Tour de France - Etape 10 (Vulcania to Issoire - 167km, TBCm)

5 categorised climbs today, but four of them are Cat 3 and one is Cat 2 so not a full on mountain stage

What are the different climb categories and how are they determined I hear you ask...

The climbs are divided into categories from 1 (most difficult) to 4 (least difficult) based on their difficulty, measured as a function of their steepness, length, location within the stage (near the start or end), and location in the overall race (early in the race or toward the end).

There is then an HC category (Hors catégorie) which is even tougher than Cat1 - these are typically the biggest, steepest and longest climbs up to the ski resort towns!!!

First day back on the bike after the rest was strange - took a while to get the legs going, but thus was without a doubt the most stunning stage so far - 3,300m of climbing is no pancake day in the saddle, but the views were breath-taking.

Another stage ticked off which feels great - even had a small beer to celebrate 🍺 , which also meant I forgot to publish this 🙈🙈 - apologies if you were worried I was still out there cycling!!!