Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of stage 10 of the 2022 Tour de France
The second week starts here and, sadly, it starts beneath a cloud of COVID-19. The rest day round of testing surprisingly uncovered no positive cases and the Tour looked set to continue at full strength. However, further tests this morning have revealed two more cases among riders. Luke Durbridge (BikeExchange-Jayco) is out, and, more significantly, so is George Bennett, one of Tadej Pogacar's key mountain domestiques at UAE Team Emirates.
The race itself heads into the heart of the French Alps in the first half of this second week. We have huge summit finishes coming up on the Col du Granon on Wednesday and L'Alpe d'Huez on Thursday, so this is a somewhat gentle introduction, with nothing very high or steep on the route between the Haute-Savoie towns of Morzine and Megève.
Still, the relatively gentle nature of the parcours might actually make it fertile ground for an ambush. Throw the heatwave that's blowing up from Africa into the mix, and we have an intense second week in store.
The riders have all signed on in Morzine and are gathering on the start line.
The roll-out is coming up at 13:30 local time, with the start of the stage proper coming 10 minutes later.
Here's the news on Bennett
We're still in the neutral zone on the road out of Morzine. It's gentle downhill to start so it's going to be a fast one, with plenty of interest in the breakaway.
We reach kilometre-zero but race director Christian Prudhomme signals the race is not on yet. We've had a few mishaps in the neutral zone so they're letting everyone get back in.
Benjamin Thomas has a problem with his cleats, and that's what we're waiting on at the moment.
We're off!
No attacks yet but the pace is high as we zip downhill.
No one wants to make the first move here. We've got 15km of gentle downhill to start with before the road drags up for the first time.
It's a strangely sedate start.
Philippe Gilbert gives the first nudge
A few follow but the only result is the whole shutting down again.
Mathieu Burgaudeau has a little acceleration but he too is quickly chased down. Riders are just marking moves here rather than trying to actually make anything happen.
Maciej Bodnar goes next for TotalEnergies.
More get involved here as the descent quickens
Mathieu van der Poel is among those getting involved as the bunch stretches out.
The descent ends and the road tilts uphill. It's not an officially categorised climb, not yet anyway. The Côte de Chevenoz is coming up in 4km. It's a cat-4 climb, 2.2km at 2.9%.
We have the first real bit of daylight as Benoit Cosnefroy (AG2R Citroen) and Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost) go clear.
Oliver Naesen (AG2R) is dropped. That doesn't bode well.
A big group is looking to get over to the two leaders, but the bunch is not far behind. It's hard here and sprinters are getting dropped.
Quinn Simmons drags the chase group across to form one large lead group, but the gap is minimal.
In fact, this is now effectively the front of the peloton as the Côte de Chevenoz begins. All together.
More accelerations on the climb proper and a group of 20 goes clear but it's not getting away.
Thibaut Pinot is up there as Anthony Perez looks to split it.
The move comes back as Pierre Latour sprints to the top of the climb.
Benjamin Thomas goes next, and Chris Froome attacks behind.
Thomas looks strong as the road continues uphill past the KOM point. The Froome counter-attack went nowhere
Thomas is brought back as the next accelerations come on the last part of the incline.
Dylan van Baarle drags it back for Ineos, who look keen to be in a breakaway, with Filippo Ganna part of that big earlier move.
Over the top and we're zipping downhill again now for 13km.
Alexis Gougeard (B&B Hotels) attacks on the downhill.
111km to go
Tom Pidcock is up there and active. He's seventh overall and him in a break would throw the cat among the pigeons.
UAE Team Emirates have just confirmed that Rafal Majka also tested positive this morning but, since he has a low viral load, has been deemed safe to continue. More on that shortly.
102km to go
Quinn Simmons hits it again. We spoke to him yesterday about this sort of thing.
Fuglsang goes next and he's marked by a Gougeard teammate.
100km to go
B&B have two markers now and they're coming over to Gougeard with Fuglsang and an Ineos rider. It looks like Ganna.
Pogacar has to make a little move as the peloton threatens to split up on this uncategorised climb. This could soon turn into a really dramatic day.
Pierre Rolland and Sebastian Schönberger are the two other B&B riders. They have three up front as the lead group expands.
Pogacar is up front marking moves again!
It kicks off again from the front of that bunch. Pogacar is going to need support and he's already down two men.
Make that three. Marc Hirschi is dropped. He's had a terrible Tour so far, a late replacement but way off the pace.
A reminder that for UAE, George Bennett did not start today due to COVID. They've already lost Vegard Stake Laengen to COVID. And Rafal Majka is positive for COVID, but still here.
The breakaway attempt swells but then it comes back again.
This is getting increasingly chaotic. Pogacar's rivals might be sensing the chance of an ambush at some point soon.
Dylan van Baarle goes clear for Ineos now.
We're going uphill but, like before, we're not yet on the categorised part of the ascent.
Van Baarle is joined by Rolland, Sanchez, and Gilbert.
95km to go
The group goes 20 seconds clear but polka-dot jersey Simon Geschke kicks it off again behind.
