Image source, Getty Images

Speaking before today's stage, Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe's Australian rider Jai Hindley said: "It's maybe one of the last chances for the breakaway [to get a stage win] and probably the last chance for a lot of teams who haven't picked up a stage or done something yet, so hopefully we're in it today."

For the record, Hindley's team are one of those yet to taste victory this year.

There's now a huge breakaway group of 37 riders, with no-one from UAE Team Emirates, Soudal-Quick Step, Alpecin-Deceuninck nor Astana Qazaqstan in the mix.

All four of those teams already have at least one stage win at this year's Tour.

Image source, Reuters

Richard Carapaz completed the set of victories in cycling's Grand Tours by winning stage 17 of the Tour de France.

Carapaz had won stages at the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a Espana, as well as Olympic road race gold, but earned his first Tour de France stage triumph with a superb solo victory in the Alps.

The Education-EasyPost rider also becomes the first man from Ecuador to win a stage at the Tour.

Behind Carapaz, who beat Britain's Simon Yates into second, Tadej Pogacar was 27th, but increased his general classification lead over Jonas Vingegaard by two seconds - it now stands at three minutes and 11 seconds.

Remco Evenepoel finished the stage in 26th - 10 seconds ahead of Pogacar and 12 clear of Vingegaard - so the third-placed Belgian now trails Vingegaard by just under two minutes in the GC standings.

Richard Carapaz, yesterday's stage winner, joins the breakaway group up the Col du Festre.

But Spain's Oier Lazkano is first over the top, with American rider Sean Quinn just behind - 50 seconds ahead of the peloton.

A group of about 20 riders has gone clear, including Jai Hindley and Wout van Aert, and they're now heading up the Col du Festre.

It's a 3.9km climb with an average gradient of 6.3%.

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The riders have already set off from Gap, with Jasper Stuyven launching an early attack, but with no support, Lidl-Trek's Belgian rider was soon caught by the peloton.

It's another 10km to the first categorised climb of the day.

Today the Tour travels through the foothills of the Alps and will cross a number of the smaller peaks in readiness for the three pivotal days to follow.

With the GC riders almost certainly keen to save energy for bigger battles to come, today's stage looks perfectly set up for the breakaway specialists to shine.

It features five category three climbs and an intermediate sprint.

Image source, ASO

Image source, EPA

Just four stages remain on this year's Tour de France so time is running out for defending champion Jonas Vingegaard to mount a fightback in the race for the general classification title.

Two-time champion Tadej Pogacar has been in imperious form over the last week as the two-time champion has built a commanding lead.

Can Vingegaard possibly give Pogacar something to worry about today? Will third-placed Remco Evenepoel sense an opportunity to close the gap on Vingegaard? Or will a surprise stage winner emerge from the breakaway group?