Stage 10 - Île d'Oléron to Île de Ré - 168.5km - Tuesday, September 8
After a rest day, the Tour’s second week opens on the Atlantic coast, with a stage that starts and ends on two large islands in the Charente-Maritime department of southwestern France.
The stage begins at Le Château-d'Oléron and quickly takes a viaduct across the Atlantic onto the mainland. From there the riders wind their way south along the coast to Royan, at which point the race heads inland and then north toward Rochefort. The race then hugs the coast again as the stage continues its way north to the Intermediate Sprint in Châtelaillon-Plage, through La Rochelle, and finally west onto the Île de Ré for the finish.
This is the flattest stage of the 2020 Tour de France, but it still could be dramatic. Crosswinds and echelons are a strong possibility, and the day after a Rest Day is always a tense, nervous affair as riders re-acclimate themselves to the speed of the peloton.
In this case they’re shifting from the little chainring to the big one, leaving the mountains for windswept coastal roads, which is always a tough transition—especially for the Tour’s overall contenders.
Riders to Watch
This should be a stage for the sprinters, but with crosswinds a strong possibility, it could end in a fashion similar to Stage 7 in Lavaur, where Jumbo-Visma’s Wout van Aert won his second stage of this year’s Tour from a reduced peloton. If crosswinds indeed split the race in the final hour, van Aert will be top contender along with Quick-Step’s Sam Bennett and BORA-Hansgrohe’s Peter Sagan, both still winless in this year’s Tour. And keep an eye on B&B Hotels-Vital Concept Bryan Coquard. The Frenchman finished third on Stage 7 and seems to be getting better as the race progresses.
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When to Watch
While the stage could be unexpectedly dramatic, it’s the Tuesday after Labor Day, and you’ve probably got work to do (and perhaps kids to get settled into their first day of school). So roll the dice and tune-in late for the finale--or watch a replay later. The riders take a large bridge onto the Île de Ré with about 16km to go (at approximately 11 a.m. EDT), and that seems like as good a time as any to tune-in for the finale.
How to watch the Tour de France
Since getting hooked on pro cycling while watching Lance Armstrong win the 1993 U.S. Pro Championship in Philadelphia, longtime Bicycling contributor Whit Yost has raced on Belgian cobbles, helped build a European pro team, and piloted that team from Malaysia to Mont Ventoux as an assistant director sportif. These days, he lives with his wife and son in Pennsylvania, spending his days serving as an assistant middle school principal and his nights playing Dungeons & Dragons.