Marc Soler is dangling at the back of the bunch. Another bad sign for Pogacar.
Like Ineos, Jumbo have also looked interested today. Steven Kruijswijk has been buzzing around and Tiesj Benoot is now looking to track the latest counter-attack.
Benoot fades now but Kruijswijk takes his place.
Barguil gives it a nudge and now Pidcock is getting involved again!
A reminder that Pidcock is seventh overall at 1:46. He's not expected to keep up through all the mountains but there is an air of mystery and he's a very interesting card that could be played by Ineos.
On that note, Ineos lead DS Steve Cummings has been talking to us about using their numbers
89km to go
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Ganna is in a three-man counter-attack now.
87km to go
We have a group of around 15 now but two five-man groups are going after them, and the bunch is not far behind.
Those two chase groups make it across. Who will react behind, and how?
Ganna drives the front group on.
The Col de Jambaz begins. It's 6.7km at 3.8%.
The big expanded front group is going clear! Stall behind....
That's it. Breakaway gone. The peloton spreads across the road and slows right down at the start of the climb. They're letting it go.
Jumbo-Visma are happy to semi-block the road, as Pogacar sits on the right-hand side of the front row.
Nature breaks in the bunch as the breakaway move out to a minute.
83.5km to go
Pidcock is not in the break and there are no headaches at all as far as Pogacar is concerned, so he's happy to see it go as his UAE teammates return to the front of the bunch.
Lennard Kamna (Bora-Hansgrohe) is the best-placed rider on GC in this break. He's 21st at 8:43.
Here's who's in the break
79km to go
65km to go
We'll soon be hitting the third of the day's four climbs, the Côte de Châtillon-sur-Cluses. It's another gentle cat-4 affair, 4.5km at 3.9%.
Ganna is currently hitting it on the front of the break, Van Baarle on his wheel, and he's going so hard he's starting to drop riders.
With an engine like Ganna here, not to mention the numbers (25), and the weaknesses already appearing within UAE, it looks very much like this break will be going all the way to contest stage honours.
Ineos are working hard, with Ganna sacrificing himself for Van Baarle by the looks of it. But there will be a fair few riders looking to sit in and bag a free ride.
55km to go
The break come to the top of the climb and Rolland skips away in search of another point.
Wright goes after him. There are no more points available but maybe he wants to force a split.
Back in the peloton. Marc Soler is on the front, Mikkel Bjerg behind him. Hirschi also managed to get back in for UAE after the breakaway went.
Wright is indeed pushing on down the ensuing descent. He has taken Rolland away with him.
40km to go
Bettiol attacks now and goes clear at the head of the race.
Race neutralised
Bettiol is still alone out front and has been told to stop.
Replays show Bettiol weaved through a group of protestors sat on the road with red smoke bombs. He carried on the other side but was ordered to stop. The rest of the break and now the peloton are getting the same message.
UAE are in discussions with race officials as they come towards the protest.
It's a relatively uncomplicated procedure here. The officials will have taken the time gaps before calling things to a halt, and they'll allow the respective riders/groups to restart at those same intervals.
The peloton are waved to a halt now, as the breakaway riders cool down and get some drinks on board.
The peloton are stopped now.
Bettiol is riding around in circles, trying to stay warm. Well, it's high 30's out there, so he's already warm, but he wants to keep the blood flow and hit the ground running once he's waved back underway.
The protesters are climate change activists. Some had 'we have 989 days left' on their t-shirts. Two were chained together around the necks.
We're back!
28 seconds later, the rest of the break are allowed to go, and Hugo Hofstetter sprints away.
33km to go
Hofstetter is caught as Bettiol takes his lead out to 48 seconds.
More details in this story
And now the peloton gets the green light. After seven minutes or so, Pogacar and co are on the move again.
Bettiol has several kilometres left in the valley before the final climb. Intermediate sprint coming up in a few kilometres but it's pretty much irrelevant.
The gap between Bettiol and the peloton goes out to 8:43. That was Kamna's exact deficit to the yellow jersey at the start of the day. He's in group two, so take 30 seconds down off that, but still, he's only half a minute off the virtual lead of the Tour de France.
Bettiol passes through the sprint with a lead of 20 seconds now. He's starting to fade.
Laporte sweeps the remaining points from the main breakaway group. His teammate Wout van Aert is in green and Laporte himself now moves up to fourth in that points classification.
Climate activist group, Dernière Renovation, has claimed responsibility for the protest.
Kamna the virtual Tour de France leader
21km to go
Here are the full details on Majka and why/how he's still in the race after testing positive for COVID
Jack Bauer is leading the main breakaway group on behalf of Schultz.
18.5km to go
Bauer is dropped. His work is done.
Gilbert is also dropped.
A reminder of the riders who started this climb in the breakaway
Laporte is the next to drop, Rolland now too.
Team DSM take it up in the bunch. They've been hanging behind UAE for a while now and seem keen today.
FDJ are to the fore as well.
Zimmerman and Wright among the riders hitting out behind Betitol.
UAE back on the front with Soler, and Pogacar up in second wheel.
