The leading group are around 5km from the sprint section in Kilnsey.

The pursuing group are a further three minutes back with the main bulk of the peloton being around five minutes behind the lead group

Today's route, despite starting and finishing in West Yorkshire, spends much of the day in North Yorkshire.

Pateley Bridge isn't the official feed station, but I'd have trouble turning away a slice of this.

I guess that's one of the many reasons I'm tapping away on a keyboard rather than racing through Yorkshire...

Peter Scrivener
BBC Sport

Max Stedman is again first over the top and he picks up four more King of the Mountains points to move into the joint lead of that category. And there are three more climbs to come.

The British Canyon Eisberg rider will wrap up this classification if their break continues.

Stephane Rossetto appears to let him go. Is the Cofidis rider looking to go for the stage win while letting Stedman hoover up the KoM points? They don't appear to be talking to each other, which perhaps they should.

About 25km to the next climb - the Cote de Park Rash - when we shall hopefully find out their tactics.

Peter Scrivener
BBC Sport

The leaders are on the third categorised climb of the day and we are still inside the first 50km. The Cote de Barden Moor - 1km at 9.5% - is again not particularly long but it is another one to sap the energy that little bit more.

Stephane Rossetto and Max Stedman are still out there on their own. They have 13 riders chasing them, one minute 50 seconds back.

The Astana team is still pacing the peloton - they need to keep their man Magnus Cort Nielsen in touch but they are a further 100 seconds back.

Race fans are soaking up the atmosphere in the Market Place.

The crowds are gathering at the Cultural Hub in Millennium Square ahead of the finish of the four-day event

Peter Scrivener
BBC Sport

Stephane Rossetto and Max Stedman are first up the second categorised climb of the day - the Cote de Goose Eye.

Stedman briefly loses his chain but manages to jiggle it back on and then sprints past Rossetto, who appears to sarcastically applaud the Briton, to take the King of the Mountains points.

Connor Swift, the third man in the break has found that 1.5km ascent with an average gradient of 10% tough going and has dropped a few seconds back.

Peter Scrivener
BBC Sport

Early attacks are threatening to split this race wide open. Race leader Magnus Cort Nielsen has four Astana riders with him as they pace the peloton.

But there are three riders out on their own, with about 10 more 25 seconds adrift of them - and that group contains one BMC Racing rider, trying to set something up for his team leader Greg van Avermaet. The peloton is two minutes back.

They have just toiled up the cobbles through the middle of Haworth and are now heading up over the moors made famous by the Bronte sisters. There was barely space for the riders to get through in single file such was the number of fans on the side of the road.

The sides of the street were covered with people.

I mean covered.

Don't believe me?

Take a look here - spine-tingling stuff!

The lead group is up to five, two riders have just crashed and the race is strung out.

There's around 40 riders left in the peloton.

The front group are throwing everything at it early.

We're about 20km in and it's starting to get spicy.

These were the scenes as the clock counted down to the start of today's race.

When the riders complete the 7km ascent of Cote de Hebden Bridge, here's what they've got to look forward to.

The crowds are building but the view is always here:

Image source, Tim Oscroft

Image source, Tim Oscroft

Here's a police car's view of race-watchers in West Yorkshire.

Peter Scrivener
BBC Sport

Will race leader Magnus Cort Nielsen take the race victory in Leeds later this afternoon? The Danish Astana rider has proved he can sprint (finishing second in Scarborough on Saturday) and climb (winning stage two on Ilkley Moor) so today's up and down stage should pose no significant difficulties.

However, do not rule out Belgian Greg van Avermaet. His BMC Racing team's red and black kit is easy to spot and he will love today's route. He was won numerous one-day 'Spring Classics' over very similar terrain. His team ride aggressively. Will they break Magnus today?

And do not forget defending champion Serge Pauwels. His Dimension Data team has not had the best of races with Mark Cavendish missing out on two potential stage wins. What better way to make up for that than within a stage win today.

Nielsen leads Van Avermaet by 10 seconds with Pauwels six seconds further adrift. But with 10 bonus seconds for today's stage winner up for grabs, this race is still wide open.

Madison Genesis rider Rich Handley, British Cycling's Gabz Cullaigh from Huddersfield and Hayden McCormick from One Pro Cycling are still out in front.

They have a around 45 seconds on the chasing pack.

The tour's final stage could well be the most physically demanding of the race, with a grand total of six climbs.

Three come in quick succession at Hebden Bridge, Goose Eye and Barden Moor, with a sprint 67km into the stage at Kilnsey.

Ten kilometres later it's a steep climb up Park Rash near Kettlewell, with two more near the closing stages of the race at Greenhow Hill and Otley Chevin.

After the final climb is ticked off, the race picks up speed as it approaches Leeds and a final sprint is contested at Arthington.

Image source, Tour de Yorkshire

There's a three-man break under way at the head of the field.

The riders are about couple of minutes from Cote de Hebden Bridge - the first of six classified ascents today.

While the first climb isn't that steep at just under five percent, it's long - around seven kilometres.