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This is not a drill
Such is the excitement in the Pyrenean air today, we're firing up the CN live blimp early. There's just under an hour to go until the race gets underway, but once it does there'll barely be time to catch our breath, and we've got plenty of build-up to get through...
There's only really one place to start, and that's with Barry Ryan's stage preview.
We need to talk about the starting grid...
But will it make any difference?
This is the second of three mountain stages in the Pyrenees. Yesterday saw Julian Alaphilippe take his second stage win of this Tour, and indeed of his career. Meanwhile the GC contenders were all content to mark each other, perhaps keeping their powder dry with today's stage in mind.
And here's how things stand overall
Peyresourde/Peyragudes and Val Louron-Azet are both serious climbs, but today's final climb of the Col du Portet is causing almost all of the trepidation. "It’s probably one of the most brutal climbs we’ve ever done," says Dan Martin.
A few summit finish comparisons with the Portet:Col de Portet: 16km at 8.7%. Alt 2,115m.Ventoux: 15.7km at 8.8%. Alt 1,912m.Alpe d'Huez: 13.8km at 8.1%. Alt 1,850m.Finhaut-Emosson: 10.4km at 8.4%. Alt 1,960m.Col d'Izoard: 14.1km at 7.3%. Alt 2,360m.
— Baden Cooke (@badencooke)
Just about enough time to click play on our latest podcast. Daniel Benson and Ed Pickering discuss today's stage, along with what happened yesterday - including that astonishing farmer's protest - and what happened the day before that - including Dave Brailsford's even more astonishing comments at Team Sky's rest-day press conference.
As I mentioned, there's no neutralised section today. Most riders would warm up anyway for a stage like this, but today the organisers have ended sign-on a full 30 minutes before the start, and created a paddock area where the riders can warm up. Here's Tom Dumoulin and Sunweb.
The riders are milling around, slowly making their way to the grid. The maillot jaune will be in the pole position and is weaving his way through to the head of the line.
There's not too much stress apparent in the peloton - mountains classification leader Julian Alaphilippe is all smiles.
Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome are in position, and Tom Dumoulin has just threaded his way to third position.
The top riders are all in position and the tension is beginning to show a little. Mikel Landa has a stretch and a sigh.
Here we go then. We're moments away. This is weird...
They're off!
Bardet comes through but no attacks from the gun from the GC guys...
Sky's riders quickly make their way to Thomas and Froome.
We have attacks, but from the Pro Conti teams and breakaway hopefuls.
Well that wasn't too different to a normal stage...
Julien Bernard is among the attackers at the head of the race. Pierre Rolland too.
Tanel Kangert off the front now for Astana. Thomas De Gendt and Pierre Rolland are following.
Pellizotti has set off in pursuit of Kangert.
Sky have four riders ahead of Thomas and Froome. So much for the leaders being isolated early...
Valverde is in this breakaway group. The Spaniard is 11th overall.
Alaphilippe has sprung out of the peloton and is making his way up towards the break.
Adam Yates is also in this break. The Briton came so close to victory yesterday, only to crash half-way down the final descent.
Luke Rowe is leading the peloton.
Luke Rowe is leading the peloton.
More riders spring from the peloton. Mikel Nieve goes now, teammates of Yates. Darwin Atapuma, Mathias Frank, and Romain Sicard have just made it over.
Valverde is the headline name in that break. He has Marc Soler in there for company. Movistar have Mikel Landa and Nairo Quintana back in the peloton, both outside the top five and needing to produce something spectacular today.
Kangert has 25 seconds over this breakaway of more than 20 riders.
The breakaway has split slightly on the early section of the climb. The gradient eases now for a kilometre or so.
This was the scene earlier
Cofidis' Nicolas Edet has caught Kangert at the head of affairs.
Luke Rowe is still on the front for Sky. Peter Sagan is still in there. Sky's rivals aren't using this climb so far to try and shake things up.
Wout Poels drops back through the bunch. Not sure if he's struggling or heading back for supplies.
