Key events<\/p>\n
136km to go The riders are in and out of the shadows of overhanging trees. There are gaps in the peloton now, no UAE riders in the first fifty riders. Bruno Armirail makes a temporary \u2013 and brief – bid for freedom.<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n 138km to go First moves are underway, cagey and shoulder shifting. EF Education are stretching out the peloton with Ben Healey in pink at the front.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 139km to go They start the 21.5km ascent of the Grand Ballon, the second largest climb of this year\u2019s Tour de France<\/a>, through a village heavily sprinkled with crowds and out onto tree lined roads.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 143km to go NSM start the lead out for the sprint \u2013 25, 20, 16 points waiting for first, second and third over the line. But Philipsen stays cool and gets the 25 point reward, Pedersen second, Kanter third, Girmay fourth. The gap slims down to 36 points for the green jersey.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 145km to go Now bright sunshine as the riders pull away from filthy skies \u2013 a slim line of Alpecin riders are still pulling the peloton along \u2013 hoping to put Jasper Philipsen in position for maximum sprint points \u2013 2.4km to go.<\/p>\n Honk honk! Photograph: Dario Belingheri\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.54 EDT<\/p>\n 151km to go The intermediate sprint is in 8.5km and Alpecin are controlling the front.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Kilometre Zero<\/p>\n The race director pops his head out into the dampness, waves his flag, and the riders head off into the pouring rain. No initial attacks in stinking conditions, as sprint and GC teams cover the front of the peloton.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.38 EDT<\/p>\n Rain turns to hail \u2013 think Raymond Briggs\u2019 Father Christmas.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n And actually it is raining already, slanting into the riders as they approach kilometre zero.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Rain is on the menu today for a day of nasty vertical climbs \u2013 four classified climbs and 3,800m of vertical gain over 155km.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n They are mulling over the possibilities in the studio. \u201cI like to see Jonus go for a stage win, be nice to see the underdog get one.\u201d says Robbie McEwen. The panel think he should keep on riding for first place.<\/p>\n Meanwhile the battle for that third podium place is wide open.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>DeBruyne out of the race<\/p>\n A sore throat and a fever have ruined Ramses DeBruyne\u2019s TDF. He was sixth in the young rider\u2019s classification and 18th in the overall standings.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n They\u2019ve toddled off, 12.5k till the depart r\u00e9e.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.19 EDT<\/p>\n \u201cGood vibes in the bus,\u201d says the yellow-jerseyed Pogacar, \u201cand everyone knows what to do.\u201d Ominous, they conclude in the studio.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The start is about five minutes away and it looks hot out there, though it is only showing a relatively comfortable 26 degrees on the themometer at the moment.<\/p>\n Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard at the ready. Photograph: Yoan Valat\/EPAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.21 EDT<\/p>\n General Classification Standings<\/p>\n In the studio, they\u2019re talking about Tom Pidcock\u2019s ride yesterday that screeched him up the GC rankings. \u201cAudacious all day long,\u201d says Robbie McEwen.\u201cProbably the most talented rider GB has ever had,\u201d adds Adam Blythe.<\/p>\n 1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG): 47hrs 18mins 31secs 4. Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5 pro cycling team<\/a>): +4mins 15secs Share<\/a>The points classification<\/p>\n Green jersey standings.<\/p>\n 1. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) 377 3. Biniam Girmay (NSN Cycling<\/a> Team) 333 Share<\/a>King of the Mountains Standings<\/p>\n There are a maximum of 35 points on offer for the polka dot jersey chasers today:<\/p>\n 1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 42 4. Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5 pro cycling team<\/a>): 18 Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a006.59 EDT<\/p>\n William Fotheringham\u2019s stage guideStage 14, Saturday 18 July: Mulhouse to Le Markstein Fellering, 155.3km<\/p>\n A brutal day\u2019s climbing including a 106km loop that goes through the finish line twice, at the top of the first-category Grand Ballon after 43.9km, then finally via the Col du Haag, a steep, narrow climb, 11km at 7% up what the manual describes as \u201ca forest path which has been converted into a cycle path\u201d. That is after climbing the Ballon d\u2019Alsace for the second time in two days. The trend on the Tour\u2019s shorter mountain stages now is that the early escapees do not get enough space to contest the stage win; this has Pogacar or Vingegaard written all over it.<\/p>\n
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma-Lease a Bike): +3mins 36secs
3. Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe): +4mins 06secs<\/p>\n
5. Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek): +4mins 22secs
6. Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM Team): +4mins 35secs
7. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe): +4mins 44secs
8. Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG): +5mins 08secs
9. Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek): +5mins 45secs
10. Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious): +6mins 34secs<\/p>\n
2. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) 336<\/p>\n
4. Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) 307
5. Max Kanter (XDS Astana Team) 239
6. Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) 210
7. S\u00f8ren W\u00e6renskjold (Uno-X Mobility) 159
8. Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies) 129
9. Milan Fretin (Cofidis) 117
10. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 107<\/p>\n
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) 27
3. Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) 19<\/p>\n
5. Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step) 18
6. Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) 18
7. Nicolas Prodhomme (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) 17
8. Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost) 16
9. Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) 16
10. Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 14<\/p>\n