International Weather

Rain and Fog Ravages Tour de France

July 14, 2014; 12:56 PM ET

Rain once again plagued the competitors of the Tour de France as slick roadways lead to several crashes and the eventual dropout of two-time champion Alberto Contador.

The riders also had to contend with a thick fog in the mountains that also impacted the pace of the race at times.

All this coming less than a week after rain in Belgium caused numerous crashes and the dropout of last year's champion Chris Froome.

Spain's Alberto Contador puts on a new shoe after crashing prior to abandoning race during the 10th stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 161.5 kilometers (100.4 miles) with start in Mulhouse and finish in La Planche des Belles Filles, France, Monday, July 14, 2014. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Only 10 stages into this year's Tour de France, two of the top competitors have dropped out after crashed that were at least partially caused by wet roadways.

Following the brutal conditions on Monday, the competitors encounter the first rest day of the tour on Tuesday before resuming the race on Wednesday.

Wednesday's stage, taking place in eastern France, will range in elevations from 222 meters to a peak of 998 meters between Besancon and Oyonnax.

There is good news for the competitors that have dealt with harsh conditions on several occasions, as dry weather is expected with sunny to partly cloudy skies.

The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of AccuWeather, Inc. or AccuWeather.com

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International Weather

The AccuWeather.com International Weather Blog, written by Eric Leister, covers weather stories from around the world, with a focus on threatening weather events, and also interesting weather phenomenon.