After nine days of racing, there will be no rest for the weary: the mountains of the Massif Central await the peloton, with eight (!) categorized climbs, including our first summit finish. Let’s hope the GC contenders have some life left in their legs – and that their teammates do, too!

It’s not as if the previous stages have been a walk in the park. Most were long slogs (nearly 200 kms) in the heat; some brought crosswinds and rain. Others were littered with road furniture (e.g., rotaries and traffic islands) that wreaked havoc on anyone not paying attention. Just today, Tadej Pogaçar lost another road warrior – João Almeida – to injuries sustained a few days ago. That may have lasting repercussions over the next two weeks.

Speaking of Sunday’s stage, it was quite exciting to watch Mathieu Van Der Poel and his compatriot Jonas Rickaert take charge of the race, putting a huge gap between themselves and the peloton. However, with just one kilometer to go, the massive hive of riders behind them swarmed in, stealing what looked like a sure victory of one of the Alpecin riders.

Tim Merlier crossed first, followed by Jonathan Milan and Arnaud De Lie. Standings for the top ten in the general classification were unchanged: Tadej remains in yellow.

Here’s what awaits the riders on Monday:

It’ll be a ridiculously hard day for the peloton, but that means an excellent spectator experience for us! We should get an idea as to which teams can safely shepherd their leaders through the rough terrain of the next two weeks. We might discover a few chinks in their armor as one climb segues into another. I can’t wait!

Tour de France By the Glass Recommendation: 2023 Domaine Valéry Renaudat Le P’tit Renaudat IGP Val de Loire Pinot Noir ($19; 13% abv)

Le P’tit Renaudat comes from 1.5 hectares of Pinot Noir planted in multiple parcels lying on soils of clay-limestone over calcareous marl. (As in the nearby regions of Menetou-Salon and Sancerre, vineyards here are full of Jurassic ammonite fossils.) Once harvested, the grapes are destemmed and fermented in thermoregulated stainless steel tanks, where the wine matures for nine months before bottling.

I tried this wine for the first time last week and was immediately smitten. It’s full of tart red fruit (cherry, raspberry, cranberry) complemented by subtle notes of peony flower and pepper, and is rather lean in terms of structure – but that’s a good thing! Tannins are low, with just a little sandy texture on the finish; acidity is high, freshening the palate after every sip. It reminded more of a Chinon made from Cabernet Franc, but that tracks: this wine comes from fruit grown in the towns of Quincy and Reuilly, not far away (and due west of our starting point for Stage 10.) There’s a green, leafy note that I found very appealing, too. As it opened over the course of the evening, it just got better and better!

Serve this gem with a bit of a chill. It’ll work well with just about anything on your table, from burgers and grilled vegetables to tuna tartare. I’d be happy sitting on the porch with a new book in one hand, a glass of this wine in the other.

Enjoy the mountains of Stage 10; I’ll be back with a race preview (and a terrific wine) for Stage 11!