It's getting cagey in the main group. Van Baarle accelerates, looks around, and Kamna gives it a nudge.
15.5km to go
But now it goes back out again. 28 seconds now. It's yo-yoing all the time since that protest.
The main break group with Kamna is at 50 seconds now, and so Kamna is now longer the Tour's virtual leader.
That Kamna group is really disorganised. They're all looking at each other and throwing away their chances.
Kamna attacks! The German accelerates. He has two big prizes on his mind.
Van Baarle picks it up now, but these accelerations are anything but sustained.
This is a gentle climb that favours wheelsuckers.
Van Baarle briefly splits the group, and they come back to 25 seconds. The timings are bouncing all over the place.
12.5km to go
Van Baarle has taken Cort, Velasco, and Jorgenson away with him. They're a quartet behind the chasing trio.
11.8km to go
11km to go
Will this new lead group get organised? Kamna leads the rest of the breakaway behind.
And now the German goes with a Leknessund counter-attack
A predictable lull up front and Bettiol attacks again!
EF had two riders in that group and Cort is now marking the reactions.
But he doesn't follow the next one from Zimmerman.
9.5km to go
Kamna is coming across now in that mini group with Leknessund. Simmons and Sanchez are also there.
Bettiol and Zimmerman are arguing about workload. But the chasing group are also arguing. Tense and tactical finale here.
Simmons accelerates and catches the leading duo.... and goes straight past them and out front at the head of the race.
Kamna is onto it and the group is back together.
7km to go
Bettiol is dropped now after all his efforts.
Bahrain take it up and send Wright to set the pace in the break. They have two riders in there, the other being Sanchez.
6km to go
Here are the riders still in contention
Sanchez gains 13 seconds. Van Baarle leads the chase.
Cort and Leknessund are distanced but get back in.
UAE are still controlling in the peloton, 9:15 in arrears. It doesn't look like we'll have any GC action today.
It's stalling again in the group behind Sanchez, and Cort picks it up. Now Kamna.
Wright is marking these counter-accelerations on behalf of his teammate up the road.
3.5km to go
1km to the top of the climb for Sanchez. Then 2km to the finish. He's in a brilliant position here. 27 seconds up.
Wright is marking everything behind
Kamna picks it up again behind. He has yellow to think about as well, but Soler is riding pretty hard behind and the gap comes down to 9 minutes, and that's to Sanchez, so Kamna is out of the virtual lead again.
Jorgenson attacks behind. Schultz goes after him
Wright can't follow these ones
jorgenson and Schultz look really strong. And they're away.
They're working together and they can see Sanchez
2km to go
Sanchez locks into Schultz' wheel. Jorgenson scrambling behind.
Jorgenson gets back on. It's still slightly uphill.
Will the trio collaborate? Van Baarle has attacked behind.
Schultz takes respnsibility. He was the strongest at the top of the climb.
1km to go and Van Baarle is coming back!
Van Baarle is back. Four at the front.
Van Baarle attacks straight away!
He gets a slight gap but Jorgenson shuts it down
Onto the altiport now! Runway finish in the final 500m
Thomas is dragging the rest of the group back!
And they are back. Thomas accelerates out front now!!
Wright follows.
Sanchez accelerates with 250m to go. Schultz seconds wheel, Cort third
Schultz hits out, Sanchez fades. Cort challenging...
Schultz and Cort photo finish!
It looks like Cort got it on the line.
All the riders have collapsed to the tarmac beyond the finish line.
Magnus Cort (EF Education-EasyPost) wins stage 10 of the Tour de France
What a sprint on that leg-sapping final drag! When Sanchez opened it up, everyone in the group instantly faded away, apart from Schutlz and Cort. Sanchez himself dropped like a stone with 50 metres to go, and it looked like Schultz was on his way to glory. But Cort clawed his way back and snatched it on the line with a bike throw.
What a ride from Cort, who was in the breakaway almost every day on the first few stages. He had some time in the polka-dot jersey, basked in the support of home Danish fans on the first two road stages, and earned some exposure for his sponsors. That would be enough for some, but he's gone and won what'll be one of the toughest stages of this Tour de France. His team need it, too, with some of the other relegation-threatened teams winning stages so far.
Here come the peloton. It doesn't look like Kamna will be in yellow but we'll wait to see the final gap.
Movistar are leading this home as they hit the altiport. The gap is eight minutes here, so Pogacar will still be in yellow.
Kamna watches on nervously
250metres to go and it's 8:30. Kamna needs another half a minute.
Pogacar attacks!
The yellow jersey tests his rivals. He gets a slight gap but Vingegaard and Ineos are alive to it and I think they'll be given the same time.
Kamna misses out on yellow by 11 seconds in the end.
Results
Let's hear from Cort
And now we can hear from the runner-up, Nick Schutlz
It's confirmed that Pogacar gained no time with that sprint at the finish. Still, it perhaps kept him in yellow, with Kamna second overall now at 11 seconds.
There was the sprint. Daylight but no time gap recorded.
Let's hear from Pogacar now
A reminder that you can find full results and photos in our stage report
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