Key events
32km to go: Felix Großschartner has popped for UAE. They are a man down.
Seixas has three teammates with him in the lead group. Could he be a contender?
33km to go: Vaughters points out on commentary that Carapaz is a very good descender, so you may fancy him to keep this lead down to the foot of the Col de Pertus.
Updated at 10.25 EDT
33.5km to go: Now 33sec for Carapaz. He grits his teeth and keeps his cadence punishingly high, working as hard as he can to build a decisive gap, or at least one that sparks a bit of panic in the UAE ranks.
Updated at 10.24 EDT
35km to go: Carapaz is now among the crowds of fans on the Pas de Peyrol.
They are cheering him on, in the style of grand tour roadside crowds everywhere. There are thousands of them!
The Ecuadorian now has 28sec. It’s a superb effort to build that much of a gap. Does he have a hope of making it stick?
Updated at 10.23 EDT
35.5km to go: Carapaz has 22sec.
It is great to see someone have a crack … but Pogacar and co remain in complete control, it seems to me.
Updated at 10.21 EDT
36km to go: “He’s the most talented rider I’ve worked with,” says Vaughters on commentary of Carapaz. “Richie is sometimes tricky to keep track of … he doesn’t like to be directed, he’s very much his own man.”
37.5km to go: Carapaz attacks!
He gaps the chasing bunch.
“He’s very instinctive,” says Vaughters, the EF Education–EasyPost manager, who happens to be on commentary. “I don’t know if it’ll work or not, but it’s more fun than watching the same old, same old for the next hour.”
Updated at 10.18 EDT
Javier Romo is caught by yellow jersey group
38km to go: A heroic ride from the Movistar man, solo for the last while, and with his partner Harold Tejada before that. Time for the GC men to do battle in the final part of the stage.
Updated at 10.15 EDT
39km to go: Vaughters reckons the Col de Pertus, which is steep from the start, is where Pogacar will go for it.
The gap for Romo is down to 11sec.
Javier Romo rides past some fans cooling off at the roadside. Photograph: Stéphanie Lecocq/ReutersShare
40km to go: Again, Romo gets out of his saddle and tries to maintain the gap. But his days are numbered. There were just some shots of some very loud, boisterous fans on the next climb, the Puy Mary – Pas de Peyrol.
40km to go: Just 18sec for Romo up front now.
Vingegaard is present behind the UAE team, marking his man Pogacar. Seixas is also in position with some teammates.
42km to go: I don’t disagree with that Ryan, but the image of UAE “throwing haymakers” suggests that the other teams have a realistic chance of landing a punch or two of their own in response. The individual dominance of Pogacar, allied to the crushing superiority of the team collectively, makes that seem impossible.
Updated at 10.10 EDT
43km to go: “If we can’t see an exciting breakaway fight for a stage I would rather see carnage,” emails Ryan. “It is boring if UAE just ride and protect their lead to the finish. Froome, and he who should not be named, used to do that all the time. Get a lead and protect it. UAE seem inclined to throw haymakers and I am here for it.”
UAE Team Emirates-XRG. Throwing haymakers. Photograph: Loïc Venance/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 10.07 EDT
45km to go: “It’s an admirable athletic effort,” says Vaughters of Romo. “But it’s not going to come to much.”
Javier Romo. Photograph: Dario Belingheri/Getty ImagesShare
46km to go: Wellens is churning away at the front of the yellow jersey group, getting through a massive amount of work. Up front, Romo gets out of his saddle, powering down the descent to the foot of the Pas de Peyrol.
Updated at 10.04 EDT
48km to go: Romo has 43sec on the yellow jersey group. Will Pogacar light it up on the Pas de Peyrol, which is coming up after the Côte de Murat, or the second category-one climb, the Col de Pertus? I bet the former.
The Pas de Peyrol-Le Puy Mary Cantal in 2020. Photograph: Tim de Waele/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 10.03 EDT
49km to go: Robbie McEwen was just on about lactate-carbohydrate gels, apparently the next big thing in nutrition.
“I wonder who the mega-budget team who have apparently hoovered up the supply of this lactate carbohydrate gels could be,” emails Matthew.
On commentary, Jonathan Vaughters was just talking about how much carbohydrate riders take on while racing now, saying that Carapaz has a remarkable capacity to process the stuff.
50km to go: Romo’s advantage has grown to 57sec. This is an amazing ride by the 27-year-old Movistar rider.
Lenny Martinez (Bahrain-Victorious) has dropped back to the team cars from some ice.
Updated at 09.57 EDT
52km to go: Tadej Pogacar looks ready to strike.
