Alex Baudin has effectively been the main support act to Ben Healy in this leading group but he looks in a world of pain at the moment on the front.

Simon Yates, who won the Giro d'Italia just over a month ago, moves onto the Frenchman's wheel as today's relentless up and down continues on the Col de la Croix Morand.

Ben Healy tries to launch but Ben O'Connor is wise to that.

Lenny Martinez takes another five points on the Col de Guery.

Ben O'Connor attacks just after the summit but is immediately brought back by Alex Baudin.

The Alaphilippe group has been brought back by the peloton as Harry Sweeny pulls the pin up front.

We are down to 16 now and they have a near five-minute advantage.

Ben Healy currently leads on the virtual GC. Tim Wellens and Nils Politt will not be bringing this back.

Image source, Getty Images

Luke Plapp who was in the original breakaway, is swallowed up by the peloton.

Up at the front the three EF Education-EasyPost riders still there, Ben Healy, Alex Baudin and Harry Sweeny are pushing the pace and look extremely motivated.

Picnic–PostNL have indeed confrmed that Romain Bardet was acting as a soigneurs for the day. See 14:12 post.

Lenny Martinez opens up and takes another five points on the Cote de Bert.

The 22-year-old French climber is aiming to emulate his grandfather Mariano Martinez, who won the KOM competition in 1978 and two years later won stage 17 in Morzine on Bastille Day.

The breakaway is back up to 18 riders now and they have opened up three minutes and 40 seconds to the main peloton.

With Tim Wellens and Nils Politt setting the pace for an under strength UAE Team Emirates.

Lenny Martinez hoovered up five King of the Mountains points on that last climb.

There are nearly 40 on offer today and the young French rider has alreadt collected 15 and is on course to be wearing polka dots tomorrow.

Simon Yates, Valentin Paret-Peintre and Alex Baudin manage to join the leaders mean there are 10 pretty strong riders heading the race.

Victor Campenaerts, Ben Healy, Lenny Martinez, Thymen Arensman, Quinn Simmons and Michael Woods manage to reel in Ben O'Connor, while distancing the likes of Joe Blackmore and Julian Alaphilippe.

That means there are now three small groups on the road before the main bunch.

As Jayco AlUla's main man ekes out around 25 seconds on his former breakaway buddies, a bloke on the road who looks distinctly like the recently retired Romain Bardet is handing out bottles at the side of the road. Surely not.

Ben O'Connor attacks. This is all about trying to win the stage. It will be a tall order for the Australian from here.

He is halfway up the third ascent of the day on the Cote de Charade and there are still five more climbs to come.

Image source, Reuters

The race organisers issued a plea to fans before racing got under way today.

It asked those at the roadside not to touch the riders, not make use of flares, stay behind barriers and be clear of the road.

Dress code might need a mention on their next one given I have just spotted a group of lads in 1980s-style swimming trunks, cheering the riders on halfway up a climb.

Pavel Sivakov is not on a good day at all and is dropped again with his team car pulling alongside him and giving him two or three bottles.

UAE Team Emirates come on the radio and say that he'll have an easy day in the gruppeto.

Jonas Vingegaard waves to the cameras.

The two-time Tour winner looks very relaxed and calm and was saying at the start that apart from the time trial everything else in the first nine days has gone perfectly.

Scotland's Oscar Onley has a mechanical.

That is not ideal at all as the main bunch begin the climb up the Cote de La Baraque, another category two ascent that averages out at 7.4% over 4.8km.

Onley does not have a huge gap to make up and has a team-mate for support so should be fine.

There have been 28 French victories in the Tour on Bastille from 24 riders.

The previous six which I have managed to watch came courtesy of Laurent Jalabert (1995, 2001), Laurent Brochard (1997), Richard Virenque (2004), David Moncoutié (2005) and Warren Barguil (2017).

Will we have another today?

Anders Johannessen rolls through an uncontested intermediate sprint first.