It's under slightly clouded skies that the bikers started stage 10 this morning, a large loop starting and finishing at the splendid Copiapo bivouac. Starting 5th today, it took about 100km to Cyril Despres to catch up on the four riders driving in front of him, i.e. Verhoeven, Frétigné, Coma and Lopez. The title holder recorded the best clocks at each of the four first CP. But after km 300, the situation changed radically. In the lead of the stage, Cyril Despres had his main contenders e.g. Coma and Lopez in his wheel and drove them - and himself - astray. By a way of consequence, Viladoms and Duclos who had started the stage later benefited from the error and achieved best clocks at km 423 with some significant lead over the top riders in the general standings. All that remains was the trickiest line of sand dunes but the two bikers in the lead passed it without trouble. Having won a stage in Zouerat two years ago, Jordi Viladoms now gets his second stage success in a Dakar raid. He arrived in front of Franco-Malian biker Alain Duclos who is 1’06" behind the winner and Portugal's Helder Rodrigues at 8’29". In the general standings, Coma's strategy of tailing Despres paid off again despite the navigation error of the Frenchman. The Catalan looses 3'37" on two-time Dakar winner but wins some ground over David Frétigné, now at 1h24'. The Yamaha rider also had the opportunity of enjoying a long time of going astray and as to the Despres, he is now 1h31' behind the Catalan leader.