Marcel Kittel produced a perfectly timed kick to claim a dominant victory on stage 10 of the Tour de France and strengthen his hold on the green jersey.

On a day when the leading places in the general classification predictably remained unchanged, due to the largely flat route from Perigueux to Bergerac, Kittel once again excelled over the closing metres, the Quick-Step Floors sprinter securing his fourth stage win of the Tour.

Kittel burst out of the pack to comfortably beat John Degenkolb (Trek - Segafredo) to the line, with Dylan Groenewegen (Lotto NL-Jumbo) taking third.

As a result of his latest triumph, Kittel is now the most prolific German stage-winner in history, moving clear of Erik Zabel with his 13th victory.

Team Sky's Chris Froome continues to lead Fabio Aru (Astana) by 18 seconds in the battle for the yellow jersey. 

Yoann Offredo (Wanty–Groupe Gobert) made an immediate break at the start of Tuesday's stage and was soon joined in a breakaway by Fortuneo-Oscaro youngster Elie Gesbert.

Offredo won the intermediate sprint at Saint-Cyprien, before the duo were eventually reeled in by the peloton with just under seven kilometres to go and Kittel showed his class when it mattered most.

GOOD DAY/BAD DAY

The GC contenders are all likely to have enjoyed a relatively stress-free journey, after a welcome rest day 24 hours earlier.

However, Bora Hansgrohe's Rafal Majka was a non-starter following the crash he suffered on Sunday.

"It does not make any sense to keep on fighting," explained the Pole. "I can hardly breath because of the pain."

STAGE RESULT

1. Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors) 04:01:00
2. John Degenkolb (Trek - Segafredo) +0:00
3. Dylan Groenewegen (Lotto NL-Jumbo) +0:00
4. Rudiger Selig (Bora-Hansgrohe) +0:00
5. Alexander Kristoff (Katusha-Alpecin) +0:00

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1. Chris Froome (Team Sky) 42:27:28
2. Fabio Aru (Astana) +0:18
3. Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale) + 0:51

POINTS CLASSIFICATION

1. Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors) 275 points
2. Michael Matthews (Sunweb) 173 points
3. Andre Greipel (Lotto Soudal) 150 points

KING OF THE MOUNTAINS

1. Warren Barguil (Sunweb) 60 points
2. Primoz Roglic (Lotto NL-Jumbo) 30 points
3. Alexis Vuillermoz (AG2R La Mondiale) 27 points

NEXT UP...

Wednesday's 11th stage is another for the sprinters, with a sole category four climb to tackle on the 203.5km route from Eymet to Pau.