The peloton traverses the Chaîne des Puys, which is the youngest volcanic assemblage in mainland France – and it’s far from flat. In fact, the route climbs from the start on a 4.8 kilometres hill at 4.7%. The route then goes down, and up again – this time for 7.8 kilometres at 5%. So we should expect an intriguing battle for the breakaway, as all the raw materials are abundantly there.
The route goes either up or down during the entire day, but only three ascents are classified KOM climbs. The Col de la Croix Saint-Robert is 6 kilometres long and averaging 6.3%, the Côte de Saint-Victor-la-Rivière throws in 3 kilometres at 5.9%, and the Côte de la Chapelle-Marcousse is the last climb of the day: 6.5 kilometres at 5.6%.
The KOM timing on the Chapelle-Marcousse will be taken just before the topsummit, while the actual summit is crested with 24 kilometres remaining. The rest of the route goes virtually all downhill.
Issoire will see its sixth Tour de France stage finish, although it has been awhile since the last one. In 1983, home rider Pierre Le Bigaut won the 14th stage in the town on the confluence of the rivers Allier and Couze.
The first three riders on the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds.
Ride the route yourself? Download GPX stage 10 2023 Tour de France.
Another interesting read: results 10th stage 2023 Tour de France.
Tour de France 2023 stage 10: routes, profiles, more
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