'#' : location.hash;window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery = location.search === '' && location.href.slice(0 location.href.length - window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash.length).indexOf('?') !== -1 '?' : location.search;if (window.history && window.history.replaceState) {var ogU = location.pathname + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash;history.replaceState(null "\/paris-tombe-issoires-enduring-symbolism-amid-gentrification\/?__cf_chl_rt_tk=_punkniAUJDoxg_81wNFE4_MLq4vmtKxTecTuf5luSI-1746510643-1.0.1.1-KadIMs9vKg.VLjJBp3rzHhVrOWQdYFRB9V5ykvg_vRU" + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash);cpo.onload = function() {history.replaceState(null ogU);}}document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(cpo);}()); On 22 November 2023, Centaurium UAS and Thales signed a cooperation agreement which also comprises the delivery of two Thales UAS100 drone systems and ground control stations to the Switzerland-based company ahead of testing in the spring of 2024 and the planned start of commercial operations in 2025 From risk monitoring on large-scale infrastructure to border surveillance fire detection and location of missing persons the UAS100 meets the requirements of a wide range of mission scenarios while operating in full compliance with general aviation regulations Centaurium UAS will operate the drones and offer services tailored to the specific needs of public and private players in Switzerland with lower operating costs and 90% lower energy consumption than current piloted aircraft Centaurium UAS is positioned as a service provider for monitoring Use cases include inspection of critical infrastructure and industrial installations such as high-voltage lines and transport routes border surveillance and security for major events as well as flights to locate missing persons and provide situational awareness in support of search and rescue and other emergency operations Centaurium UAS will rely on Thales’s UAS100 technology for the necessary flight avionics and a latest-generation ground control station that meets the criteria for European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification The avionics of the UAS100 combines the certified levels of flight safety and security of Thales solutions for the aerospace sector with the lightweight and compact design needed for integration on a light UAV With an aerostructure developed by light aircraft manufacturer Issoire Aviation the UAS100 concept offers levels of performance integrity and reliability with no equivalent in Europe The UAS100 is powered by two electric motors and a small internal combustion engine ensuring the necessary endurance and resilience to failure Equipped with a jam-resistant navigation system a redundant computer for critical missions and a smart communication system it can fly autonomously in complete safety The UAS100 will be marketed in two versions: the UAS100-1 which is already available and has a wingspan of 3.34 metres a length of 1.78 metres and a payload capacity of 1 kilogram; and the UAS100-10 which is twice the size and offers a payload capacity of 10 kg to accommodate very high-performance sensors The ground control station — the nerve centre for planning control and supervision of drone operations — will be supplied to Centaurium UAS in November with delivery of the first UAS100-1 in March 2024 for initial trials Centaurium UAS plans to begin commercial operations in 2025 once authorisation is obtained from the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) we’re delighted to have found the ideal partner so we can operate on-demand long-range commercial drone services for our customers in the near future The partnership agreement between Thales and Centaurium UAS marks the start of a new era for drone operations in Switzerland.” – Ernest Oggier “Centaurium UAS isn't only a first customer but the ideal partner to optimise drone operations with a view to achieving system certification and offering commercial services with lower costs and environmental impact.” – Jean-Paul Ebanga The Centaurium Group offers a comprehensive range of aviation services encompassing aircraft trading ground handling and MRO services for all types of aircraft Centaurium Unmanned Aircraft System AG is an independent subsidiary of the Centaurium Group which operates a drone airline dedicated to monitoring Its customers include government authorities emergency response agencies and organisations operating critical infrastructure Centaurium UAS operates in synergy with the Group’s other subsidiaries and relies on their know-how for all its operational activities Described by Victor Hugo as the city’s ‘intestines,’ these are the carrieres the catacombs—of Paris: a network of subterranean spaces reclaimed in the 18th century from collapsing medieval excavations These once yielded the stone that built the city’s greatest buildings Now they would serve a new role as the city’s greatest tomb The mass graves burst into the cellars of the surrounding houses in 1780 an outbreak of disease around Saints-Innocents prompted a royal decree that closed the site to further burials (Read: the environmental toll of cremating the dead.) Le Cimetière des Saint-Innocents in around 1550 as visualized by artist Fedor Hoffbauer and published in the book ’Paris: à travers les âges’ in the late 19th century The charnel house for the bones is to the left: note the many skulls littered around the cemetery Two hundred years later the situation was much worse. Illustration by FEDOR HOFFBAUER C.1890Answer belowThe creation of the Parisian catacombs solved two problems: the inability of city cemeteries to handle the dead and the instability of the quarries beneath the city These were causing collapses in parts of the capital most notably in 1774 on the site of the present day Avenue Denfert-Rochereau where a sinkhole 20 metres deep opened in the street swallowing houses and quickly revealing Paris to be a city literally built on fragile foundations The parallel problem of oversubscription to burial grounds within the city was a circumstance not helped by the arrival of the French Revolution The latter prompted a sudden influx of new occupants to burial grounds already quite literally bursting at the seams bones from the cemeteries of Paris were systematically transported in carts by night through the streets then beneath the ground—although with Paris’s urban expansion the catacombs were still being intermittently populated until 1860 Dignity wasn't a priority: many skeletons were burned to speed up decay and some tunnels were filled floor to ceiling with bones from smuggling to tax-free transit beneath the city walls pioneered early magnesium flash photography in the catacombs in the 1860s depicting workers depositing bones.Photograph by GASPARD-FÉLIX TOURNACHON AKA NADARPhotographic pioneer Gaspard-Félix Tournachon described the catacombs as a place ‘that everyone wants to see the catacombs are no less active and no less clandestine—but very much dominated by the living rather than the dead The subculture that uses this underworld is populated by the ‘cataphiles’: and they are an underground group in every sense the catacombs are off-limits in any legal sense Those who enter do so at their own personal and legal risk (How Paris Is Covering Up That Pee Smell) Access is via manholes, secret chatieres (‘cat flaps’) in rail tunnels and other closely-guarded and occasionally hazardous entrances. Cataphiles find ways in as quickly as authorities try to keep them out. Once in, they are then subject to the inherent danger in negotiating unlit, unregulated underground passageways soundtracked by silence, and the occasional seismic rumbles of Paris’s busy metro system; collapses and floods are not unknown. urban explorers still trespass into the Parisian catacombs miners' lamps are preferred due to the warm glow they produce. Photograph by Stephen Alvarez Nat Geo Image CollectionDespite the huge numbers of people buried in the 'ossuaries' of the catacombs many of the bones have been stolen as souvenirs or moved Some have been turned into sculpted features for managed tourist attractions.Photograph by Stephen Alvarez Nat Geo Image CollectionIn a world without visual frames of reference to the city above signs in the Paris catacombs often indicate which street is above. Stephen Alvarez Nat Geo Image Collection“The catacombs are self-policed They have their own set of rules,” said our source “There's a great community spirit where people who visit frequently really do look after one another The cataphile community will band together to rebuild a sculpture or remove graffiti tags from a painting and clean up rubbish and so on There is some unpleasantness too of course… like in any community.”  But this remains a surreal world where cataphiles exchange pleasantries with telephone and construction workers, where light vanishes, and where the living—if they wish—can rub shoulders with the centuries-dead. All in a world of stone-muted silence beneath the bustling streets of a European capital.   The Spanish cyclist sprinted to victory at the end of the tricky 10th stage and also gained significant time in the overall standings, which are still led by Jonas Vingegaard. Bilbao raised his arms above his head in celebration at the end of one of the hardest stages of the Tour so far, finishing the undulating 104-mile route from Vulcania to Issoire just ahead of Georg Zimmermann and Ben O’Connor in the sweltering heat of central France. The Bahrain-Victorious rider immediately dedicated his win to former teammate and friend Gino Mäder, who died last month from injuries suffered in a crash at the Tour de Suisse. “I closed the gap with O’Connor first and then, with cold blood, let Zimmermann make his sprint, go on the wheel and just [went] full the last 200 meters without thinking of nothing,” Bilbao said. “And then I crossed the line and I just put out all the energy that I had inside and remembering the reason of this victory. Sports Michael Woods wins Stage 9 of the Tour de France while defending champion Jonas Vingegaard has a 17-second lead over Tadej Pogacar. Bilbao had announced pre-Tour that he would be following in the actions of Mäder, by donating one euro for every rider he beats on each stage toward funding to replant trees in areas of deforestation. Most of the overall contenders finished just over three minutes back and that saw Bilbao move from 11th to fifth, less than two minutes off the podium. Defending champion Vingegaard maintained his 17-second advantage over two-time winner Tadej Pogačar. Jai Hindley was in third place, 2 minutes and 40 seconds off the pace. After the first rest day on Monday, the Tour kicked off the second week with a difficult stage featuring five categorized climbs and almost no flat sections. The soaring temperatures were made even more brutal by the heat reflecting off the roads. It was relentless from the start and many riders were clearly suffering, but eventually a break of 14 formed. Krists Neilands looked like one of the strongest of the 14 and he attacked on the final climb, crossing the Côte de la Chapelle-Marcousse with a 30-second advantage. However, he was chased down by Bilbao on the descent and caught with just over 1.9 miles remaining. “Everybody was on the limit, Neilands did an impressive attack,” Bilbao said. “I think he was the strongest one, but he spent a lot of energy with the hot wind in the face. With Mark Cavendish out of the picture following a crash, Mads Pedersen claimed a second career stage win at the Tour de France on Saturday. “In the back group, we just collaborated in the right way and then in the last 3 kilometers I knew that [I] was the fastest man in the group, so I just took the control.” Neilands eventually finished in fourth for Israel-Premier Tech. “It was a really tough stage,” Neilands said. “It was hard, it was hot, but it was great to be there on the road and we did a really good race as a team and we were always there in the moves and I think we raced really good and we did the maximum we could do today and it just didn’t work out.” O’Connor was the first to attack but Bilbao quickly followed, with Zimmermann swiftly catching up. Bilbao launched his sprint off Zimmermann’s wheel and held him and O’Connor off for the win. “I hadn’t experienced such a day on a bike for a while,” O’Connor said. “The start of the stage was absolutely brutal. I’m really happy to have managed to get into the breakaway after such a battle. “With the heat, you had to stay focused at all times and not crack mentally. Even if I was off the back a bit, I always believed in it. In the last kilometers, I tried to maneuver as well as possible to try to escape my breakaway companions and win the stage. I didn’t manage it so I’m definitely a little disappointed.” Wednesday’s 11th stage features three lower-category climbs on the 112-mile route from Clermont-Ferrand to Moulins and is expected to end in a sprint finish. High School Sports Dodgers Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed Zimmermann second and O'Connor third from group of six in Issoire The cagey Spaniard made the day's breakaway helped chase down a dangerous attack from Israel Premier-Tech's Krists Neilands and then out-sprinted Georg Zimmerman (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) and Ben O'Connor (AG2R Citroën) to take the win It has been a long time coming for the 33-year-old Basque rider and an emotional victory not only because it was his first but because of the recent death of his teammate Gino Mäder which rocked the team last month "A first victory in the Tour after 13 years it's such a special moment for me," Bilbao said "I crossed the line and just put out all the anger I had inside remembering the reason for this victory," he said pointing to the