Alaphilippe leads the chase of Kangert and Edet. The Frenchman is in a trio with Jesus Herrada (Cofidis) and Kristijan Durasek (UAE).
Kangert accelerates and drops Edet.
57km remaining from 65km
Some more names in the break
Edet is caught and passed by the Alaphilippe/Herrada/Durasek trio.
Kangert leads the race
Kangert is 4km from the summit of Peyragudes. Steady gradients of 7% here.
Alaphilippe briefly drops Herrada and Durasek. The Frenchman is known more as a puncheur, but with two high-mountain stage wins and the polka-dot jersey on his shoulders....
Luke Rowe continues to set the tempo in the yellow jersey group.
Yates is making his way back to to Valverde and Soler at the head of the third group on the road. The Briton lost contact for a kilometre or so.
Kangert comes over the top of the Col de Peyresourde. This isn't where the climb ends, however, as the riders continue on up the Montée de Peyragudes, which you may remember from last year.
Mechanical for Quintana!
The Colombian gets a wheel change - and a slow one - from Andrey Amador.
Quintana should be able to get back in relatively comfortably before the top of the climb.
50km remaining from 65km
Alaphilippe is next over, some 20 seconds down, to add a further 8 points to his lead in the mountains classification. He has Herrada and Durasek on his wheel.
Next over is the third breakaway group, containing Valverde, Soler, Yates, Pellizotti, Fraile, and a few others.
Quintana stops again to get a new bike.
Quintana rips past teammate Daniele Bennati, who'd paced him back the first time. He has Imanol Erviti to drag him to the summit.
The peloton cross the top of Peyragudes 3:30 down on Kangert.
The third group on the road thinned to eight by the top. It contains:
We saw Alaphilippe's descending skills yesterday. Matt White said he'd never seen some of the angles the Frenchman produced. Herrada can't match him, and now Durasek is drifting back too. Meanwhile Kangert is in sight up ahead.
I missed Pellizotti off that list of riders in the third group. Bauke Mollema has just made it over, too, on the descent.
40km remaining from 65km
40 kilometres to go! 40!
The leaders come off the descent. There's a brief section in the valley -and a somewhat incongruous intermediate sprint - before the road kicks up again for the Col de Val Louron-Azet.
Kangert leads Alaphilippe and Durasek through the sprint, but in truth it's the last thing on anyone's mind.
The leading trio hit the Col de Val Louron-Azet. It's 7.4km at 8.3%. Shorter than Peyresourde/Peyragudes but much more vicious.
Luke Rowe leads Sky and the peloton onto the climb, 3:30 in arrears. How long can the Classics specialist keep this up? Surely Sky's rivals can't settle for this pace up another first-category climb? If they want to win the Tour surely they have to start thinking about attacking here, and weakening Sky ahead of the Portet.
And, as if on cue, AG2R take it up in the peloton. Silvan Dillier, Oliver Naesen, and Pierre Latour are in front of Romain Bardet...
AG2R spoke a lot ahead of this Tour about taking the race to Sky and being the ones to 'destabilise' them. We haven't seen it so far, but now they're playing their cards, and Rowe is gone.
The AG2R collective has been weakened by the abandons of Tony Gallopin and Alexis Vuillermoz. Climber Mathias Frank is somewhere up the road. Naesen pulls away now. Latour will be key here. He's in the white jersey as best young rider but may have to lay that on the line here.
The change of pace has thinned the peloton dramatically.
Dillier is gone now, too, and Latour puts in a big acceleration for Bardet.
No more than 30 left in the peloton
Dan Martin is right behind Bardet. They have a small gap back to Sky, who are trying not to panic. Castroviejo is leading them.
Yates can't hold the pace of the Valverde group.
Bardet looks focused as he sits in Latour's wheel and bides his time. When will he make his move?
Quintana and Landa are towards the back of this GC group.
33km remaining from 65km
Latour begins to bob his head from side to side as has become his trademark. He looks comfortable, though.
