Last respite before the mountains

Only five riders have abandoned the Tour de France in the first ten days of racing. Cofidis and CCC have lost two riders each and EF Education First one, which makes a record number of 19 teams still complete after the first rest day. Following the splits in the crosswinds that affected Thibaut Pinot, Jakob Fuglsang and Rigoberto Uran, and Mikel Landa’s crash, Team Ineos eyes the Pyrenees in an ideal position with Geraint Thomas and Egan Bernal in second and third place. The big question is: how long will Julian Alaphilippe hold onto the yellow jersey with a 27.2km individual time trial in Pau on Friday and the hilltop finish at the Tourmalet on Saturday? The riders have one more stage before tackling the Pyrenees and the sprinters will probably not let the opportunity of a bunch sprint in Toulouse go away. Attackers like Anthony Perez (Cofidis) who is the enfant du pays in Toulouse would try to shine on the lumpy terrain after the start in Albi but wider roads towards the end don’t favour them.

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