team's special jersey emblem remembering Mäder It was hard to prepare the last two weeks with him in mind I put all my positive energy to do something nice in the Tour." The Grand Départ of the Tour was on his home soil in the town eponymous with his surname he has bided his time patiently and struck out on a viciously tough opening to the stage "I wanted to do something in the first stages which were special for me "We started the stage full focus - yesterday we checked the first 40km and we were expecting a hard race day after the rest day we were five teammates in the first 20 riders I just wanted to make the right group if it was possible." Bilbao was in a group chasing solo leader Neilands but patiently worked to reel him in with 3km remaining I think he was the strongest one but he spent a lot of energy with a hard wind in the face," Bilbao said we collaborated and in the last 3km I knew I was probably the fastest man in the group then with cold blood let Zimmermann make his sprint and got on the wheel and then went full in the last 200 metres without thinking of nothing." The breakaway gained 2:53 on the group containing race leader Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) rival Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) third-placed Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) to keep the top four in the GC standings the same Bilbao moved up from 11th place at 7:37 to fifth at 4:34 David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) and Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) The finishing times belied the intensity of the stage which only saw the breakaway truly escape halfway into the stage Stage 10 was a wickedly hilly 167.2 kilometre route from Vulcania to Issoire and started with the usual flurry of attacks as the course headed up the Col de la Moréno (4.8km at 4.7%) from the drop of the flag The climb was too much for the first few attacks but Rémi Cavagna (Soudal-QuickStep) Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar) Michał Kwiatkowski (Ineos Grenadiers) Corbin Strong and Krists Neilands (Israel-Premier Tech) formed an early group Romain Bardet (Team dsm-firmenich) attacked to bridge across and stirred a hornet nest in the peloton creating a chain reaction that rapidly sent the sprinters out the back as the yellow jersey himself Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) were part of an attack behind after only 14km of racing Pogačar made the move but Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) Tom Pidcock and Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) and David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) missed out raising the alarm bells in the peloton behind Cavagna continued forcing the pace and making the GC men decide how to use their bullets while Ineos Grenadiers led the chase 50-second behind Vingegaard and Pogačar opted not to become anchor weights for the escape and Ben Turner was able to close the final gap to the maillot jaune with just 17 kilometres done Charmig led Cavagna over the top of the Col de la Moréno but had only a slight gap over the chasing bunch On the lower slopes of the Col de Guéry (7.8km at 5%) still with 147km to go Van Aert attacked from the chasing group sparking a massive reformation of the race situation The peloton caught the attackers with 6.6km still to climb Clement Champoussin (Arkéa-Samsic) and Louis Meintjes (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) the vicious start to the stage sent Bardet and David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) out the back in a chasing group and in danger of losing time Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious) led Neilands atop Col de Guéry with the yellow jersey group hot on their heels Neilands sat up and was replaced by Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal-QuickStep) in the lead with Poels on the descent It wasn't until the undulating approach to the intermediate sprint in Le Mont-Dore that the day's breakaway finally began to solidify together with Esteban Chaves (EF Education-EasyPost) Nick Schultz (Israel-Premier Tech) and Warren Barguil (Arkéa-Samsic) came together with just a 14-second lead over the maillot jaune as more attacks flew from the second group on the road followed Antonio Pedrero (Movistar) as he attacked to go across Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal-QuickStep) and Harold Tejada (Astana Qazaqstan) Asgreen led across the intermediate sprint line as the chasers closed to within 20 seconds and in the peloton behind Philipsen took the final point available behind the leaders in Le Mont-Dore Barguil followed a surge from Chavez on the next climb the Col de la Croix Saint-Robert but didn't push too hard to lose their breakaway companions over the top while Asgreen dropped back to help Alaphilippe get to the lead group Barguil attacked again on the next climb but Chavez mowed him down to take the points on the Côte de Saint-Victor-la-Rivière The surge opened a bigger gap to Alaphilippe's group and they fought for 20 kilometres before finally making contact with 86km remaining The race finally settled into a normal rhythm and the reformed breakaway held a steady lead of around three minutes for most of the stage Neilands tried to go it alone as Alpecin-Deceuninck poured on the power in the chase The first chase began to disintegrate behind Neilands and Chavez sensed an opportunity to bridge Neilands opened up a lead of 35 seconds as Alaphilippe Skjelmose and Kwiatkowski let go of the chasing group Zimmermann and Pedrero in pursuit of Neilands and Schlutz headed back to the peloton With the gap to the maillot jaune group hovering at 3:30 it looked to be going the breakaway's way with 25km to go - it only remained to be seen what became of the leader and his poursuivants Ineos began to scramble to keep Bilbao from overtaking Pidcock in the GC The Chavez group were at 20 seconds and Alaphilippe's at 50 seconds with 20km to go and began to reel in Neilands on the fast run-in to Issoire The gap to Bilbao's group was down to the single digits at the 5km to go mark with Alaphilippe's hopes snuffed out at 25 seconds The chasers could see Neilands with 4km to go and he kept looking at his legs for more power but he couldn't hold them off and they caught him with 3km to go - but they could not relent because the gap to the next group was coming down Zimmermann attacked at the red kite and Bilbao was quickly on his wheel and the Spaniard claimed the stage and the time bonus to move up in the GC Results powered by FirstCycling she coordinates coverage for North American events and global news As former elite-level road racer who dabbled in cyclo-cross and track Laura has a passion for all three disciplines When not working she likes to go camping and explore lesser traveled roads UCI governance and performing data analysis Bilbao won stage 10 to Issoire after outsprinting Georg Zimmermann, racing for Intermarché-Circus-Wanty. The 33-year-old from Guernica was the fastest finisher from the remnants of a breakaway that eventually snuffed out the hopes of the lone attacker, Krists Neilands of Israel-Premier Tech, in the closing moments of the stage. that it had been difficult to suppress his feelings as he edged closer to victory “The key today was to control my emotions,” he said “The last three weeks have been really intense I started the stage with clear ideas and had the capacity to take control in the race I knew that I was the fastest in the group I put out all the energy that I had inside and remembered the reason for this victory,” Bilbao said an air of poignancy hung over the Tour convoy even naming his rescue dog “Pello” after his Basque teammate had been the backdrop to the presentation of his former team’s riders “It is so sad. I am feeling with them [his teammates] and with Gino’s family as well. I’m happy that they’re doing well and that they’re doing it for Gino.” Bilbao acknowledged the difficulties he had faced following his teammate’s death, including a new and unexpected fear of descending. “It’s been hard,” he said. “When we left the race in Switzerland, everybody was affected. “The best help was to go home and stay with my family and with my daughter, because kids don’t fully understand these difficult situations. With her, it was easier to forget.” Free weekly newsletterThe best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend’s action In what was the first Tour win by a Spanish rider for five years, Bilbao also leapfrogged into the higher reaches of the General Classification. Twice fifth overall in the Giro d’Italia, he is now fifth overall in the Tour, just 12 seconds behind fourth-placed Carlos Rodríguez of Ineos Grenadiers. “The priority was to fight for the stage win,” Bilbao said, “but I have made a great jump. Today I spent a lot [of energy] but I hope I can recover and try to be as competitive as possible.” Read moreAs furnace conditions enveloped the Massif Central the local fire services sprayed spectators with cold water and the day’s five categorised climbs proved as debilitating as the steepest slopes in the Alps or Pyrenees Among those suffering from a rude awakening That ambush led to a furious chase by Tom Pidcock’s Ineos Grenadiers team. The main favourites regrouped soon after, although the damage had already been done to many of those struggling to find their legs at the rear of the race. but there are legal ways to explore the canals and crypts a tropical sea covered the area that would become Paris the sediment on the seabed became formations of limestone which the Romans would mine when Paris was known as Roman Lutetia Open quarry pits gave way to nearly 187 miles of underground tunnels which provided the stone that built the Louvre and Notre Dame they became the best solution to Paris’s growing public health problem the mass graves at cemeteries like Saints-Innocents in Paris’s Les Halles district were overcrowded with bodies Improper disposal of corpses led to unsanitary conditions that contributed to the spread of disease began relocating the remains buried in the cemetery to the Tombe-Issoire quarries which had been blessed and consecrated for the purpose Transferring the bones from the Saints-Innocents Cemetery—the largest in Paris—took two years bones were transferred from other Parisian cemeteries; the final transfer of bones took place in 1859 A number of notable people buried in those cemeteries likely had their bones transferred to the Catacombs The list includes writers Jean de La Fontaine (Fables) and Charles Perrault (known for fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood and architect Salomon de Brosse (who designed the city's Luxembourg Palace) people were buried directly in the Catacombs including the likes of Maximilien Robespierre The Catacombs hold the artfully arranged remains of 6 to 7 million Parisians c'est ici l'empire de la mort.” Stop The Catacombs opened to the public in the early 19th century Visitors enter on Avenue Rene Coty and descend 130 steps to the former mines The walls of the narrow corridors that lead to the ossuary are marked with the names of the streets and historical information Visitors will pass through "The Workshop," an area of the former quarry featuring stone pillars that support its ceilings which features sculptures created by a quarryman named Decure The corridor is named for the sculpture of the Port-Mahon; Decure may have been held captive at the fortress by the English Visitors will also pass the Quarryman's footbath which was uncovered by workers and used for mixing cement The sheer amount of bones in the former quarries is staggering Though the bones inside are artfully arranged now the rest of the bodies were piled in heaps stretching back to the cavern's walls.) In addition to these artfully arranged bones visitors can see a number of interesting things a sepulchral lamp used by quarrymen to circulate air through the corridors and a single tombstone (it belongs to Françoise Gellain) Two features of the ossuary disguise structural reinforcements: Gilbert's Tomb which features a verse from the poet (who is buried elsewhere) and a barrel-shaped display of skulls and shinbones in the Crypt of the Passions Workers are scattered throughout the Catacombs to answer questions visitors walk alone or with companions through the dimly lit The rules when wandering the catacombs are simple: Respect the final resting place of these Parisians It might be tempting to snag yourself a souvenir from this most unique of attractions but bags are searched for bones at the exit If you're still looking for something to commemorate your visit there's a gift shop just across the street A version of this story ran in 2013; it has been updated for 2022 © 2025 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved A number of notable people buried in those cemeteries likely had their bones transferred to the Catacombs Show Comments Load More tigers and lions are often featured in popular media There are other members of the Felidae family however that go more unnoticed Bobcats (Lynx rufus), Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) although dispersed throughout most of the world which went extinct more than 12,000 years ago Physiologic similarities between Issoire lynx and lynx today are plentiful Fossil evidence shows that the Issoire lynx (named for the town where the fossils were found) had stocky limbs and a large head and long neck Species in genus Lynx today are typically smaller than these pre-glacial ancestors natural cycles of prey availability and trapping have made the lives of the lynx more difficult Canada lynx have been present in the Adirondacks but more recent studies have concluded there is no breeding population in New York State Lynx have a habit of traveling great distances during their lifetimes and claiming large territories Bold lynx will cross the Canadian border from the north looking for territory in the United States faculty at the State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science & Forestry led an effort to release 83 lynx in the Adirondacks nineteen were killed by cars and 8 by hunting; two lynx starved and two were killed by other predators   According to the Adirondack Ecological Center lynx didn’t reestablish because they travel widely and failed to reproduce adequately to offset their mortality The fate of over half the lynx is unknown but the ESF-DEC project leaders viewed highway mortality and long-distance dispersal as the major issue there are no plans to reintroduce Canada lynx but keep those trail cams on for a straying neighbor form the north Lynx live rather solitary lives except late in the winter when males begin looking for a mate Female territories are often completely encompassed by that of a male Estrus is induced once a year and typically females have just one litter of two or three kittens Kittens depend on their mother’s care and are typically weened by the age of ten months Nurturing the kittens to independence is left completely to their mother while the father remains focused on territorial upkeep After the kittens mature and become more solitary snowshoe hare and Canada lynx share an important relationship The hare are a substantial food source for lynx and the fates of the two species are intertwined Some populations of Canada lynx rely almost completely on snowshoe hare The feedback loop results in a fascinating dynamic stability During an average 15-year life span, Canada lynx will claim territories up to 300 square kilometers, (about 115 square miles). The Canada lynx is federally listed as a Threatened Species in the U.S.  