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Stage four: Amiens Metropole - Rouen, 174.2km
Mathieu van der Poel wears the race leader's yellow jersey
We're very much into the second half of this stage and the pace is picking up which means it's likely to be close to full gas from here.
It should make for an intriguing conclusion and given the sprinters are unlikely to be around at the line, the intermediate sprint at Saint-Adrien in around 35km, should be fiercely contested.
The four escapees are still going strong although the peloton have held their deficit at a shade under two minutes.
Image source, Getty ImagesTotal Energies rider Emilien Jeanniere has been grabbing some medical assistance. The Frenchman was involved in a heavy crash near the end of stage thee and had to visit the dentist last night to fix a broken tooth.
Image source, Getty ImagesJust a reminder of how the GC standing looked when the race rolled out of Amiens earlier.
I would be amazed if this doesn't alter significantly in Rouen.
1. Mathieu Van der Poel (Ned - Alpecin-Deceuninck) 12hrs 55mins 37secs
2. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +4secs
3. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) +6secs
4. Kevin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) +10secs
5. Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) Same time
6. Enric Mas (Spa-Movistar), Same time
7. Joseph Blackmore (GB - Israel - Premier Tech) +41secs
8. Tobias Halland Johannessen (Nor - Uno-X Mobility) Same time
9. Ben O'Connor (Aus - Jayco AlUla) "
10. Emanuel Buchmann (Ger/Cofidis) +49secs
A few shots of the riders pulling over at the side of the road to go to the toilet.
It's not exactly the Cafe des Deux Moulins, where German cyclist Nils Politt made an unscheduled stopduring the men's road race at the Paris Olympics last year, but when you've got to go, you've got to go.
Love all the scenic shots of the French countryside you get during the Tour de France.
With an estimated 12m fans lining the roads each year, the Tour de France is easily the most attended sporting event in the world and it as also broadcast in 190 countries.
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty ImagesThomas Gachignard (Total Energies), Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) and Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) zipped off the front early in the stage and have been joined by Danish powerhouse Kasper Asgreen.
It's a handy quartet but the gap is being held at two minutes and well that's nothing at all given how few they are.
Image source, Getty ImagesIn case you don't recognise them in the picture above and are wondering who is leading the general classification, mountains competition, points race and is currently the best young rider, well here you go:
Image source, AS0Both Amiens and Rouen have been the preserve of sprinters in previous editions of the Tour but that will not be the case this time around.
The trip into Normandy comes with a relentless up-and-down stretch in the finale that should deliver pure drama.
You can read about every stage and catch up on the race results right here., external
Image source, Getty ImagesGood afternoon.
The racing is under way and we're expecting fireworks in the final 50km where explosive climbing and skilful descending will likely come to the fore and the GC favourites may have their first proper skirmish in this edition of the Tour de France.