Two main candidates for the victory were 1909 winner François Faber, a sprinter, and Octave Lapize, a climber, both members of the powerful Alcyon team.

The innkeeper replied that it is barely crossable in July, so practically impossible in January.

[3] This was a reaction of the Tour organisers to the criticism of the cyclists, many cycling independently with no team support,[8] on the difficult mountains.

Lucien Petit-Breton, Maurice Brocco, Henri Cornet, Charles Pavese and Jean Alavoine rode with gears.

Cyclists who had abandoned the race were removed from the rankings of the previous stages, and the classification was recalculated.

[3] Although cyclist were in 1909 able to register for the Tour with a sponsor, they were still considered to be riding as individuals; in 1910 they competed for the first time in teams.

[2] There were three teams with 10 cyclists each,[10] including all the favourites for the overall victory: Alcyon, Le Globe and Legnano.

[2] On the rest day between the sixth and seventh stage in Nice, cyclist Adolphe Hélière died whilst swimming.

[12] In that tenth stage, the Tourmalet was climbed, the highest point of the 1910 Tour de France.

Garrigou was the only cyclist who reached the top without dismounting, and received an extra prize of 100 francs for that.

[2] In the 14th stage, Faber sped away almost from the start in what could be his last chance to win the Tour de France.

It seemed that he had a chance, until a flat tyre caused him to lose time, and Lapize could get back to him, again aided by Garrigou.

The Alcyon team was dominant in the 1910 Tour de France, winning 9 out of 15 stages.