the profile of Stage 10 Tour de France 2023.
| Caravan | Fast Schedule | Slow Schedule | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start Time (départ fictif) | 1105 |
1305 |
1305 |
| Start Time (départ réel) | 1120 |
1320 |
1320 |
| Col de la Croix Saint-Robert Climb | 1305 |
1455 |
1505 |
| Côte de la Chapelle-Marcousse Climb | 1459 |
1638 |
1659 |
| Finish Line (167km) | 1544 |
1719 |
1744 |
This is a video overview of the route.
This video shows a reconnaissance of the route of Stage 10, a film made with the support of the Auvergne Rhône Alpes region.
The only previous stage finish in Issoire was on Stage 14 of the 1983 Tour de France.
The Auvergne region has produced wine since Roman times, and in the C11th had over 10,000 hectares of vineyards. It is not necessarily one of France's most celebrated wine-producing areas today, though.
Instead if you want to sample a local alcohol, why not try Gentiane? It is made with the root of the gentian plant. Génépi, made in the Alps, uses the plant itself to create a similar liqueur.
Buy a bottle of Gentiane liqueur.
The Auvergne is not renowned as one of the most famous regions of France for food and drink, but it does make some excellent cheeses. Cantal is one of the best-known.
Local blue cheeses include Blue d'Auvergne, Rochebaron, Bleu de Chèvre (which is, as you would expect from the name, blue cheese made from goat's milk), Saint Agur, and Fourme d'Ambert.
Puy lentils, lentilles vertes du Puy, have been grown in the region for centuries. Truffade is a thick potato and cheese pancake.
Stage 10 starts at Vulcania (départ fictif), which is a volcano-themed amusement park out to the northwest of Clermont-Ferrand.
Vulcania is an amusement park with the theme of volcanoes.
It was designed by Austrian architect Hans Hollein. As well as the artificial volcano (pictured above), there are IMAX cinemas and conference facilities.
The Vulcania website invites you to experience an adventure with characters Professor Yapadrisk and Matt the Explorer.
In the neutralised section, the riders follow the D941 towards Clermont-Ferrand, reaching Orcines on the edge of the city. They then turn and head south west on the D942 Route de Bordeaux, and the départ réel is here.
Stage 10 passes La Font-de-l'Arbre and heads towards the first climb, the Col de la Moréno at 1,065m between the Puy de la Moréno and the Puy de Monchier.
(A puy is a volcano with a rounded profile).
The climb of the Col de la Moréno is 4.8km at an average 4.7%. The height at the summit is 1,065m and comes after 7km raced.
From the Col de la Moréno it's down to Saint-Bonnet-près-Orcival and Orcival.
Orcival has a basilica that dates from 1166. It was probably built because a statue of Mary and Child attracted a lot of pilgrims here - pilgrims who were hoping for a miracle cure.
The village is in the Sioulot valley, and is home to about 250 people.
Next the race route heads up to the Col de Guéry (1277m), which is near the Puy de l'Ouire (1,509m) and overlooks the Lac de Guéry.
'A nice pass, with a beautiful finish at the Lac de Guéry and nice views of the Massif du Sancy.'
Review on climbfinder
The Col de Guéry climb is 7.8km at an average 5%. The summit is at 1,277m and comes after 27.3km raced.
The descent is to Rochefort-Montagne, passing the imposing Roche Tuilière on the way down.
After Rochefort-Montagne the race passes through Laqueuille, known for its blue cheese. Bleu de Laqueuille was the first Bleu d'Auvergne when it was created in 1854.
Then it's uphill once again to Murat-le-Quaire. Singer Jean-Louis Murat took his stage name from Murat-le-Quaire, where he grew up. Here he is singing an atmospheric song with Mylène Farmer.
The route continues to Mont-Dore for the intermediate sprint.
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Mont-Dore is on the banks of the Dordogne, not far from its source.
The thermal springs here were identified by the Romans, and are still in use today. The minerals in the water include sodium bicarbonate, iron and arsenic - not all of which sounds good. People drink and bathe in the spring water.
Mont-Dore is also a ski resort, with 30 downhill runs on the Puy de Sancy and the Puy Ferrand, and 25km of cross-country ski trails.
Instead of continuing up the valley to the source of the Dordogne, Stage 10 climbs the valley side on the Route de Besse. Hairpin bends bring the riders to the Col de la Croix Saint-Robert.
The climb is 6km at an average 6.3% to a height of 1,451m. The summit comes after 66.6km raced.
From the col, there's a descent past a refuge, le Buron de la Croix Saint-Robert, to Chambon-sur-Lac.
Stage 1 of the 2023 Critérium du Dauphiné started and finished in Chambon-sur-Lac. Christophe Laporte won the stage in Chambon.
Chambon-sur-Lac is at the western end of the Lac de Chambon.
The Lac de Chambon is a volcanic dam lake that formed after the eruption of the Tartaret Volcano that stands by Murol. Debris from the eruption blocked the course of the Couze, and caused the lake to form.