USFWS currently considering their de-listing Lynx are also listed as Threatened in New York State Lynx live their solitary lives mostly far from the Adirondacks be sure to report your sighting to the DEC Corrections have been made to this story to adjust the dates and number of lynx released Connor John Schmitz graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh with a degree in Ecology He lived in Nepal from 2017 to 2019 as an agriculture volunteer with the US Peace Corps We think one of the major factors in the failure of the ESF/DEC release effort was the significant dispersal of the lynx from the release area and subsequent vehicle collisions Well our neighboring state of Maine does have a small Lynx population climate change probably makes it less likely that Lynx have a future in New York state links are not listed as endangered by the federal government Lynx were listed as threatened by the federal government and DEC in 2000 A recent proposal by the US fish and wildlife service in 2018 releasing Lynx from Alaska was a big failure There are miles of nothing but balsam forest from Newcomb to Blue Mountain Lake Animals trapped and released in foreign territory should have known how to deal with totally new surroundings and a fast highway Woe betide any critter that gets in the way Yeah scientists have learned now that you have to keep them penned in – within the new environment for a while so they can get used to the immediate environs I wish the reintroduction would have been successful I think we may have a Lynx who has joined our neighborhood in the Town of Hammond,Maine just about 10 or so miles away from the Canadian border I seen tracks in the snow and our neighbors down the Rd have also I’ve also heard weird animal sounds as well as our neighbors We had a Lynx in our driveway this past Fall We have a rather long dirt driveway and the Lynx was just loping down it Got a picture of the tracks and notified DEC They often keep sightings quiet to protect the animal Lived on both sides the north country of New York and Vermont travel through the mountains going back-and-forth many many times and love the Adirondacks We had a camp at Sam pond near the independence river on the western slope’s for 10 years we’re so happy that the Adirondack Park agency kept it forever wild I love to read about it keep up the good work They’d been trapped in nearly-roadless Alaska and brought to the more populated Adirondacks One sat calmly along a road in Saranac Lake as a snowplow bore down on it In hindsight there certainly were some problems in the methodology perhaps another thing that would have helped would have been to drastically reduce the numbers released to fewer than 5 pairs total because of their range size Perhaps they wouldn’t have wandered as much One can only hope they can re-establish themselves About five years ago while whitetail deer hunting in the town of Helena (Which is not far from the Canadian border.) I had the good fortune to see a Lynx I was walking in to where my tree stand was set up and I had to cross the train tracks As I was sneeking along getting ready to cross the tracks I made a short pause to look up and down the tracks Much to my surprise coming down the tracks to my left at about 100 yards is a Lynx It seemed as though it hadn’t seen me and walked within 20 yards of me All of a sudden the wind swirled and began to hit me on the right side of my face and the Lynx just stopped He was standing in the middle of the tracks just checking the wind about 20 yards from me All at once it just squatted a little and it made a left turn off the tracks and into the forest By the time I made it up the hill and on top of the tracks all that was left of the Lynx was tracks in the fresh snow Eagleye Nye says: “A recent proposal by the US fish and wildlife service in 2018 Surely this would be good for the oil and gas corporations as that would open up more land for them to rape “One can only hope they can re-establish themselves but many factors will be against them.” Man being the greatest of those factors aye Boreas How can people have it in them to kill such a beautiful species Thank you I all ways love to see story’s of the Adirondack mountains I saw one when I lived in Wilmington years ago Walked up on rear deck and peered in the sliding glass door lynx and bobcats are beautiful and for the most part leave humans alone Theres plenty of room for the cats and plenty for we humans Unfortunately humans refuse to keep our side of the ‘agreement’ and cars just don’t factor into that ideal Wake up Dana…it was “trappers” who caught the lynx that were used in this so-called “re-introduction” Trappers have worked cooperatively behind the scenes for many years with State/Federal wildlife agencies to procure animals for these type projects The otter restoration project in western New York is one of many examples….however Heaven forbid we would give any appreciation to the lowly Trapper who knows one heck of a lot more about wildlife and what makes it tick than the majority of folks who grace these pages/articles. I have actually seen one while now hunting for deer up state Newyork beautiful animal I watched a film recently called Untamed Romania they had some incredible footage of Eurasian Lynx Not sure of which Latin name they fall in to with occasional Lynx sightings and increasing number of cougar photographed on trail cameras Talking to a native American from the Dakotas last summer he said the cougar habitat was so disrupted by fracking and oil exploration many have moved on looking for new habitat Really appreciate learning the status of the Canadian Lynx in the Adirondacks I have learned from the documentary CALL OF THE FOREST (thanks to Botanist Diana Beresford-Kroger) that the Adirondacks is an extension of the Boreal Forests of Canada She considers these forests to be as valuable to ensuring we have a livable planet I am sure she would welcome knowing the ecosystem of the Adirondacks is including the Canadian Lynx The Adirondack Almanack is a public forum dedicated to promoting and discussing current events nature and outdoor recreation and other topics of interest to the Adirondacks and its communities We publish commentary and opinion pieces from voluntary contributors as well as news updates and event notices from area organizations Contributors include veteran local writers and outdoor enthusiasts from around the Adirondack region views and opinions expressed by these various authors are not necessarily those of the Adirondack Almanack or its publisher crossing the Pyrenees and zigzagging up through the south-west France’s emblematic cycling race is now snaking eastwards Here we provide fun facts about the places the Tour de France will pass through over the next week Vulcania - as you may have guessed - is not a town Situated about 17km west of Clermont-Ferrand, it is an educational amusement park that focuses on volcanoes It was the brainchild of French volcanologist Maurice Krafft Former French president Valéry Giscard d’Estaing pushed for the park’s construction after Krafft died in a volcanic eruption in Japan in 1991 greenhouses showing the benefits of volcanoes for the environment and a submarine simulator that shows deep-sea volcanoes situated towards the start of the A75 that runs from Clermont-Ferrand to Béziers is sometimes referred to as the gateway to the south Picture credit: Tour de France the result of a union between the towns of Clermont and Montferrand in the 17th century is the capital of the Puy-de-Dôme department It also used to be the capital of Auvergne - known for its former volcanoes - before the region was swallowed up by the large Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in 2016 both on the landscape and some of the buildings Clermont-Ferrand is known for its black cathedral It is this colour because it was constructed with volcanic rock It is also known for having the headquarters of the French firm Michelin which sits to the north of Clermont-Ferrand is today the capital of the Allier department the former duchy of the rich and powerful Bourbon family The city got its name from the many watermills and windmills that once stretched over its hills French businesswoman and fashion designer Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel spent six years in Moulins from 1900 singing ‘Qui qu’a vu Coco dans le Trocadéro’ (‘Who saw Coco in the Trocadero’) that she got her nickname Read also: Tour de France, Race for Madmen which sits on the Loire river around 100km north-west of Lyon peasants would spin and weave flax and hemp The industry was helped by the proximity of Lyonnais silk workers who found a qualified workforce nearby with a growing number of textile factories became known as ‘la ville aux cent cheminées’ (‘the city of a hundred chimneys’) The industry was helped by the city’s proximity to the Loire river Indeed Roanne has served as a shipping hub ever since Roman times From casks of Beaujolais wine to coal from Saint-Etienne anything moving through central France will likely be passing through the city Belleville-en-Beaujolais is situated between Lyon and Macon One of its quirks is its Fête des conscrits Its origins are in military conscription and the tradition has endured since the end of the 19th century This will be the first time that Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne a medieval town situated 25km south-west of Bourg-en-Bresse the Jura mountain range and Lac Du Bourget is more familiar to fans of the cycling extravaganza Although it was only introduced to the tour in 2012 it is well-known for being one of the most difficult ascents in the country Annemasse is snuggled right up onto France’s border with Switzerland Nearly a third of the 90,000 people who live in Greater Annemasse work in Switzerland the first regional train (RER) across the Swiss-French border Morzine forms part of a popular ski resort near the French-Swiss border Before Morzine became a winter sports destination it was renowned for its production of slate Beer cheat, peeing, Donald Trump: Six facts about the Tour de France Why are Tour de France cyclists called ‘runners’ in French? Recent power cut in Spain and Portugal is warning to holidaymakers to ensure they are prepared for worst-case scenario The resort is set to remain open to the public and not only to professionals Storms from the weekend will persist across some areas (Image credit: Getty Images)Profile of stage 10 of the 2023 Tour de France(Image credit: ASO)The map of stage 10 of the 2023 Tour de France (Image credit: GEOATLAS)Stage 10: Vulcania to Issoire After the riders have enjoyed the first rest day in Clermont Ferrand on the first week of the Tour de France stage 10 offers another chance for a breakaway The hilly 167.2km stage starts at the Vulcania volcano theme park and heads south to Issoire but is never easy making it a hard task to get into the breakaway on the rolling roads.  during which time he also wrote for Eurosport Prior to joining the team he reported on races such as Paris-Roubaix and the Giro d’Italia Donne for Eurosport and has interviewed some of the sport’s top riders in Chloé Dygert he spends the majority of his time watching other sports – rugby An emotional Pello Bilbao won a wild stage for Bahrain Victorious and immediately dedicated it to his recently deceased teammate Gino Máder Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 42hr 33min 13sec Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) +4min 22sec Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) +4min 34sec “I wanted to do it in the first few stages [in the Basque country] because it was so special for me but it wasn’t possible, so I just waited for my moment. It’s my first victory in the Tour after 13 years, it’s such a special moment for me.” 11 Jul 202317.13 CESTBilbao wins stage 10: Having chased down an attack by Georg Zimmermann, Bilbao had enough left in his legs to win the stage with a final kick that did for his rivals. 