Tour de France stage 18 - Pogacar aims to defend yellow jersey on queen stage
Date: 14:14 BST
Title: Post
Content: 71km to go
Visma-Lease a Bike have isolated Tadej Pogacar!
The leader's UAE Team Emirates support dissipates as Sepp Kuss takes charge for Jonas Vingegaard and drives his team-mate forward on with more than five kilometres still to go up this climb.
Update:
Date: 14:11 BST
Title: Post
Content: 72km to go
Vimsa-Lease a Bike really are stepping this up now.
A huge turn by Victor Campenaerts has whittled the main group down to 11 riders - and slashed the gap to the front of the race to just one minute. Incredible effort.
Roglic, Jorgenson, Arensman, Gall, O'Connor and Rubio Reyes are the six riders at the front and now within six kilometres of the summit on the Col de la Madeleine.
Update:
Date: 14:07 BST
Title: General classification standings
Content: Here's a reminder of how the general classification looks after stage 17.
Carlos Rodriguez of Ineos Grenadiers had been in 10th, but he was forced to withdraw from the race this morning following his crash yesterday.
Update:
Date: 13:59 BST
Title: Post
Content: 76km to go
Look, it's no secret that Jonas Vingegaard needs to produce something very, very special today to reignite is hopes of wearing the yellow jersey to the finish line on Sunday.
If, as he said before today's stage, he is not afraid to sacrifice second place in pursuit of victory, then he and his Visma-Lease a Bike team-mates must have something big planned.
They are driving the pace in the peloton now, and Tiesj Benoot comes to a near-standstill as he finishes his turn and hands over to Victor Campenaerts, with around 20 riders now remaining in the main group and less than two minutes to the front of the race.
How early might Vingegaard go? There's around 11km of the Col de la Madeleine remaining.
Update:
Date: 13:52 BST
Title: Post
Content: 78km to go
It's come together at the front, as Matteo Jorgenson and Thymen Arensman are caught by the chasing pack.
So, it's a group of eight again at the head of the race, but behind the pace in the peloton is beginning to ramp up.
A gap of around three minutes and 20 seconds to the peloton has quickly reduced to two-and-a-half minutes.
Update:
Date: 13:43 BST
Title: Post
Content: 80km to go
Matteo Jorgenson and Thymen Arensman continue to lead the charge up the Col de le Madeleine.
They are followed around 20 seconds behind by a group of seven riders, including Primoz Roglic who has moved himself up to third overall, above team-mate Florian Lipowitz and Britain's Oscar Onley, in the virtual standings.
Back in the peloton, Visma-Lease a Bike are pushing to replace UAE Team Emirates to lift the pace, but Pogacar's team refuse to relinquish control.
They're just over three minutes behind Jorgenson and Arensman, who still have 15km of this climb to go.
Update:
Date: 13:38 BST
Title: Post
Content: 82km to go
There could be trouble for Lenny Martinez.
After managing to take the maximum 20 king of the mountain points, he has been brought back by the peloton and his hopes of collecting further points on the Col de la Madeleine are over.
But there could also be retrospective punishment for apparent assistance from his team car on the Col du Glandon. That was an extremely 'sticky' bottle...
Further back, the struggling Enric Mas has been forced to abandon the race.
Update:
Date: 13:35 BST
Title: Col de la Madeleine
Content:
Update:
Date: 13:29 BST
Title: Post
Content: 85km to go
The second monster climb of the day is fast approaching.
This is only the 14th stage in Tour de France history to feature three HC climbs. Four has never been done before, so it's safe to say this is one of the most gruelling stages in the race's history.
Even more so for Gregor Muhlberger, who has just taken a fall on the descent but manages to shake it off quickly to get back on his bike. Ouch.
Update:
Date: 13:23 BST
Title: Post
Content: 95km to go
A group of three riders have made their way off the front now. Tim Wellens, Matteo Jorgenson and Thymen Arensman are riding away for the time being, with a 30-second gap to the chasing pack.
Primoz Roglic is among those in the second group on the road, but the polka-dot jersey of Lenny Martinez has lost touch and is almost a minute off the leaders as the Col de la Madeleine approaches.
Update:
Date: 13:19 BST
Title: King of the mountains standings
Content: "You are a beast, Lenny!" is the message on the Bahrain Victorious team radio.