It's either 4m or 6m deep, depending on who you believe, and dotted with islands.
At the eastern end of the lake is Murol, which has a striking castle built in the 1100s.
The name Murol comes from walls or fortifications, and the site was inhabited by Gauls before the Romans. There was a junction of three Roman roads here.
At the start of the twentieth century, a group of Impressionist painters settled here and formed the Ecole de Murol.
Now the route is south, towards Saint-Victor-la-Rivière.
The Côte de Saint-Victor-la-Rivière climb is 3km at an average 5.9%,
to a height of 1,041m. The summit comes after 84.3km raced.
Stage 10 continues to Besse-en-Chandesse (or Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise). Most houses here are built in a local trachyandesite stone, which gives them a rustic appearance.
Besse gave its name to the nearby ski resort of Super-Besse, created in 1961. Stage 6 of the 2008 Tour de France finished at Super-Besse.
Next the riders head up to the Lac de Bourdouze.
It's in a depression created by a glacier around 12,000 years ago. It's part-lake, part-bog, and the name Bourdouze comes from boue, mud.
The next town after the lake is Compains. It's followed by a ride over the Montagne de la Veysseyre, passing over the Col de la Chaumone (1155m). Immediately after the col there are two lakes at La Veysseyre.
The descent is to La Godivelle.
La Godivelle has two lakes of its own. The higher lake is in a volcanic crater, and the lower lake is glacial in origin. La Godivelle doesn't have many people: it's the least densely populated Commune in the département.
From La Godivelle, Stage 10 takes the riders up to the Col de la Volpilière (1,208m, uncategorised), and down to Saint-Alyre-ès-Montagne.
Now Stage 10 continues east on a descent into the Vallée des Rentières and to Ardes (608m). The riders have gone down 600m between Saint-Alyre and Ardes.
Close to Ardes is the Parc Animalier d'Auvergne, which specialises in breeding endangered species.
From Ardes, the riders head up the Côte de la Chapelle-Marcousse. The climb is 6.5km at an average 5.6%, to height of 980m. The summit comes after 138.6km raced.
The road continues up to 1,043m. After that, it's downhill nearly all the way to the finish line.
The route is down to Vodable, Tourzel-Ronzières, Meilhaud and into the little valley of la Couze Pavin.
La Couze Pavin leads via Perrier (not where the water comes from, but known for its troglodytic caves, one of which was inhabited until 1945) to Issoire.
The race comes into Issoire on the Route de Perrier. There's a right turn onto the D909 Boulevard de Barrière, which crosses la Couze Pavin.
The road bends left and becomes Boulevard du Mont Mouchet, before a right turn at a roundabout onto Route de Saint-Germain-Lembron.
The finish line is on the D716 Route de Saint-Germain-Lembron, alongside the Quartier de Bange.
Issoire is a town of 15,000 people. It is in the Puy-de-Dôme département, and stands near the confluence of the Couze and the Allier rivers.
It was founded by the Celtic Arverni tribe, and known as Iciodurum in Roman times, when it was famed for its schools.
Issoire suffered badly during the Wars of Religion (1500s), when it changed hands on several occasions between Catholics and Protestants.
One of the sights of Issoire is the church of Saint-Austremoine, with Romanesque architecture.
The tourist office video gives a flavour of the modest sights of Issoire. Can you spot the unicyclist?
Issoire Tourisme has local information about the finish of Stage 10 in Issoire.
The last time Issoire hosted the Tour de France was on Stage 9 of the 2011 edition, from Issoire to Saint-Flour. There were a lot of crashes in the bunch, and the driver of a France TV car knocked two breakaway riders off - Juan Antonio Flech and Johnny Hoogerland.
Luis Leon Sanchez won and Thomas Voeckler moved into yellow.
The only time the Tour de France finished in Issoire before now was on Stage 14 of the 1983 race. Pierre Le Bigaut won that day.
Stage 10 of the Tour de France 2023 is one of the harder hilly stages and has breakaway written all over it.
A breakaway could include Alberto Bettiol, Victor Campenaerts, Mads Pedersen, Simon Geschke, Magnus Cort, Soren Kragh Andersen, Mathieu van der Poel, Julian Alaphilippe, Matej Mohoric, Luis Leon Sanchez, Michael Woods, Hugo Houle, Tom Pidcock (if he has already lost time on GC), and Fred Wright. Or some other people.
Who do you think will win Stage 10?
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Michelin Guide to the Auvergne and Rhone Valley.
The Chaîne des Puys is a chain of volcanoes that runs north-south for about 25 miles.
It is on the Limagne fault, which formed around 35 million years ago at the time the Alps were pushed up. The mountains began to form 95,000 years ago.
The Puy de Dôme is the highest of the puys, and is near the middle of the chain.
A puy is a volcano with a rounded profile. The chain includes cinder cones, lava domes and maars.
The last time there was an eruption was around 4040BC, but future eruptions are not impossible.
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