11 Jul 202317.11 CESTPello Bilbao takes stage 10!500m to go: Zimmermann and Bilbao start playing cat-and-mouse and are rejoined by the other four riders. Bilbao eventually takes the stage and moves from 11th to at least fifth in the GC. 11 Jul 202317.10 CEST1km to go: Georg Zimmermann attacks and is closed down by Bilbao, who latches on to his wheel. 11 Jul 202317.09 CEST2km to go: Ben O’Connor attacks the lead group and Pelles Bilbao chases him down. Esteban Chaves is struggling to keep up. 11 Jul 202317.08 CEST3km to go: Krist Neilands’ is caught by the Bilbao group, with the Alaphilippe group a further 19 seconds back. It’s heartbreaking for the Latvian but he’s still in the lead group, taking a breather at the back. 11 Jul 202317.06 CEST4.5km to go: Neilands’ gap is reduced to six seconds as Georg Zimmermann leads the chasing quintet, who are riding together … for the time being. 11 Jul 202317.04 CEST7km to go: It’s a downhill finish but not a particularly steep one The riders are currently clocking 59km per hour Neilands’ lead is flitting between 10 and 15 seconds 11 Jul 202317.00 CEST12km to go: Neilands pedals on, just nine seconds clear of the Bilbao and Chaves group. “It’s the day of your life! It’s the day of your life! Come on, man!” he’s told by his team boss. It might be for now but it’s not looking good for the Latvian. 11 Jul 202316.57 CEST14km to go: Caleb Ewan is having his birthday party in the sprinters group, which is currently 27 minutes behind the stage leader. 11 Jul 202316.56 CEST15km to go: Krists Neilands gets some word of encouragement from his team boss, who tells him how great he is and encourages him to focus on the downhill. He’s 16 seconds clear. 11 Jul 202316.54 CEST15km to go: Alaphilippe is in a four-man group with Warren Barguil, desperate to rein in the six riders ahead of them. Wout van Aert is towing the peloton along with his team leader Jonas Vingegaard fourth from the front. 11 Jul 202316.52 CEST20km to go: The peloton are 3min 31sec behind Neilands, the stage leader, who has five riders chasing him down as the road levels out a bit: Pello Bilbao, Ben O’Connor, Georg Zimmermann, Esteban Chaves and Antonio Pedreras. Julian Alaphilippe is 22 seconds behind them. 11 Jul 202316.48 CEST23km to go: Looking for his first ever Grand Tour stage win, the Latvian Israel-Premier Tech rider Krists Neilands begins his descent towards the finish line with a handy 24-second lead over the chasing posse. 11 Jul 202316.41 CEST28km to go: Neilands has crested the summit of the Côte de la Chapelle-Marcousse with a lead of 39 seconds over a group of five riders including Pello Bilbao. Julian Alaphilippe does not seem to be among them. 11 Jul 202316.38 CEST30km to go: Krists Neilands is in the closing stages of the climb with a lead of 36 seconds over those chasing him. Ineos Grenadiers are towing the peloton along. 11 Jul 202316.35 CEST30km to go: Mathieu van der Poel’s attack comes to an end and he drops back to the peloton. Wout van Aert is currently stranded in no-man’s land, 38 seconds ahead of the bunch but three minutes behind the leader. 11 Jul 202316.32 CEST33km to go: With over four kilometres of the climb remaining, Israel-Premier Tech rider Krists Neilands has attacked and opened a gap of 16 seconds on the leading group. 11 Jul 202316.26 CEST34km to go: The leaders hit the final climb with the gap to the peloton at 3min 04sec. Wout van Aert and Mathiu van der Poel are between the two groups, only 2min 28sec behind the leaders. 11 Jul 202316.24 CEST36km to go: The lead group of 14 riders are approaching the foot of the final climb to the Côte de la Chapelle-Marcousse. It’s a category three at 980m high, 6.5km in length and has an average gradient of 5.6%. 11 Jul 202316.21 CEST41km to go: Onwards and downwards they go on another very eventful day on this Tour de France. At the finish line, the mercury on the thermometer is in the very early forties. 11 Jul 202316.18 CEST43km to go: Chasing the leaders, Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel have put 10 seconds between themselves and the peloton. 11 Jul 202316.16 CEST46km to go: Our lead group of 14 riders are are burning rubber down the penultimate descent of the stage at 63km per hour with the gap back to the peloton at 2min 22sec. 11 Jul 202316.11 CEST51km to go: Krists Neilands opens a small gap on the latest descent, with the 13 others in the breakaway group in hot pursuit, breathing down his neck. 11 Jul 202316.09 CEST54km to go: There are 54 kilometres left in this stage and 40 of them are downhill 11 Jul 202316.04 CEST58km to go: “This has been an absolute riot of a day so far,” writes Bill Preston. “The plan for everyone appears to be ‘Get a stomp on!’ Which is the sort of racing tactics I admire and endorse. It could only be more fun if team radios were randomly jammed. “And [we had] a man dressed as a fish who had a Pinot sign. Which is all kinds of brilliant. Hopefully, and given recent events, the final final break in whatever form it is will come to an accord to neutralize the final descent, and let their thrilling heroics on the way up the final ascent decide the order of the day.” 11 Jul 202316.02 CEST60km to go: Luke Durbridge (Jayco–AlUla) is doing the donkey work at the front of the peloton, upping the pace. With Pello Bilbao in the lead group, he’s trying to narrow the gap to protect Simon Yates’ GC position of sixth. 11 Jul 202315.47 CEST66km to go: Our leaders are maintaining a gap of 3min 10sec to the peloton. With just one categorised climb remaining in this stage, you would imagine today’s stage winner will come from this group of 14. 11 Jul 202315.38 CEST72km to go: Julian Alaphilippe is making the pace in the lead group. He’ll be relishing the big descent down to today’s finish line. 11 Jul 202315.36 CEST74km to go: In the lead group, Cofidis rider Anthony Perez waves his bidon in front of a nearby TV camera, presumably to let the occupants of his team car know he is in need of liquid refreshment. It’s hot out there. 11 Jul 202315.33 CEST76km to go: Our lead group of 14 riders have a three-minute lead over the peloton, which is being towed along by several Jumbo-Visma riders. Jonas Vingegaard is conspicuous in yellow about five from the front. 11 Jul 202315.30 CEST78km to go: Esteban Chavez finishes the most recent climb with a lead of 3min 20sec over the peloton and is now facing back-to-back uncategorised climbs. The Colombian rejoins the breakaway from which he recently broke away. 11 Jul 202315.16 CEST85km to go: We have 14 riders in front as the Alaphilippe group finally catches the leaders. The gap to the peloton is 2min 54sec. 11 Jul 202315.11 CEST89km to go: Julian Alaphilippe is making up time on the leaders on this descent. He’s 20 seconds behind them. 11 Jul 202315.10 CEST94km to go: WIth most of the field descending. Our lead group now consists of Georg Zimmermann (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty), Nick Schultz (Israal-Premier Tech), Esteban Chaves (EF Education-EasyPost), Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious), Warren Barguil (Arkea-Samsic), Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) and Ben O’Connor (AG2R-Citroën). On motrobike analysis duty for Eurosport, he asks somebody in the Bahrain-Victorious team car if winning the stage or moving into the top 10 on GC is the main priority for Pello Bilbao. He gets a non-commital answer but reading between the lines the suggestion is that it’s the stage win they want, because obviously if he can secure that, the GC will look after itself. 11 Jul 202315.04 CEST98km to go: The peloton has been decimated on the way up that climb but what’s left of it is led over the summit by Jumbo-Visma’s Wout van Aert. They’re 2min 36sec behind the leaders. 11 Jul 202315.01 CEST101km to go: “Caleb Ewan is already having a bad enough birthday, but how far back does he have to get before he will be timed out automatically?” asked Richard O’Hagan. I think we need somebody to win the stage before the stopwatch starts but Caleb won’t be giving Pello Bilbao a slice of birthday cake if he keeps up this blistering pace in the lead group. 11 Jul 202314.58 CEST102km to go: Our lead seven riders have opened a lead of 40 seconds over the chase group containing Julian Alaphilippe. The leaders won’t want Alaphilippe joining them, as his presence in the breakaway would significantly reduce their individual chances of winning the stage. The peloton is 2min 18sec behind the leaders. 11 Jul 202314.55 CEST104km to go: Kasper Asgreen is dropped from the lead group, which has now been joined by Ben O’Connor. Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) is making a blistering pace as he tries to get into the top 10 on GC. He’s 7min 37sec behind Jonas Vingegaard on the leaderboard. Updated at 14.55 CEST11 Jul 202314.48 CEST106km to go: The lead group are on their way up the Col de la Croix Saint-Robert. It’s six kilometres long, 1,451m high and has an average gradient of 6.3%. The peloton is 1min 52sec behind them. 11 Jul 202314.45 CEST106km to go: Most of the sprinters are riding together in a group six minutes behind the leaders. Caleb Ewan is already 12 minutes off the pace. 11 Jul 202314.44 CEST107km: Our leading group of seven riders pass through the intermediate sprint at the foot of the category two Col de la Croix Saint-Robert. Kasper Asgreen is first across the line, taking €1,500 for the team beer kitty. Alphilippe, Ben O’Connor and three others are 24 seconds behind. 11 Jul 202314.42 CEST109km to go: Jumbo-Visma have slowed the pace in the yellow jersey group suggesting the peloton is about to reform at the bottom of the climb 11 Jul 202314.36 CEST111km to go: Things finally start to settle down with the next long climb looming in the Gaudu group that is 1min 30sec behind the much smaller yellow jersey group 167.2km from Vulcania to Issoire promises hilly terrain to help a breakaway stay clear Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of stage 10 of the 2023 Tour de France 🫶 We wish @tonygallopin all the best as he announces his retirement from cycling after a fantastic 16-year career ! 🫶 Nous souhaitons le meilleur à @tonygallopin qui annonce sa retraite cycliste après une carrière fantastique de 16 ans ! #TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/uzXCMBSX3ZJuly 11, 2023 There are a maximum of 13 king of the mountains points on offer today so expect Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) to be in the fight for the break and trying to extend his lead over Felix Gall (AG2R-Citroën) His teammate Magnus Cort is also one of the favourites for the day and Alberto Bettiol could be another option for the American team This would've been one of the stages they highlighted as a great opportunity before the race We're underway from the neutralised start in Vulcania We'll be climbing almost straight away in the heat with a spicy first few kilometres incoming It's a long neutralised section in the départ fictif with 7.5km of steady riding before the race explodes into life.  All teams and riders were warming up on the rollers and turbo trainers before the day to get the legs moving before it all kicks off Don't miss out on what should be an almighty fight to get into the break of the day.  You know it's going to be a 🌶️ start when the guys are on the rollers before neutral ⚡️#TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/xW1sPJfv84July 11, 2023 The bunch looks nervous on what is set to be a brutal re-introduction to racing at the  110th Tour de France The Massif Central will be our arena for battle in the heat.  There's been some early mechanical issues for Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) and Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ).  Stage 10 of the 2023 Tour de France in officially underway We'll be climbing straight away on a day without much respite Christian Prudhomme has waved his flag perfectly on km0 and everyone is looking around for now.  The Col de la Moréno (4.8km at 4.7%) is first up with most teams obviously interested Nelson Oliveira (Movistar) has gone off the front with Quinten Hermans (Alpecin-Deceuninck) for company There's a bigger group of around eight riders chasing onto them.  Dylan Teuns (Israel-Premier Tech) is the next to try his luck off the front but he is quickly joined by Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) who was one of the big favourites for the day.  Israel-Premier Tech are clearly keen to make it back-to-back stage wins after Michael Woods triumphed on stage 9 up the Puy de Dôme Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) is also well towards the front and could be a good pick for the day.  Van Aert obviously wants to make this move Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Dstny) has been caught up in a slowing at the back of the bunch on today will be delighted to have made this early move for now Anthon Charmig (Uno-X) and the Israel duo of Krists Neilands and Corbin Strong.  Charmig crests out first climb at the head of the race and takes the two KOM points with it We're lined out in the groups behind after such a difficult start Fabio Jakobsen (Soudal-QuickStep) is already struggling towards the back of the peloton This will be a horrible day for the sprinters.  We've got an incredibly strong and limited group of our GC favourites in the second group on the road We're going to have the top two favourites for the overall at the head of the day with over 150km left to ride.  We're over the first climbing test of the day We'll have a small descending section before we get back to work on the Col de Guéry That rest day is going to feel like it was an age ago with such a brutal stinging of the legs straight from the flag.  Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) seems to have missed this move with some of his teammates working to reduce a 45 second gap from the third group on the road to the group of favourites while Pogačar has Adam Yates and Rafał Majka close behind We've split up again in the front with the two GC principals now not at the very front of the race and actually sat 20 seconds behind Things should all come back together and calm down.  