Phil Wrochna is managing editor of firstoffthebike.com and a commentator for SEN 1116. He will write daily on the Tour de France for BPL.

Stage 10 was about transition. The riders were coming 'off' the mountains and those that that had battled hard in the Alps were also transitioning to the flatter roads and life without jerseys. Cadel Evans was getting used to the rainbow rings again after his epic implosion on the slopes of the Madeleine, Lance Armstrong too was in transition. From genuine GC threat to cycle tourist Armstrong's moniker of the Boss of the Peloton was on a par as to where he lay on the overall classification. The other side of this saw Andy Schleck transition from talent to threat in this year's race.

The ride to Gap was almost a time out for the peloton. A serious day of battle on the Madeleine had many licking their wounds and changing their strategies as others went defensive to keep what they had earned. With two seemingly innocuous climbs the break away was allowed to fly taking with it two Frenchmen who, on Bastille Day, were trying to start a little revolution of their own.

But the day belonged to a Portuguese and Team Radio Shack's Tour may well have been saved by a rider brought into the team to help Armstrong. Patience and experience earned Team RadioShack's Portuguese rider Sérgio Paulinho his first individual stage victory in Wednesday's Tour de France stage from Chambéry to Gap. Part of a day-long break of six riders that included two Frenchmen, Paulinho celebrated Bastille Day in his own way by taking the win by half a wheel length over Vasili Kiryienka of Caisse d'Epargne. Riding in his third Tour de France, 30-year old Paulinho was part of the 2009 Team Time Trial victory and also won the silver medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics as well as a stage in the Tour of Spain in 2006.

With 15k to go Paulinho and Kiryienka pulled away from their breakaway companions to go for the stage win.  The duo shared the work load on the road, but coming under the red kite with 1k to go, Paulinho positioned himself in the perfect spot on Kiryienka's wheel.  Watching and waiting, he dug deep for an explosive sprint that put him across the line just in front of the rider from Belarus.

"It was very close," commented Sérgio Paulinho, "but it doesn't matter if you win with half a wheel or with a 30 second difference. When Team Director Dirk Demol told me that Kyryienka and I had a one- minute advantage, I felt confident, even if I suffered a lot. I stayed in the wheel for 300 meters and then I gave everything in the last 50 meters. Mario Aerts was strong too but he attacked too early and lost his chances on a win."

Who's Hot

Sergio Paulinho - The big man on the Radio Shack team might have saved the day after the two heads of State Armstrong and Leipheiemer have so far failed to deliver. A great effort to offload his fellow escapee.

The French riders - The French have no one in their ranks who could win the race but as far as animation on the road goes they are giving this Tour a good shake. The French riders have won stages and were present in a Bastille Day break way too. Still without a GC win since '85 must be hurting them.

Who's Not

Fabian Cancellara - From Yellow jersey one week to second to last on the stage into Gap. Cancellara missed the grupetto, the bunch that gets together at the end of the stage each day to clean the road and make sure that the riders are not eliminated on time, and came in some 16-plus minutes behind.

Results Stage 10

1   Sergio Paulinho (Por) Team Radioshack   5:10:56

2 Vasili Kiryienka (Blr) Caisse d'Epargne

3 Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quick Step 0:01:29

4 Pierre Rolland (Fra) Bbox Bouygues Telecom

5 Mario Aerts (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto 0:01:33

6 Maxime Bouet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:03:20

7 Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale 0:12:58

8 Rémi Pauriol (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne 0:13:57

9 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Team HTC - Columbia 0:14:19

10 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Lampre-Farnese Vini

General Classification (Yellow Jersey) after Stage 10

1   Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank   49:00:56

2 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana 0:00:41

3 Samuel Sánchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 0:02:45

4 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank 0:02:58

5 Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto 0:03:31

6 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Team Radioshack 0:03:59

7 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank 0:04:22

8 Luis León Sánchez Gil (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 0:04:41

9 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Team Katusha 0:05:08

10 Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Doimo 0:05:09

11 Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas-Doimo 0:05:11

12 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Transitions 0:05:42

13 Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale 0:06:23

14 Alexander Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana 0:06:31

15 Michael Rogers (Aus) Team HTC - Columbia 0:07:04

16 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Cervelo Test Team 0:07:13

17 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Professional Cycling Team 0:07:18

18 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:07:47

19 Thomas Löfkvist (Swe) Sky Professional Cycling Team 0:08:03

20 Andreas Klöden (Ger) Team Radioshack 0:09:05

Points Classification ( Green Jersey)

1   Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team   138   pts

2 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Lampre-Farnese Vini 131

3 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Team Katusha 116

4 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 98

5 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Team HTC - Columbia 97

Mountains Classification (Polka Dot Jersey)

1   Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team   138   pts

2 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Lampre-Farnese Vini 131

3 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Team Katusha 116

4 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 98

5 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Team HTC - Columbia 97

The Road Ahead...

The riders take somewhat of a 'break' as they let the sprinters have their time again. The next three stages will see no real movement in the General Classification as the riders move to the Pyrenees. There the battle lines will be drawn again.