Here's how the king of the mountains competition stands after today's first climb, with Lenny Martinez taking control.
Update:
Date: 13:13 BST
Title: Vingegaard willing to risk everything for yellow
Content: As if we weren't excited enough for today's stage, ITV's quick catch-up with Jonas Vingegaard before it all kicked off only added to the sense of anticipation.
Asked what his approach will be, Vingegaard said: "You never know. It could be that I go from the bottom of the first climb."
He hasn't gone for that tactic, but he will surely have something big up his sleeve.
On whether he is willing to risk everything, including losing second place should he blow up during his attempts to take yellow, he responded: "Yes".
Update:
Date: 13:08 BST
Title: Martinez first over Col du Glandon
Content: 110km to go
Disaster for Tim Wellens as he suffers a mechanical inside the final 500m of the summit.
But it's job done for Lenny Martinez, who bursts clear unrivalled to take all 20 king of the mountain points and move ahead of Tadej Pogacar in that competition.
He'll aim to repeat that over the Col de la Madeleine next, assuming the general classification race has not already ignited by that point.
Update:
Date: 13:02 BST
Title: Post
Content: 115km to go
The lead group of 14 riders have entered the final few kilometres of the Col du Glandon climb and are afforded the luxury of very brief downhill section before taking on the final ramp to the summit.
They have around one minute and 55 seconds on what remains of the peloton, with a group of eight riders in between those two groups.
Who will sweep the king of the mountains points? Plenty of world-class climbers are at the front of the race, and Primoz Roglic in particular looks to be on a good day here.
Update:
Date: 12:52 BST
Title: 'I'm gone, I'm dead'
Content: Tadej Pogacar begins the queen stage of this year's race with a very healthy four-minute and 15-second advantage over Jonas Vingegaard in the general classification.
But he knows all too well the damage the Col de la Loze can cause.
The Slovenian lost more than five minutes to Vingegaard when the race visited this climb two years ago.
In what remains the most brutal experience of his Tour de France story to date, Pogacar's words "I'm gone, I'm dead" signalled the end of the fight for the yellow jersey.
He will be determined to set the record straight today.
Update:
Date: 12:44 BST
Title: Post
Content: 120km to go
It's dry for now on the Col do Glandon but there are reports of rain up the road, which would only add to the drama.
We've got around 10km of climbing still to go on the first mountain of the day, with a group of 14 together at the front after Tim Wellens and Alexey Lutsenko were hauled back.
It's a strong selection, also featuring Primoz Roglic, Visma-Lease a Bike's Matteo Jorgenson, and Felix Gall - the man who triumphed on the Col de la Loze two years ago.
Update:
Date: 12:36 BST
Title: What's up for grabs on stage 18?
Content: It's not just the fight for yellow that we need to keep an eye on today, of course.
There are 80 king of the mountains points for the polka-dot jersey contenders to aim for at the top of today's climbs, with 20 available for the first rider to the top of the Col du Glandon and Col de la Madeleine, and 40 for whoever is first up the Col de la Loze.
As the Col de la Loze is the highest point in this year's race, the first rider to summit will also win the Souvenir Henri Desgrange cash prize, in tribute to the Tour de France founder.
Tadej Pogacar and Lenny Martinez are currently tied at the top of the standings on 60 points, followed by Thymen Arensman on 48 points and Jonas Vingegaard with 45.
Update:
Date: 12:30 BST
Title: Col du Glandon
Content:
Update:
Date: 12:28 BST
Title: Post
Content: The climbing has begun! The riders are on to the Col du Glandon - and there is no hanging about.
Tim Wellens and Alexey Lutsenko have broken clear at the front, but only around 10 seconds behind them Primoz Roglic is among the riders to also launch an early move.
The main peloton is 30 seconds back at the moment, but it won't be long before riders are strung out along the mountainside.
Update:
Date: 12:22 BST
Title: Milan wins intermediate sprint
Content: Before we get stuck into today's major climbing, there was an intermediate sprint little more than 23km into today's stage.
The current holder of the green jersey, Jonathan Milan, swept up the full 20 points on offer to extend his lead over Tadej Pogacar in that competition to a commanding 92 points.
That jersey is as good as his now - assuming he manages to finish within the time limit over the next couple of days.
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