Panic will be over soon as Ben Turner (Ineos Grenadiers) reels back in the yellow jersey group after they knocked off their effort The break now have a 30 second advantage.  Van Aert has shot our of the peloton with Victor Campenaerts and the Lidl-Trek duo of Jasper Stuyven and Giulio Ciccone Stuyven actually got dropped as I typed that but the other three have made it into the break No one will want to see that red-bull helmet in their with them.  Mohorič is the next rider to realise he has to make this move The Ineos Grenadiers being forced to bring their GC leaders back has given riders in the peloton a second launch pad to bridge the gap.  The peloton is actually about to bring the break back now We're all back together and we should have round two any second in this big fight for the break.  Here's a look at the Puy de Dôme in all its glory as the peloton passes Beautiful views throughout central France on show all day today.  Romain Bardet (DSM-Firmenich) is starting to suffer under the unrelenting pressure of the day's opening 20km.  The Latvian is clearly in fine form today as he's been active from the very start The peloton are still riding extremely hard behind though with the GC favourites right toward the fore Tiesj Benoot (Jumbo-Visma) is giving a lot on the front as one of Vingegaard's few remaining teammates trying to establish some sort of control.  David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) has been dropped out the back and is believed to be at 1:28 seconds from the race lead Absolute disaster of a start for the Frenchman.  There are riders scattered everywhere across the roads This start has put almost two thirds of the peloton into supreme suffering Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious) is making his way across to Neilands We've seen the Dutchman be tremendous at the Tour in his career so he'll be a good companion for Neilands Poels took the KOM points atop the second classified climb of the day.  We're onto our second descent of the day and what a sight it is before us panache personified and giving it everything at the head of the race He's got Mohorič on his wheel as clearly the only man able to follow him These two are the absolute finest on the downhills in cycling.  Is Mohorič using his dropper seat post that he used to aid him win Milan-Sanremo in 2022?  It's still full on in the peloton who sit 12 seconds behind our two leaders The group containing Gaudu is now posted at close to two minutes despite them both being two of the instigators of early moves today.  There are four hopeful chasers trying to bridge across to Mohorič and Alaphilippe on this uncategorised section of climbing: Lilian Calmejane and Georg Zimmermann (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) There's still teams unhappy with the composition and unhappy to let it go Kuss is doing a tremendous amount of work for Jumbo in the group which is strange.  Groupama-FDJ have a full training going to try and bring Gaudu's GC hopes out of the fire in the chasing group Esteban Chaves (EF Education-EasyPost) has been riding nicely today always towards the front and looking strong Our next group to try contains Skjelmose and Asgreen There's some snaking on the road and looking around behind in the peloton (or what's left of it) and this group at the front is now working well to build an advantage.  Philipsen has gestured a revving of a motorcycle in the third group on the road to show just how difficult this start has been Pogačar is glued to Vingegaard's wheel in this second group on the road.  Ben O'Connor (AG2R-Citroën) is on the attack and looking good as he tries to reach out front group of seven Pedrero and Perez for company as they pursue the leaders on the road.  Alaphilippe is shaking his head and huffing and puffing as he tries to muster up more strength in the group of pursuers Here's a look at him from his earlier attack with Mohorič.  DSM-Firmenich and Groupama-FDJ have their near full contingents of riders working on the front in the third group to try and save their GC leaders making much of a dent into the leading group and are set to still lose around two minutes as it stands.  Gaudu and Bardet will be delighted that there disadvantage is now only 1:00 with the remnants of the peloton finally somewhat calming Jumbo have assumed their place at the front and are riding a much more reasonable tempo The two French GC men should make it back in thanks to their respective teams Asgreen takes the intermediate sprint point ahead of Barguil but Soudal-QuickStep will be much happier to almost have two riders in this front group as the Alaphilippe group closes in on the head of the race Philipsen shows just how versatile he is to hang onto an absolutely obliterated peloton to take the solitary green jersey point still available Most of the other sprinters are well out the back by now and will just be hoping to meet the time cut today.  As we start the Col de la Croix Saint-Robert (6km at 6.3%) Guillame Martin (Cofidis) shoots off the front of the peloton in pursuit of the break He's done it before and gained lots of time on GC in his history but a 1:48 gap is quite significant to close on just one climb.  here's a look at how closely our two GC favourites were forced to watch each other in today's electric start.  O'Connor has attacked away from his chasing group companions to try and ensure he makes the day's break Barguil has attacked the break on the climb Chaves is first to follow as Bilbao paces the group and the rest siphon into his wheel Asgreen is at the back likely waiting for Alaphilippe.  Has he been ordered to go and get his team leader He's got the jersey unzipped and this isn't exactly his terrain so perhaps Bilbao has just put him into the red for too long.  O'Connor has flew across the gap and made it to the front Could this be a return of the legs that saw him win into Tignes two years ago and that saw him podium to Dauphiné last month Jumbo-Visma seem to be drilling it on the front as multiple riders are being dropped again namely Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) and Kevin Geniets (Groupama-FDJ) They clearly aren't too happy with Bilbao's presence in the front as he is only 7:37 back on Vingegaard overall.  but he's hunted down by a former king of the mountains winner before the top of the Col de la Croix Saint-Robert (6km at 6.3%) Our second group on the road struggled on the climb and now sit 44 seconds behind but look for Alaphilippe to descend full gas to try and close the gap.  🇫🇷 #TDF2023Wout being Wout. He’s in the peloton now. 😉 We’re controlling the bunch with our whole team. Around two minutes behind a breakaway group. pic.twitter.com/vlM39bMatTJuly 11, 2023 Alalphilippe is closing the gap as expected on the descent He's giving the legs a shake out with Asgreen also working for him on the front The second group on the road has the leaders in their sights and we are close to having a joining together of both our groups of seven They've toiled away on one of the few bits of flat road today to reach them before the foot of the Côte de Saint-Victor-la-Rivière (3km at 5.9%).  Chavez attacks almost instantaneously as the catch it made The Colombian national champion clearly didn't want that big a group around him You can see it below in the middle of the group Asgreen has dropped as a result of this pace increase.  Chavez is looking great here and has 32 seconds of an advantage already.  Chavez takes the maximum points atop the Côte de Saint-Victor-la-Rivière (3km at 5.9%) There's now a 50km portion without any categorised climbs but the parcours is hardly flat and will jag up and down all the way till the foot of the Côte de la Chapelle-Marcousse (6.5km at 5.6%).  Israel-Premier Tech have got onto the team radio to remind their riders to fuel After the ridiculous two hours of non-stop racing we had to start stage 10 in the heat it will be even more important and could be the difference between fighting for the win and blowing up The front of the race has all come back together after Chavez realised his solo move wasn't the best option Asgreen has come back and is still setting tempo for Alaphilippe.  The peloton are passing through the lovely looking Besse en Chandesse with a band playing them on They have maintained the gap to the break at just over 3:00 Bilbao would move up to seventh from 11th if the race was to end right now.  Alpecin-Deceuninck have moved to the front of the peloton with Silvain Dillier Are they working to chase the break down to let Van der Poel challenge for the win Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X) is having some minor mechanical issues at the back of the peloton but managed to kick his rear mech and pulley-wheel gently and is back on his way to the bunch.  The leaders are currently on the uncategorised Col de la Chamoune they will start a big descent en route to the foot of our final categorised climb of the stage the Côte de la Chapelle-Marcousse (6.5km at 5.6%) before descending down into Issoire.  Jayco-AlUla have now committed a rider on the front of the peloton to help control the gap to the leaders Simon Yates started the 2:53 ahead of Pello Bilbao The gap to the break is slightly coming down and is now at 2:46.  Jayco are joined by Alpecin taking up the mantle of working on the stage one team to protect their GC ambitions and one to try and possibly get the stage win.  #TDF2023 As the stage moves into the final 60km we've put @luke_durbridge1 to work on the front to help keep the gap to the breakaway in check 👊The gap is 2'35" ⏱ pic.twitter.com/UtkzGB0TZrJuly 11, 2023 It's actually Van der Poel himself who has been put to work can Philipsen survive all these climbs and sprint for the win It's absolutely roasting at the finish line with temperatures around 40 degrees There is a chance of some thunderstorms and rain also How many times has this man attacked today Neilands moves off the front again with a bold move just before this long descent.  Van der Poel is chipping away at the advantage with Durbridge and Van Aert also swapping turns on the front the advantage should be in the break's favour.  Alaphilippe is the next to show his hand before the descent which will be his time to shine Neilands is going to be caught just as the descent starts Bilbao is an incredible descender and has come to the front to maximise his skill advantage.  Asgreen and Tejada are struggling to stay in touch on the start to this long descent.  Van der Poel and Van Aert have actually gapped the peloton and are now riding in tandem 2:22 behind the breakaway It's slightly confusing given the size of the advantage.  but are pulling through and helping each other for now  It's like watching the spring Classics all over again.  Here's a look back at Neilands on the attack almost 100km ago when the stage kicked into life He's still in the breakaway of the day and alongside teammate Nick Schultz they have a great chance to win back-to-back stage after Michael Woods' triumph on the Puy de Dôme on Sunday.  Our superstar duo of Van Aert and Van der Poel have made around 30 seconds of a gap to the peloton but haven't made much progress on the 2:17 advantage of the now 12-man breakaway.  on which there is a kilometre which averages over 7% The best climbers in the group will want to target this sector if they are to drop the punchers riders with them.  Perez has dropped under the brutal pressure Skjelmose is struggling at the back of the break now which is surprising.  Skjlemose hasn't given up and has left Kwiatkowski behind as he tries to rejoin the head of the race.  Schultz is setting quite the tempo in the break with Neilands in his wheel He's been flying all day long as the group behind him look at each other to decide who's going to chase It's very windy on this section of the climb so the chasers are all looking for the best position to get some respite Ineos Grenadiers are taking up the mantle of chasing - Kwiatkowski has been dropped so the stage win is gone forcing them to want to catch Bilbao and protect Pidcock's seventh place on GC.  Chavez sets off in pursuit of our lone leader with Bilbao in his wheel Van der Poel has knocked off his effort with Van Aert riding solo.  Barguil and O'Connor are now all struggling The former World Champion will try on the descent but how much time can he make up on Neilands The gap to Ineos is out at 3:45 now to Neilands and 3:15 to Bilbao Lots of work to do all the way to the line if they want to protect Pidcock's seventh place overall and Rodríguez' fourth place.  Neilands has crossed the Côte de la Chapelle-Marcousse (6.5km at 5.6%) KOM point with an advantage of just under 40 seconds Bilbao is probably the only man who can descend well enough to have any chance of catching him.  On the final few hundred metres of the climb that aren't part of the KOM O'Connor has gone to the front in the chasing group Will 30 seconds be enough of an advantage on the descent for the Latvian Here comes the biggest 22km of Neilands' career as he tries to find glory at the Tour de France but more one where power out of the corners and consistency will be very important He's got five riders trying to chase him down.  The five chasers have already took eight seconds out of our leaders advantage He'll have to find something extra if he is to hold them off It will flatten out in the final few kilometres so he'll need to save something for then.  but they are turning off and pulling through in the Spaniard's wheel Speeds are up to 80km/h in the chasing group They are eating away at his advantage very Alaphilippe's group is at 44 seconds for now with a very strong group of descenders We're about to reach our last kicker on the parcours before the final descent and flat run into Issoire with Alaphilippe's group a further 20 seconds back.  