Virtual King of the Mountains classification after the Hourquette d’Ancizan climb:

1. Tadej Pogacar - 36 points
2. Jonas Abrahamsen - 36
3. Jonas Vingegaard - 28
4. Oier Lazkano - 27
5. David Gaudu - 20

When the peloton reached the top of the Hourquette d’Ancizan there was a gap of one minute and 15 seconds to the head of the race.

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Here's how the main King of the Mountain points were shared on today's penultimate climb:

1. David Gaudu - 5
2. Oier Lazkano - 3
3. Ben Healy - 2
4. Michal Kwiatkowski - 1

Today, of course, is not the kind of day that suits Mark Cavendish and the Tour's record-breaking sprinter is back in the grupetto, more than 19 minutes behind the leaders.

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David Gaudu and Oier Lazkano look at each other as the summit approaches, before Gaudu kicks and Groupama-FDJ's French rider goes clear to take maximum points of the Hourquette d’Ancizan.

There are now six riders in the breakaway group, namely Michal Kwiatkowski, David Gaudu, Ben Healy, Oier Lazkano, Louis Meintjes and Magnus Cort Nielsen.

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UAE's Nils Politt is still setting the pace in the peloton, which has closed to within three minute of the leaders at the foot of the Hourquette d’Ancizan.

Meanwhile, Louis Vervaeke and Alberto Bettiol are the latest riders who have been forced to abandon.

Here's how the main King of the Mountain points were shared on the previous climb:

1. Oier Lazkano - 20
2. David Gaudu - 15
3. Bruno Armirail - 12
4. Ben Healy - 10
5. Louis Meintjes - 8

All the riders are now approaching the Hourquette d'Ancizan, a category two climb over 8.2km with an average gradient of 5.1%, which also features downhill and flat sections.

Image source, ASO

Image source, Reuters

Speaking before today's stage, race leader Tadej Pogacar as asked about his preparation for the mountains: "I've always loved the longer climbs but I was always doing mid-range efforts. For me, 10 or 20-minute climbs were always good - but this year I've done longer efforts and different efforts, with more riding just in the mountains

"I feel really good on the long climbs and in general it's good. Let's hope I have good legs [today]. Morale is good, is high - from the team and me - and we'll go defending the yellow jersey with this good, comfortable lead."

Image source, EPA

The yellow jersey group has now gone over the Col du Tourmalet summit.

Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard are safely among in the bunch, with a gap of just over four minutes to Oier Lazkano at the head of the race.

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Remco Evenepoel, who is second in the GC standings, on a potential attack from UAE and Tadej Pogacar, who he currently trails by 66 seconds: "We'll have to see how explosive the attack will be but it's always good to try to follow.

"When you feel straight that it's going too fast it makes no sense to try to follow it. Then it's just about limiting the time loss.

"I think that's what I've already done on the first mountain stages so it's going to be the same story today."

David Gaudu attacks in the last kilometre of the Tourmalet climb before Movistar's Spanish rider Oier Lazkano replies to summit first.

The rest of the breakaway group comes over the top 27 seconds later.

Britain's Geraint Thomas, who revealed earlier he has Covid, has been dropped by the yellow jersey group.

Nils Politt and Tim Wellens of UAE Team Emirates set the pace in the bunch for their team-mate Tadej Pogacar, the race leader.

The gap from the peloton to the breakaway is now stable at about four minutes.

Ineos Grenadiers rider Michal Kwiatkowski remains in an 11-man breakaway, with the likes of Mathieu van der Poel, Ben Healy, Sean Quinn, Oier Lazkano and David Gaudu.

The peloton was just over four minutes behind the leaders at the foot of the Tourmalet, with Wout van Aert one of the first to drop off the back.

Image source, Reuters

The Col du Tourmalet also featured on last year's Vuelta a Espana, when the reigning Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard won stage 13 at the summit.

Defending Vuelta champion Remco Evenepoel was third overnight but fell out of contention on the 135km mountain stage.

Speaking before today's stage, the 24-year-old Belgian said: "Last year is nothing compared to now. Last year I was focusing on the World Championships time trial (which he won in Scotland), which is completely different preparation than for a Grand Tour. This year I've prepared for a Grand Tour and last year I wasn't sure about my GC condition, so it's a different day to last year."

The Col du Tourmalet is a hors categorie climb over 19km at an average gradient of 7.4%.

The steepest sections are a couple at 9%, right before the summit.

Image source, ASO

Tobias Halland Johannessen claimed last year's Souvenir Jacques Goddet but Tadej Pogacar then soloed to victory on stage six ahead of Jonas Vingegaard, bowing at the finish line in Cauterets-Cambasque.

Vingegaard had done enough to claim the yellow jersey from Jai Hindley, however, and did not relinquish it.

Image source, Getty Images