Poels is still present but he's at the back of the group.
Dumoulin has latched onto the back of the Sky train. He has no teammates with him.
Majka is forcing the issue in the chase group. Valverde, Fraile, and Martinez are the only ones with him.
32km remaining from 65km
Soler is caught by the yellow jersey group, having dropped from the Valverde group. The Spaniard looks for Quintana and Landa.
Pellizotti and Mulhberger have dragged their way back to the Valverde group.
Soler gets straight to work on the front of the yellow jersey group. He plonks himself in front of Latour.
Alaphilippe, Kangert, and Durasek are 50 seconds clear of the Valverde group, and 2:30 clear of the peloton.
Latour is done
30km remaining from 65km
Latour is clinging to the back of the group but he's losing the wheel now. just over 1km to the summit.
Mollema, Rolland, Izaguirre, and Geschke are caught by the GC group, having been in the break.
Muhlberger, after another big turn, drops from the Valverde group. With Soler riding hard behind, Valverde is sitting in and letting Bora work in this group - the second on the road.
Alaphilippe leads the race over the Col de Val Louron-Azet, adding to his lead in the KOM standings. Kangert is on the wheel, Durasek a few lengths back.
Valverde, Majka, Fraile, and Martinez come over the top 25 seconds down.
Soler still leads the peloton. Kwiatkowski is on the wheel.
Poels moves up now.
27km remaining from 65km
A really tricky descent to come now, 11km long.
Soler leads the GC group down the descent.
Alaphilippe leads the way, Kangert just about keeping pace. Durasek is losing more ground and is now 23 seconds down. He may soon be caught by the next group - Valverde, Majka, Fraile, Pellizotti, and Martinez.
Peter Sagan has crashed, according to race radio.
20km remaining from 65km
Soler is leading the GC group down, a few wheels clear of Sky. No one's taking any risks or making any moves here.
18km remaining from 65km
Col du Portet
Alaphilippe and Kangert hit the valley with a lead of less than a minute over Valverde, Majka, Fraile, Pellizotti, and Martinez.
We're hearing Sagan is back up and going.
And now the climb begins.
Alaphilippe is immediately dropped. The Frenchman waves goodbye to Kangert and waves his hand to his throat. His day is done, and he's made that polka-dot jersey even more secure on his shoulders.
So, we have a lone leader, Tanel Kangert. How far can he go? Valverde is pushing on in the chase, while the peloton is 2:46 back.
The GC group hit the climb, and it's Soler leading the way.
Big acceleration from Soler. Castroviejo marks him but the rest of the Sky train stays where it is.
Soler continues his effort, Castroviejo on his wheel. Sky have called the bluff, but Soler could provide a bridge for an attack from Quintana or Landa.
15km remaining from 65km
Dan Martin attacks!
Quintana follows Martin. They have a gap
Quintana accelerates now.
Here we go, it's finally kicking off
Sky aren't panicking but the gap is growing.
Martin can't hold Quintana's wheel.
Castroviejo leads the Sky train, Poels behind, then Kwiatkowski, Thomas and Froome.
Soler is dropped. His work is done.
Quintana has 20 seconds on his rivals.
Sky are riding tempo here, refusing to panic.
A reminder of the overall standings
Quintana catches Yates and other remnants of the original break. He's now 30 seconds ahead.
Dan Martin is still in between Quintana and the GC group.
Quintana springs away from Yates and now Alaphilippe.
Attack from Roglic!
Froome goes with him!
Dream scenario for Froome...
Sky disappear from the front and Dumoulin is forced to come to the front.
Thomas tucks in behind Dumoulin
This is a really interesting tactical situation. Rolgic is fourth overall and around a minute back on Dumoulin. Froome can follow, arguing he needs to gain time on Dumoulin, while Thomas will have to sit in and wait, hoping Dumoulin busts a gut and Roglic and Froome don't gain too much ground.
Dumoulin is digging in here and the GC group is thinning big time