Bilbao is definitely going to gain time on GC IPT's team car are giving Neilands all the encouragement in the world that he can and will make this move stick to the line.  Pedrero has been gapped by his four fellow chasers There are reports of a sprint group around 27 minutes down on the road for now They'll be doing the calculations behind to ensure they survive the time cut on the line with tomorrow providing the only chance for the fast men in the second week.  Neilands fought back strongly on that uphill sector to revive his slimming advantage His main worry will be once they got onto the flat section and the break can see him This is going to be touch and go all the way to the line.  The Latvian is leaving everything out on the road but the group of five should see him soon and start working better in unison Will the chasers hesitate and look at each other or work together to get a chance for the victory Neilands is holding more than a 12 second advantage for now It's flatter as we get toward the end of the stage which doesn't work in his favour 29 years without a Latvian winner at the Tour de France- this would be incredible if he could pull it off.  It's down to eight seconds now with the group cooperating nicely Each few hundred metres seems to equal a loss of time for the man out in front.  Our lone leader seems to be running out of steam with the chasers closing in on his back wheel The Alaphilippe group also isn't too far behind.  He'll be allowed to sit in and try and muster up one final sprint O'Connor attacks as he knows the sprint doesn't suit him Bilbao is straight on him with Pedrero close behind.  Zimmermann closes on his own as Chavez struggles to hold on There's a brief slowing under the flamme rouge and here we go Bilbao looks incredibly strong and its only him and the big German at the front.  they look around and it's coming back together with 400 metres left.  Four hours of full gas racing comes down to this.  Bilbao launched his sprint out of Zimmermann's wheel and the German had no response His legs were brilliant and he couldn't have played it any better O'Connor was third on a much better day out for the Australian We started in his home town of Bilbao and he tried to attack the finish on stage 2 his first-ever stage win at the Tour de France.  Bilbao is sharing a friendly chat with Pogačar and Vingegaard after one of the hardest day of the 2023 Tour de France so far in the sweltering heat of central France Bilbao also announced pre-Tour that he would be following in the actions of his recently lost teammate Gino Mäder by donating one Euro for every rider he beats on each stage towards efforts that replant trees in areas of deforestation This is what Mäder did in previous Grand Tour appearances before his tragic passing at the Tour de Suisse earlier this year A wonderful gesture that highlights the reason Bilbao was so emotional in taking this special victory A victory for his former teammate and friend.  with the Bahrain Victorious rider leapfrogging six places past both the Yates twins Kuss and Bardet into fifth overall thanks to a 3:03 gain They've hit the ground running after the rest day and this was the best day of the 2023 Tour de France for Bahrain after not getting much out of the first week.  The last group of our remaining 169 riders in the race have just crossed the line seven minutes inside the 41-minute time cut on what was a brutal day from flag to flag from Vulcania to Issoire Ewan and riders from their respective lead-out trains Tomorrow should be their only chance for a while Respect for these guys who fought hard to finish this brutal #TDF2023 stage inside the time limit 👏Photo: @BeelWout pic.twitter.com/jWwnr3E8qlJuly 11, 2023 Tomorrow's stage is one of the final chances for the sprinters before the final stage on the Champs Élysées and runs 179.8km from Clermont-Ferrand to Moulins There are three category four climbs on the route but the profile is far from flat and after such a brutal day in the heat today will the sprinters teams be able to assume control and stop another break battling it out for the win?  That wraps things up for today's live coverage of stage 10 of the Tour de France Check back tomorrow for Cyclingnews' live report of stage 11 and in the meantime make sure you read all the great Tour de France content as more news comes out from the day's racing.  Who will win the opening stage around Issoire Critérium du Dauphiné 2021 How to watch the 2021 Critérium du Dauphiné – live TV and streaming 8 riders to watch at the 2021 Critérium du Dauphiné Critérium du Dauphiné 2021 - Race Preview Hello and welcome to the Cyclingnews live coverage of stage 1 of the Criterium du Dauphine We will have all the action from the opening 181km road race stage around Issoire The 73rd Critérium du Dauphiné kicks off today with a 181.8km stage around Issoire starting at 12:30 CET With less than a month until the Tour de France there's a packed startlist here in the Rhône-Alpes with riders looking to test their legs and their rivals ahead of the Tour Ineos have Geraint Thomas and Tao Geoghegan Hart Nairo Quintana is here with Team Arkéa Samsic and Steven Kruijswijk - to name just a few Daniel Felipe Martínez was the surprise winner of the shortened 2020 edition last August following a dramatic final two days of racing He's over in Italy at the Giro d'Italia so won't be defending his title Second-placed Thibaut Pinot is also absent but third-placed Guillaume Martin is coming in hot straight off a victory at the 1.1 Mercan'Tour Classic Alpes-Maritimes.  For more detail on who will be contesting the win check out our pick of 8 riders to watch.  with some category 3 and 4 climbs to zap the legs but nothing too dramatic The riders will cover 71km before entering the finishing circuit where the final climb comes 12km from the finish It's a day suited to the puncheurs or sprinters with decent climbing legs ⏳ Départ imminent !⏳ Almost ready for the start!#Dauphiné pic.twitter.com/fLGldLX8faMay 30, 2021 While we wait for the action to heat up, why not check out our race preview?  Ian Garrison (Deceuninck-Quick Step) and Cyril Gautier (B&B) have a gap of 3'20" on the peloton Bahrain Victorious are leading the bunch but the gap to the breakaway has gone out further and is now at 3'40" The gap is inching closer to 4 minutes for the the leaders Patrick Gamper (Bora-Hansgrohe) Ian Garrison (Deceuninck-Quick Step) and Cyril Gautier (B&B)  After racing Volta ao Algarve earlier this month Deceuninck - Quick Step's Fabio Jakobsen is back for his first WorldTour race since his crash nine months ago Here's what he said before the race:  Before the start of #Dauphine stage 1, we talked with @FabioJakobsen about being back in action and making his first World Tour appearance in ten months. pic.twitter.com/42SXPdU2MIMay 30, 2021 The gap is now at 4'25" as the riders near the half-way point of the first loop The gap has started to come down and is now at 4 minutes The riders have averaged 42.7 km/h in the first hour of the race.  It's a balmy 21.7 °C in Issoire with winds of just 11 km/h  🤩 Quelle belle journée pour lancer le #Dauphiné 2021 ! 🤩 What a beautiful day on the #Dauphiné! pic.twitter.com/SYYNCWZMjqMay 30, 2021 The lead for Patrick Gamper (Bora-Hansgrohe) Ian Garrison (Deceuninck-Quick Step) and Cyril Gautier (B&B-KTM) has gone up and they now have a gap of 4'35'.  The riders are approaching the first climb of the day - the 4th category Côte de Bergonne.  The break are now at the top of the climb and their gap is still 4'50" Brent Van Moer (Lotto-Soudal) was the first rider from the breakaway over the Côte de Bergonne On to the first finishing circuit for the peloton.  In 🇫🇷, it’s all calm for now with 100km to go!Our guys are sat in the peloton as it winds it’s way through the countryside 4’50” behind a four-rider breakaway. #Dauphiné 📸 A.S.O./Fabien Boukla pic.twitter.com/x9sMbPuAhvMay 30, 2021 #Dauphine 🇫🇷The breakaway has around 5 minutes on the peloton as we move inside 100km to go ⏱Our boys are sitting back in the pack for now 👌 pic.twitter.com/X7TZjCZlhYMay 30, 2021 Trek-Segafredo and Bahrain Victorious are on the front of the peloton as they approach Côte du Château de Buron Sebastian Schönberger (B&B Hotels p/b KTM) and Jaakko Hänninen (AG2R Citroën) are down.  Brent van Moer (Lotto Soudal) takes two more KOM points at the top of the Côte du château de Buron The break is now down to three riders: Gautier The break and a trailing Garrison have just gone through the sprint point in Issoire.  🟢 Sprint intermédiaire à Issoire 🟢1️⃣ 🇦🇹@patrick_gamper, 10 pts, 3’’2️⃣ 🇫🇷@gautier__cyril, 6 pts, 2’’3️⃣ 🇧🇪@Brentvanmoer, 4 pts, 1’’#Dauphiné pic.twitter.com/M6PHPRzSbmMay 30, 2021 Over at the final stage of the Giro d'Italia it's looking close between Ganna and Cavagna as the latter is still out on course. You can see all the the rider's start times here.  52km to go and the gap is coming down to the break as they climb the Côte du château de Buron again Mads Pedersen of Trek-Segafredo is dropped  Van Moer takes another two KOM points at the top of the climb It's UAE and Bahrain riding again and the gap is now 3'09 The gap for the break is holding at around 3'10" with less than 40km to go The break of three take the bell lap with a gap of 3'15" and UAE are putting their full strength behind trying to pull back the break but the gap is coming down very slowly it's now 2'51" - is there time to bring them back With 27km to go the gap is 2'30" - it's touch and go Bora and Movistar have taken up the chase and the gap has come down to 2'11" INEOS are on the front and there's a renewed impetus on the chase The gap is now less than two minutes  They're 2km from the first of the two remaining climbs and the gap is 1'52" Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) has rejoined the peloton At the foot of the climb Brent Van Moer attacks Gaultier and Gamper and gets a gap Dylan van Baarle of INEOS is reeling the breakaway in he will be looking to make up for an unfortunate incident at Ronde van Limburg where he was sent in the wrong direction while off the front.  Brent van Moer crests the final climb with a 1'02" advantage on the peloton  Felix Gall (Team DSM) is chasing Van Moer - no time gap at the moment With 8km to go the gap to Van Moer is 48"  It's looking good for van Moer who has a 50" gap with 5km to go Maybe not so much of a surprise given that the 23-year-old Belgian has time trial pedigree: he came 5th in the U23 ITT World championships in 2019 Second for Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain Victorious) and third Clément Venturini (AG2R Citroën Team)  Sonny Colbrelli (Team Bahrain Victorious)  Clément Venturini (AG2R Citroën Team) "Last week I was really disappointed I did also a great solo but in the end I had some bad luck but today I want to show that I can finish it off and I'm really happy that I can do it in the Dauphiné in between all the big names."  "The plan was to be in the break and hope some good names went with me and then I took all the points for the KOM jersey and then in the end I feel really good and I go alone and I'm really happy that I can finish it off."  "It's unbelievable to take my first professional victory at such a big race."  Brent van Moer (Lotto-Soudal) 4:12:49 Sonny Colbrelli (Team Bahrain Victorious) +30" Clément Venturini (AG2R Citroën Team) +32" Kaden Groves (Team BikeExchange) +36" Kasper Asgreen (Deceuninck - Quick Step) +36" The 2004 Voxan 996cc Black Magic has only 3,726 kilometres on its odometer A motorcycle belonging to late Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell is going up for auction via Bonhams with an expected sell price of £7,000 – £10,000 The bike – a 2004 Voxan 996cc Black Magic – was gifted by Cornell to the current owner who Bonhams says has since “cherished it as part of his collection” at the time of sale it has only 3,726 kilometres on the odometer The bike is also offered with a copy of the French attestation bequeathing the motorcycle to the current vendor Buell and Voxan have one thing in common: all built highly desirable v-twin sports motorcycles and all ended up out of business whose ambition was to create a high-profile French motorcycle company perhaps inspired by what John Bloor had achieved with the revitalised Triumph in the UK,” says Bonhams 996cc v-twin engine was built by Sodemo Moteurs one of French motorsport’s most prominent tuning companies Its chassis was the work of well known designer Alain Chevallier whose Yamaha-engined machines had won several Grands Prix during the 1970s and 1980s so all the right ingredients were in the mix the Voxan’s magnificent engine was hamstrung by France’s absurd 100 bhp limit for motorcycles For more information, head to Bonhams. The world’s leading authority and resource for all things guitar. Frenchman Thomas Voeckler pulled on the Tour de France yellow jersey after a dramatic ninth stage won by Spain’s Luis Leon Sanchez and marred by nearly a dozen crashes on Sunday. Voeckler, of Europcar, had been part of an early breakaway that made it to the finish line of the 208km ride from Issoire unchallenged after a mass pile-up in the peloton caused mayhem and delayed the chase. Two of Voeckler’s breakaway companions, Johnny Hoogerland and Juan Antonio Flecha, were then taken out of the equation for the win after they were hit by a television car 35km from home. It left Rabobank rider Sanchez, Voeckler and his compatriot Sandy Casar contending the win, with Sanchez launching an unassailable sprint 250m from the uphill finish to leave Voeckler in second. “Last year, Casar beat me in a two-up sprint [at Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne], but that time it was my fault