It was a 197 kms ride through the beautiful Brittany country side of North Western France. The roads meandering through quaint little villages with grey slate roofs, twisting and turning. There was a small climb of 500 ft above sea level - the rest was flatlands.
A group of 5 riders escaped right from the start and rode away from the Peloton for 194 kms. It was courageous and audacious to break away so early.
This was the day after the rest day.
And the first day of cycling after Team SKY were scattered all over the Pyrenees leaving their leader Chris Froome totally at the mercy of the Spanish Teams on Sunday.
But today we saw Team SKY again come out in style and protect Chris and control the Peloton for a long time.
There were touching personal moments also. Julien Simon was cycling through his village and saw his family cheer him on. He did not see his Grandfather who was waiting for him a little further down the road. Crowds were lining the streets and the countryside all through the race cheering the 100th Tour on. This was the cradle of French cycling and the Tour was being celebrated. Flags of various countries were flying high in the strong winds.
Sometimes I got the feeling that the locals were urging a Frenchman to win a stage during this 100th Tour. I am sure it will happen but not today.
Today was a day for the top Sprinters.
The Peloton calmly but efficiently without much fuss caught the 5 riders inside the last 4 kms and continued cycling through strong crosswinds and headwinds towards the finish. There was a fear that the strong winds along the coast line would cause the Peloton to be shredded and ripped apart. But they somehow held on.
As the race was drawing towards the finish line, all the Teams kept coming forward to deliver their Sprinter to the front. You can imagine the tense situation on the narrow winding roads and cyclists reaching speeds up to 60kph. The sprinters were locking on to the wheels of others ahead.
Then it happened.
A charge towards the finish was on full throttle, it appeared that Mark Cavendish, one of the greatest sprinters of all time and one who has already won a stage this year, went into or shouldered Tom Veelers, causing Veelers to crash, within a few metres of the finish line.
This put an end to the victory hopes of Cavendish and gave the stage win to Andre Greipel. This was Greipel's second stage win of this year's Tour.
It was a day that produced no changes in the official standings.
Chris Froome kept his Yellow Jersey and the same time difference with his nearest rivals.
Peter Sagan kept his Green Jersey and now has a 83 point lead over Andre Greipel.
Pierre Roland holds on to his Polka Dot Jersey for the King of the Mountains and Quintana holds his White Jersey for the best young rider of this year's Tour.
Although the stage has finished and the winners of the Jerseys declared, tongues will continue to ask questions about the Cavendish affair. Was it intentional or just a human error. We may never come to know the truth but we must move on to Stage 11 and for the Tour d France.
Stage 11 promises to be an exciting mouth watering treat - 33km individual time trial.
This pits the cyclist against the clock.
And I am sure they will all come gunning for Chris Froome.
It will be interesting to see who wins - will it be Contador or Valverde or Schleck or the man himself - Chris Froome.
Will Chris Froome still be wearing the Yellow Jersey tomorrow evening?
And as an added bonus we will be treated to sights of Mont Saint Michel - the third most visited tourist spot in the whole of France.
A lot to see and experience.
But
A group of 5 riders escaped right from the start and rode away from the Peloton for 194 kms. It was courageous and audacious to break away so early.
This was the day after the rest day.
And the first day of cycling after Team SKY were scattered all over the Pyrenees leaving their leader Chris Froome totally at the mercy of the Spanish Teams on Sunday.
But today we saw Team SKY again come out in style and protect Chris and control the Peloton for a long time.
There were touching personal moments also. Julien Simon was cycling through his village and saw his family cheer him on. He did not see his Grandfather who was waiting for him a little further down the road. Crowds were lining the streets and the countryside all through the race cheering the 100th Tour on. This was the cradle of French cycling and the Tour was being celebrated. Flags of various countries were flying high in the strong winds.
Sometimes I got the feeling that the locals were urging a Frenchman to win a stage during this 100th Tour. I am sure it will happen but not today.
Today was a day for the top Sprinters.
The Peloton calmly but efficiently without much fuss caught the 5 riders inside the last 4 kms and continued cycling through strong crosswinds and headwinds towards the finish. There was a fear that the strong winds along the coast line would cause the Peloton to be shredded and ripped apart. But they somehow held on.
As the race was drawing towards the finish line, all the Teams kept coming forward to deliver their Sprinter to the front. You can imagine the tense situation on the narrow winding roads and cyclists reaching speeds up to 60kph. The sprinters were locking on to the wheels of others ahead.
Then it happened.
A charge towards the finish was on full throttle, it appeared that Mark Cavendish, one of the greatest sprinters of all time and one who has already won a stage this year, went into or shouldered Tom Veelers, causing Veelers to crash, within a few metres of the finish line.
This put an end to the victory hopes of Cavendish and gave the stage win to Andre Greipel. This was Greipel's second stage win of this year's Tour.
It was a day that produced no changes in the official standings.
Chris Froome kept his Yellow Jersey and the same time difference with his nearest rivals.
Peter Sagan kept his Green Jersey and now has a 83 point lead over Andre Greipel.
Pierre Roland holds on to his Polka Dot Jersey for the King of the Mountains and Quintana holds his White Jersey for the best young rider of this year's Tour.
Although the stage has finished and the winners of the Jerseys declared, tongues will continue to ask questions about the Cavendish affair. Was it intentional or just a human error. We may never come to know the truth but we must move on to Stage 11 and for the Tour d France.
Stage 11 promises to be an exciting mouth watering treat - 33km individual time trial.
This pits the cyclist against the clock.
And I am sure they will all come gunning for Chris Froome.
It will be interesting to see who wins - will it be Contador or Valverde or Schleck or the man himself - Chris Froome.
Will Chris Froome still be wearing the Yellow Jersey tomorrow evening?
And as an added bonus we will be treated to sights of Mont Saint Michel - the third most visited tourist spot in the whole of France.
A lot to see and experience.
But
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