Romo, up front, has 49sec on the yellow jersey group, which consists of 95 riders.
Tadej Pogacar. Photograph: Yoan Valat/EPAShare
“It was a nice stage,” Pogacar said earlier, of his defeat by Vingegaard on Le Lioran in 2024. “Good stage. Much longer than today, much harder. Today is going to be quite similar in the end.”
Does he want revenge on Vingegaard?
“Not revenge. But it’s a nice stage if we can win today.”
The finale in 2024. Photograph: Guillaume Horcajuelo/EPAShare
Updated at 09.49 EDT
57km to go: Romo is taking risks on the descent. He runs wide on a right-hander and brings a concerned yelp from commentator Kirby.
61km to go: Romo hammers down the descent. There is a long downhill now leading into the day’s fourth categorised climb, the Côte de Murat. That’s 5.2km long, with an average gradient of 5.2%.
After that, it’s the category-one Pas de Peyrol, the category-one Col de Pertus, and the category-three Col de Font de Cère still to come.
Updated at 09.45 EDT
62.5km to go: Romo powers over the summit of the Col de Prat de Bouc. This is a huge effort from him. He was born in Villafranca de los Caballeros, and they say he used to be a triathlete.
63km to go: I should say we’re on the third categorised climb, the Col de Prat de Bouc: 3.1km long, average gradient 6.5%.
63.5km to go. In the chase group of three, Alex Baudin gets out of the saddle and tries to pick the pace up. it’s no use, though: the Pogacar group, numbering 92 riders, is about to catch them.
64km to go: The gap between yellow jersey group and the front of the race is down to 51sec.
Pogacar rides fifth wheel, looking as focused as ever.
Updated at 09.38 EDT
66km to go: Debruyne, Baudin, V Paret-Peintre are now the closest men to our leader, Romo. Healy is back in the yellow jersey group, a minute behind the front of the race.
Whichever way you slice it, this is looking like a GC day, given the work UAE have already done to control it and shut it down.
69km to go: Romo takes five KOM points atop the Col de la Griffoul. He has 37sec on the chasers.
There is a group of 68 that’s been dropped by the main bunch. The are 9min 55sec behind the front of the race. Behind them, the Merlier group is 13min 24sec in arrears.
69km to go: “Kevin Debruyne?” emails Craig.
No. Ramses Debruyne, Alpecin-Premier Tech.
Ramses Debruyne of Belgium and Team Alpecin-Premier Tech. Photograph: Tim de Waele/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 09.30 EDT
70km to go: “Sean Kelly’s response was telling,” emails Guy Hornsby. “He’s not a man for hyperbole, so when he says he doesn’t like somewhere, you suspect it was horrible to ride in. With these unrelenting conditions, it’s hard to know how this lumpy stage will pan out, but could we see another Pogacar launch and solo? With the two Cat 1s near the end, and UAE running the peloton, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility. But is it what the public want? Pogacar is a generational rider in supreme form, but I’m not sure ruthless wins gets the romantic in me. It’s not his fault, of course. But I’d love a Ben Healy breakaway win, even if it’s a forlorn hope.”
Ben Healy on the move. Photograph: Stéphanie Lecocq/ReutersShare
71km to go: Still about 1.5km to the top of the Col de la Griffoul.
Romo has 49sec on the chasers … Wellens has taken it up for UAE, back down the road, and the gap is falling.
Updated at 09.27 EDT
71km to go: Debruyne, Tejada, Baudin, V Paret-Peintre, Braz Afonso, Vervaeke, Plapp, Healy is the chase group.
71km to go: Correction: Healy is in a group of eight chasers, behind Romo, who is out front alone.
72km to go: Warren Barguil is nearly taken out by a team car. He makes his feelings known.
Romo, out front, has 1min 56sec on the bunch. He is about to be caught by Ben Healy … money on Healy for the stage? Unless, well, Pogacar gets involved, which looks likely.
Updated at 09.24 EDT
72km to go: What was the highlight of Fred Wright’s rest day?
“I had a Magnum with caramel, the one with two layers,” says the Pinarello–Q36.5 Pro Cycling rider. “The rest day went pretty quickly as they always do.”
Fred Wright enjoyed an ice cream on the rest day. Photograph: Dario Belingheri/Getty ImagesShare
73km to go: Vervaeke and Heally have dropped Higuita.
74km to go: Romo attacks Tejada! The famous duo has split!
74.5km to go: “My God, they are doing a magnificent job to hold it at this,” Kelly says of the UAE Team Emirates riders working at the front of the peloton to control the gap.
One of them is Nils Pollitt. He is an absolute machine.
Updated at 09.18 EDT