because I hadn’t checked out the finish,” said Sanchez after taking his first win of the season for Rabobank. “This time I did my homework. I knew the finale and it suited me well.” Casar, of FDJ, was third with Belgium’s Philippe Gilbert of Omega-Pharma leading home a peloton containing a somewhat reduced bunch of yellow jersey favorites 3 minutes, 59 seconds later. Voeckler took over the race lead from Norwegian Thor Hushovd and now leads Sanchez by 1 minute, 49 seconds in the general classification, with Australia’s Cadel Evans third 2 minutes, 26 seconds back, followed by Frank Schleck (2:29) and Andy Schleck (2:37). Reigning champion Alberto Contador, who earlier in the stage suffered his fourth crash in eight days, is 16th, 4 minutes, 7 seconds adrift. Contador later revealed a knee pain he has felt since a crash on Wednesday had flared up. “Today, I had a few problems and I’m a little bit anxious about my knee,” Contador said. “After I crashed I began feeling the pain again, but I hope with some ice and some rest it will get better.” On the second day in the hilly Massif Central, and after several failed attempts, Voeckler was determined to open his account. He jumped into a breakaway early and played a leading role in helping to distance the peloton over the first few climbs, but he admitted he was stunned to be wearing the yellow jersey again. “I didn’t want to have any regrets on the Tour this year, but I have to say I didn’t expect to be pulling on the yellow jersey again,” said Voeckler, who famously wore the yellow jersey for nine days in 2004. “I really didn’t think I’d have it a second time in my career.” However, while he got to savor his feat on yesterday’s rest day, many other teams were taking stock of the damage. Belgium’s Jurgen van den Broeck became the second yellow jersey contender after Bradley Wiggins to crash out when he got caught up in a mass pile-up on the descent of the Col du Pas de Peyrol as the peloton trailed by 3 minutes, 25 seconds. In the same spill, Alexandre Vinokourov, racing what was his eighth and final Tour, found himself in the trees and out of the race with a fractured femur. It also took out van den Broeck’s teammate Fredrik Willems and David Zabriskie of the US. The shock of the crash caused the peloton to slow the pace, giving Voeckler’s breakaway group a lead which, with more than 80km to race, would soon reach more than seven minutes. The five would go on to be unchallenged, but further drama would unfold 35km from the finish when Hoogerland was sent somersaulting into a barbed-wire fence and Flecha hit the deck at full speed. Both got back up to finish, although they trailed home more than 16 minutes off the pace. Tour organizers reacted by throwing the culprit car off the race. With the memory of Belgium’s Wouter Weylandt’s death from a crash in May’s Giro d’Italia still fresh in the minds of many, Hoogerland was looking at the bigger picture. “Nobody can be blamed for this. It’s a horrible accident and I was in it, but I said to Flecha: ‘We’re still alive and Wouter Weylandt died in a crash,’” he said. Dauphiné blown apart on final stage as Martinez takes overall Pinot falls short as unheralded Martinez takes Dauphine win Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España.Get the latest with our sport podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.Watch on SBS SportSport News Turn autoplay off Turn autoplay on Please activate cookies in order to turn autoplay off Préambule Good afternoon and welcome to live rolling coverage of the 208km stage of nine of the Tour de France which takes the riders from Issoire to Saint Flour in what will is likely to be the most gruelling day so far If men on bikes going up and down and up and down while in quite a bit of pain is your thing then today should be a bit of a treat. There are seven climbs in the stage - including three category two climbs - as the Tour heads through the extinct volcanoes of the picturesque Cantal region of France. Here, from our rather excellent interactive guide is William Fotheringham guide to stage nine .. Seven steep climbs through the gloriously scenic extinct volcanoes of the Auvergne suiting a strongman such as France's Sylvain Chavanel probably behind a breakaway featuring riders who won't win the Tour but have an interest in the polka-dot mountains jersey with all those ascents to win points on Yesterday saw the first successful breakaway as Rui Alberto Costa took stage eight We also saw the first little glimpse of a tête-à-tête between Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck which Schleck handled in a fairly nonchalant manner We may get used to that battle over the coming week Here are highlights of yesterday's stage as well as the roll of honour after eight stages .. Yellow jersey (race leader): Thor Hushovd (Garmin)Green jersey (points leader): Philippe Gilbert (Lotto)Polka dot jersey (mountain leader): Tejay Van Garderen (THR)White jersey (best young rider): Robert Gesink (Rabobank) 12.42pm: With 58km gone and a mere 150km to go a group of six riders have established a 3min35sec gap from the peloton Among those is Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) who picked up two points on the category three climb There has also been a crash involving David Millar as William Fotheringham explains .. really hard start to the stage as the break got established 12.55pm: That breakaway group in full - and bear in mind today is one of the day's where the stage winner could well come from the break: Luis Lean-Sanchez (Rabobank) 12.55pm: A tweet from William Fotheringham who should be grateful that he has pictures at all - I'm still waiting for Eurosport to kick into life .. French tv's Tour coverage begins with a parade of vintage tractors got a few hours to work it into today's intro 1.14pm: Apologies for the fairly lengthy absence, I have been attempting to fix the mystery of the missing television pictures. Conclusion: I am not Columbo. Anyway, back tack to the Tour and news, from Infostrada Sports The Russian is the second national road champion to abandon in this year's Tour after Bradley Wiggins (GBR) 1.23pm: Above is our Citizenside gallery which is a fancy way of saying photos from people at the side of the road 1.31pm: "Any chance you can shoe-horn in a few score updates from the Leinster Final?" asks Liam Meagher I suppose I could but I don't think it's going to make much sense to many people back at the Tour there has been a crash in the peloton - a minor one - but the rider affected is Alberto Contador who is now back on his bike and he is now trying to rejoin the peloton without any assistance from his team Garmin have taken the initiative at the front of the pack and are setting quite a pace 1.35pm: Here's William Fotheringham on Contador's running repairs .. Contador seems to have problem with gears post-crash mechanic just risked losing all his fingers adjusting it at speed 1.44pm: This tracker seems to have been the hit of the Tour de France so far although I reckon it's just nostalgia for some old Commodore 64-style computer games. What's your favourite Commodore 64 game? I'm going to go for Raid Over Moscow 1.50pm: The breakaway group of six are approaching the summit of the category two Col du Pas de Peyrol (or Puy Mary) climb There are five points available for the first up there with points going to the first four in total 1.56pm: The climb is 10% but Sandy Casar is making it look like a nice cycle along the side of a beach But Voeckler now makes his move and Hoogerland goes with him I think Voeckler just holds off the challenge of the Vacansoleil man to take all five points 2.01pm: Here is the breakdown of points for the Puy Mary climb .. Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) - five pointsJohnny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil) - three pointsSandy Casar (FDJ) - two pointsJuan Antonio Flecha (Team Sky) - one point The reward for reaching the top of that climb is the roll down the hill on the other side which must be pretty rewarding after that gruelling incline They're going back up the hill in a few minutes 2.07pm: This, from the Inner Ring's Twitter feed: but crash injuries have got the better of him 2.07pm: Big crash in the peloton!! Alexandr Vinokourov has gone off the side of the road That looks really serious - he's been carried back to the side of the road by his teammates 2.11pm: Jürgen Van Den Broeck is also in big trouble - he's sitting by the side of the road holding his shoulder and I think his Tour is over too There's a third rider - I think it's Andreas Kloden - who is lying flat out by the side of the road Cadel Evans also went down but he appears to be back in action 2.14pm: Alexandr Vinokourov definitely came off the worst from that crash - he went off the road completely and into a ditch with a drop of what looked like three or four foot The Kazakh has said this will be is final Tour and a chequered Tour de France career has come to an inglorious end A lot of people will feel fairly content with that 2.17pm: Jürgen Van Den Broeck's Tour is also over That's a real shame - he was a real contender 2.19pm: The peloton has slowed somewhat to allow those caught up in the crash to catch up What it means is that the front five as it is now (Quick Step's Niki Terpstra being dropped) are now seven minutes ahead of the peloton which is being headed by Cancellara and stage-favourite Philippe Gilbert 2.25pm: Johnny Hoogerland takes the third climb of the day holding off the challenge of Europcar's Thomas Voeckler That's an exact reversal of the second climb and meand Hoogerland gets five points 2.29pm: A tweet from William Fotheringham .. 2.30pm: David Zabriskie of Team Garmin is also out of the Tour "I should clarify that I'm a Wexford man on Sydney and I'm suffering with a crappy vpn. 2.36pm: More from William Fotheringham .. Race no longer neutralised by leaders - Cav + Farrar among the strugglers on the Pertuis 2.37pm: At the front Hoogerland gets a flat tyre and has to pull over and take out his Christmas cracker tyre repair kit before hopping back on the biker and rejoining the breakaway group which is now 7min30sec ahead of the peloton There's 54km after the final big climb today so that should give the pack the opportunity to close the gap before the finishing line 2.40pm: More from the Inner Ring on Twitter .. With Frederik Willems crashing out too Omega Pharma only have six riders left in the race 2.45pm: More from William Fotheringham on the number of crashes in this year's Tour .. Not sure about cutting numbers as worst crashes seem to happening at front.. maybe 150 would be safer simply because would reduce stress levels wonder if it's a matter of cutting out five teams or cutting teams to 7 2.47pm: Hoogerland takes the fourth climb of the day Voeckler seemed to be content to let the Vacansoleil man take that one 2.49pm: Gary Naylor has a theory on the number of accidents "More crashes since mandatory helmets - or so it seems," he says "Bike handling is not what is was now protection has improved I'm not sure that things are any more safe all things considered." Political correctness gone mad 2.55pm: Jonathan Vaughters has tweeted a word on the injuries .. 2.57pm: The peloton are closing the gap on the breakaway group a little bit now It was a gap that really extended after the leaders of peloton with a slight bit of reluctance it must be said slowed to allow those caught up in the crash Thomas Voeckler is currently 1min29sec behind Horshovd so he will be keen to keep as big a gap as possible on these climbs to be in with a chance of wearing the yellow jersey tonight 3.02pm: A broken pelvis for Alexandr Vinokourov 3.05pm: Hoogerland again takes the honours at the fifth climb of the day taking two points ahead of the local hero Thomas Voeckler 3.08pm: It's getting worse for Alexandr Vinokourov - he has a broken femur to go with his broken pelvis although the Tour de France site is saying it is just a fractured femur Frederik Willems has a fractured collarbone David Zabriskie a fractured wrist while Jürgen van den Broeck has a fractured shoulder blade 3.15pm: The leaders - a group of five who are 5min12sec ahead of the peloton - are approaching the the start of the final category two climb of the day with only a couple of minor climbs to bother the riders Although it's the downhills that have been causing most of the problems so far 3.19pm: Here's an extract from Nicholas Roche's excellent column in the Irish Independent. For the full article click here Last year we used ice baths on the Tour as a recovery tool after the stages we have gone one step further and introduced cryotherapy it's good for inflamed muscles and tendons and stimulates the production of hormones Every morning and evening I strip down to my boxers and a pair of gloves and step into the portable chamber for three minutes It's a bit tingly to begin with but with the temperature inside set at minus 150C the teeth soon start to chatter and the shivers kick in Sean Kelly had a go in one of the chambers before the Tour but he's so hard he didn't even bother with gloves He was like John Spartan in 'Demolition Man' Last night French TV decided to follow me as I took my turn in the chamber the fuse blew and I had to start all over again Sometimes I can't handle the full three minutes but I couldn't back out in front of the TV cameras so I had to stand there rattling and smiling as they asked me questions about it This morning I only did two minutes in the chamber as it's hard to get motivated for a cryotherapy session when it's already raining and freezing outside 3.25pm: "Watching from Canada but just woke up so missed the crash," writes Joe Harden wiping the sleep from his eyes I'm sad to see Vino go...he was always an interesting rider to watch often doing crazy things like attacking on a straight flat road it also lessens the people who will be attacking at the top and makes it look more and more like a contador/schleck /evans dogfight." It is amazing that people have some sympathy for Vinokourov even after everything he did and his attitude to it afterwards Imagine what a hero he would be if he had stayed clean 3.29pm: Some When it comes to bones - "broken" is synonymous with "fractured" A fractured (broken) femur & pelvis is potentially life threatening and can be extremely painful I am amazed that they walked him up the bank Completely inappropriate first aid care." I guess in their defence you would say that his teammates didn't know the full extent of his injuries He looked so dazed that I can't imagine he would have made much sense if they had asked him where the pain was 3.34pm: Another tweet from Garmin-Cervelo boss Jonathan Vaughters .. Zab asked me that he really wanted to race Colorado before stepping into the ambulance 3.36pm: The peloton is now 4min38sec behind the leaders - Thomas Voeckler's chances of taking the yellow jersey are receding by the minute 3.37pm: Here's a little clip of Alberto Contador's spill earlier on this afternoon There is some suspicion of a little push from Vladimir Karpets 3.45pm: Thomas Hoogerland took the category two climb earning him five more points - it's been quite a profitable day for him so far but he has eyes on a bigger prize at the end of the day 3.48pm: Not much love for Vinokourov from Gary Naylor: "I wish him well with his recovery 3.50pm: The front five are extending the gap from the peloton - they're up to 4min57sec ahead as it currently stands and they are picking up the pace France may hold the yellow jersey on the first rest day after all The sun is out too which makes the quaint villages of Cantal look particularly 3.54pm: Brian Henley has the full-time score in the Leinster final "Dubs win by four," he says which is bad news for Liam Meagher 3.55pm: Crash in the breakaway as Juan Antonio Flecha was hit by a car as it passed Johnny Hoogerland is also taken out and goes head first into a barbed wire fence 3.58pm: That was entirely the fault of the driver of the car who tried to overtake the leaders but clipped Flecha No word yet on Hoogerland who bore the brunt of the accident and went head first over the top of his handlebars into a fence 4.00pm: It was a TV car that clipped Flecha Hoogerland is back on his bike with a bandaged up left-knee What it means is that we have three out in front - Luis Leon Sanchez 4.03pm: Hoogerland is getting a helping hand (in many ways) from the medical motorbike They seem to be simultaneously patching him up and giving him a tow back to the breakaway Sean Boiling has a theory on the earlier Contador 'accident' I love the little look over the left shoulder from Karpets a second or so after he has hit the deck Perhaps Karpets asked Contador if the team cook was going to prepare some 'good meat' like he did on the rest day last year?" 4.06pm: That was disgusting driving which led to the last crash," says Michael Tweed "Flecha was lucky not to then get run over by the car behind But tell me: can the riders or their teams sue the driver for taking them out?" The honest answer is that I don't know I imagine if either cyclist was to miss subsequent competitions they could claim loss of earnings as a minimum 4.07pm: It reminds me of what Roy Keane said about the FAI being in first class while Niall Quinn squashed his frame into cattle class before a match Where is cycling's Roy Keane to speak out about this?" 4.13pm: Love to know why that bloke at the intermediate sprint line is pointing at a copy of a newspaper he's holding up," says Paul Holland "Did he manage to complete the crossword or something?" maybe he's recommending an article to read later on 4.14pm: One more from Adam Hirst: "And does Gary Naylor seriously want to blame helmet-wearing for those accidents 4.14pm: On the Twitter Aaron Gibbons has made a comment about the love (or lack of) for Vinokourov: "This is the main problems of doping People love his crazy attacks but he could only do them because of drugs Supporters and governing bodies accept doping because it makes the sport more exciting." 4.16pm: Here's a photo of the crash courtesy of The Inner Ring meanwhile Andy Bradshaw has a contribution to helmet-gate: "The introduction of helmets has meant a considerable reduction in number of head injuries/death Possibly meaning that we're discussing these fractures because we're not discussing the deaths of riders might well have had the same injuries as we're seeing now 4.19pm: Tim Knight has some inside info fromthe land of France: "In France watching TdF," he writes "French TV commentators being very quiet about the car......funny how they make a fuss about Cav being dangerous but don't want to talk about their own chauffeurs!!!" 4.20pm: Neil Morgan has a response to Adam Birch's comment: I'm pretty sure if this carries on Cavendish is the sort of guy who will step up to the plate and speak up for the peloton The TDF authorities can't hate him anymore than they already do can they they've messed with the format so much that a lot of the stages that make a Tour have been lost and their anti-drug stance is completely compromised by the participation of Vinokourov and Contador The riders have nothing to lose apart from skin and the structural integrity of their skeleton Oh...and their lives on a dangerous finish." 4.21pm: The front three have now been pulled back to a 4min05sec lead with 30km to go That accident with the car unsettled Voeckler and his hopes of wearing yellow tonight "Gutted to see Vino go," writes Shriram Jambunathan "He wanted to wear the yellow jersey at least for one day and unlikely as it would have been he could have won a stage in the mountains It is also something to consider that he is the man with the best positioning sense in the peloton most riders would do their chances of accident no harm by sticking on Vino's wheel the field has really been weakened by accidents this year his attitude (while sickening) is far better than Lance Armstrong or most GC riders who dope and hide This year higher profile riders have dropped out and more impact is made on the GC When there are 22 directeur sportifs all crying stay at the front in the earpieces of the riders." 4.24pm: "Is that the Michael Tweed from the British GP lap-by-lap?" asks Sean Boiling "Funny that he should be over here for an incident with a driver!" Having not read the lap-by-lap I don't really get that but I'm going to laugh anyone just to fit in with the crowd meanwhile Oliver James has an angry email about cars thinking they have the right of way even in the Tour de France What is more interesting is that he finishes by saying "My cat is having kittens 4.27pm: Philippe Gilbert has to change bike but quickly rejoins the peloton Voeckler needs a 1min30sec lead over Horshovd to take the yellow jersey tonight 4.29pm: Some suggestions on what action French TV need to take from The Inner Ring .. Modest advice for French TV: they need to apologise live on air for the crash explain what happened and that the driver's going home otherwise some riders might boycott interviews or take other measures Commentators hardly mentioning the incident on air right now 4.31pm: The peloton seem to have abandoned the chase of the front three which means Voeckler will wear yellow tonight "Can't understand why everyone is anti-Vino," says Tom Walston "What's he done that all the others haven't He got caught - but isn't that in the end more honest 4.35pm: Meanwhile Football Weekly's James Richardson writes on Twitter .. apparently drives london bus in off season 4.39pm: "Please let Mr Boiling know that I am the same," says Michael Tweed "And i too will give a half-hearted chuckle just to fit in though I'm not sure what the joke is either." We're at the 5km mark now as the front three gear up for a sprint finish 4.41pm: Luis-Leon Sanchez takes the stage victory Thomas Voeckler is second and is the new holder of the yellow jersey 4.48pm: We're waiting for the peloton to reach the finish line now Philippe Gilbert charges for the line with Cadel Evans just behind 4.51pm: Philippe Gilbert holds off the challenge to finish fourth Velkits is fifth ahead of Cadel Evans and Andy Schleck Meanwhile Thor Horshovd crosses the line nearly seven minutes behind Sanchez and he says goodbye to the the yellow jersey 4.54pm: Gary Naylor has responded: "Mr Hirst misunderstands my point Helmets are a good thing - but they are no guarantor of avoiding death or serious injury and may well give a false sense of safety leading to more crashes People are very bad at judging risk and helmets don't help that." Luis-Leon Sanchez (Rabobank) 5hr 27min 09sec2 Frank Schleck (Leopard-Trek) +3min 59sec10 Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) 38hr 35min 11sec2 Luis-Leon Sanchez (Rabobank) + 1min 49sec3 Franck Schleck (Leopard-Trek) +2min 29sec5 5.06pm: A final word on the eternal helmet dilemma to Adam Hirst: "I didn't misunderstand the point that the Right Honourable Gentleman made of course I just don't think you can make a case for cyclists riding with slightly less care these days You can make a case for the growth in the tour entourages and the development of team tactics and strategy over the years meaning that the peloton rides together much more more streamlined bikes and wheels which are also far easier to knock offline and overbalance and perhaps don't travel over rough ground or other bikes lying in the road so easily.. Also the narrow roads chosen this year perhaps I certainly don't think it is a case of riders taking their eyes off the road as you could maybe claim in cricket with more batsmen being hit on the head now they wear helmets." 5.06pm: That's it from me. Thanks for all your emails. Tomorrow is a rest day but we'll have more live rolling coverage from stage 10 on Tuesday. Bon soir. A Frenchman who murdered his friend and cut up his body said on Wednesday he was driven to kill after being refused money for drugs The grisly crime took place in the central town of Issoire where a plumber was called out last week to a hair salon after a customer reported that the toilets were blocked On opening a trap door leading to a drain the plumber discovered several pieces of flesh which forensic tests showed as coming from the same body The investigation soon led to the apartment above the hair salon where police found blood on the walls and curtains a circular saw… and a brain and human liver in the freezer They then identified a man suspected of being the victim and visited his home Footage from the town’s CCTV cameras showed the 36-year-old suspect boarding a train on January 10 after throwing three large bags containing bloodied garments into a bin An unemployed drug addict with a string of drugs and theft convictions he was arrested on his return to Issoire a day later The public prosecutor for the central Clermont-Ferrand region said the suspect confessed on Wednesday to killing his 45-year-old friend “because he refused to give him a large some of money to buy drugs.” A schizophrenic who had been hospitalized twice with mental health issues who also an addict and has also not yet been named by the authorities had recently inherited a large sum of money New Zimbabwe.com Tweets by NewZimbabweCom NewZimbabwe.com – The Zimbabwe News You Trust is Zimbabwe’s leading online newspaper and published by New Zimbabwe Media Ltd The platform brings you the latest breaking News Diaspora and gives you everything you’ve come to expect and love Our Forums are vibrant and gives everyone a chance to be heard tablet smart phone or on our App its quick easy and free access all the news you love NewZimbabwe.com is updated continually with the latest news to help you feed your addiction with stories & photos from Zimbabwe and many more Apr 26, 2024 | , The Rafale Solo Display Team have released their 2024 Display Schedule on their social media channels The team have a new pilot for 2024 with Captain Jean-Brice ‘Mimosas’ flying his first season of displays Captain Bertrand ‘Bubu’ stays with the team for the season as team coach a vu prononcée à son encontre une peine de 12 ans d'emprisonnement Cette dernière a donc été condamnée pour avoir servi d'appât dans cette affaire dite de la « grotte sanglante » Mais elle n'a pas été reconnue coupable d'assassinat c'est la vengeance d'un homme blessé » qui a « exécuté sauvagement » un « brave homme » PODCAST. Affaire de la grotte sanglante : autopsie d'un crime à retardement Porté disparu le 23 juin 2014, près de la grotte de Listel à Sète, Patrick Isoird est retrouvé le 17 juillet dans une cavité de cette galerie souterraine du Mont Saint-Clair : pieds et poings liés, la boîte crânienne éclatée par une balle de fusil de chasse tirée à moins de 50 cm par une personne qui le surplombait, le corps calciné après une combustion de « plusieurs heures », selon le légiste. Profitez des avantages de l’offre numérique Jul 23, 2021 | , The Belgian Air Force Red Devils display team which fly a quartet of SIAI-Marchetti SF260s have released their remaining display dates for the 2021 Display Season May 6, 2024 | , 2024 marks the 90th Anniversary of the l’Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace (AAE) The anniversary will be marked at event across France with particular focus on a very special event at Versailles in June and an Open Door at BA 125 d’Istres-Le Tubé at the end of September The AAE is represented at airshows by “Les Ambassadeurs” – La Patrouille de France L’equipe de voltige de l’armée de l’Air et de l’Espace (EVAAE) Phenix – Ambassadeurs Parachutistes de l’AAE and the A400M Tactical Demonstration Joining them are three Tactical Role Demonstration Teams Requin Mike on the Rafale B/C and the Pilatus PC-21s of Mustang X-Ray BA709 Cognac-Châteaubernard – Image © Paul Johnson/Flightline UK