Cedric Beullens and Arnaud de Lie are first to start climbing up the iconic Col du Tourmalet. Featuring in the Tour for the first time in 1910, it has been visited 86 times before today - making it the most visited climb in Tour history, ahead of the other Pyrenean passes of Aspin (76), Aubisque (75) and Peyresourde (70).

The man first to summit the Tourmalet wins the Souvenir Jacques Goddet, with Norway's Tobias Halland Johannessen taking the honours during last year's Tour.

Bryan Coquard takes the maximum 20 points from the intermediate sprint at Esquieze-Sere, followed by Arnaud de Lie (17) and Oier Lazkano (15).

Jasper Philipsen and Biniam Girmay, who both now have multiple stage wins from this year's Tour, then battled for just one extra point in ninth and 10th place - and Girmay edged it for a mini psychological blow to his green jersey rival.

It remains an eight-man breakaway, with 12 riders 32 seconds behind them, including green jersey holder Biniam Girmay. The peloton is two-and-a-half minutes adrift of the break.

Oier Lazkano, Kevin Vauquelin, Raul Garcia Pierna and Magnus Cort Nielsen have joined Mathieu van der Poel, Bryan Coquard, Cedric Beullens and Arnaud de Lie out front - 15 seconds ahead of the chasing group.

Here's a reminder of the points classification standings before the intermediate sprint:

1. Biniam Girmay - 346 points
2. Jasper Philipsen - 271
3. Anthony Turgis - 141
4. Jonas Abrahamsen - 133
5. Bryan Coquard - 127

Image source, Reuters

Speaking before today's stage, while wearing a face mask, two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard said: "These are the days where I think that suit me the best, so I've been looking forward to them.

"I've shown already that I'm in good shape and I'm happy where I am. We'll just have to see if it's enough on the mountains. I'll just do my best, as I always do."

Mathieu van der Poel, Bryan Coquard, Cedric Beullens and Arnaud de Lie are off up the road, building up a 12-second lead over the peloton.

Image source, EPA

1. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) 52hrs 40mins 58secs
2. Remco Evenepoel (Bel/Soudal-Quick Step) +1min 06secs
3. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Visma-Lease a Bike) +1min 14secs
4. Joao Almeida (Por/UAE Team Emirates) +4mins 20secs
5. Carlos Rodriguez (Spa/Ineos Grenadiers) +4mins 40secs
6. Mikel Landa (Spa/Soudal-Quick Step) +5mins 38secs
7. Adam Yates (GB/UAE Team Emirates) +6mins 59secs
8. Giulio Ciccone (Ita/Lidl-Trek) +7mins 36secs
9. Derek Gee (Can/Israel- Premier Tech) +7mins 54secs
10. Felix Gall (Aut/Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) +9mins 18secs

Tom Pidcock was 36th overall, more than 55 minutes adrift of Pogacar.

Victor Campenaerts and Bryan Coquard get about a hundred metres ahead but even the race leader Tadej Pogacar has got involved in the peloton cancelling out the breakaway attempts.

A dozen riders have opened a gap, including the likes of Biniam Girmay, Jasper Philipsen, Victor Campenaerts and Ben Healy.

Girmay and Philipsen are battling it out for the green jersey so they'll want to be ahead at the intermediate sprint at Esquieze-Sere, 70.2km in

Ireland's Ben Healy is trying to lead an early breakaway group, with Bruno Armirail and Christopher Juul-Jensen also making their presence known.

Lotto-dstny are setting the pace early doors... and we already have another withdrawal.

Amaury Capiot of Arkea-B&B Hotels has had to pull over after being involved in the crash in the last kilometre of yesterday's stage.

The 31-year-old Belgian is in tears as he pulls out of his second Tour.

Today's stage has got under way, with Israel-Premier Tech rider Guillaume Boivin the other non-starter, besides Tom Pidcock.

Image source, EPA

Belgium's Jasper Philipsen won stage 13 of the Tour de France as a crash marred the sprint finish to the line in Pau.

Last year's green jersey winner took his second stage victory of the 2024 edition for the Alpecin-Deceuninck team, pipping his compatriot Wout van Aert and Germany's Pascal Ackermann.

Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar remains in the overall leader's yellow jersey for UAE-Team Emirates, one minute six seconds ahead of Belgium's Remco Evenepoel, riding for Soudal-Quick Step.

Pogacar, in typically swashbuckling style, joined the sprint at the end of the stage, but his main rival and defending champion Jonas Vingegaard came home safely in the same time and remains just eight seconds adrift of Evenepoel in third.

Visma-Lease a Bike's Van Aert had looked set for victory when he was led out by his team-mate Christophe Laporte, but Philipsen surged clear.

Image source, ASO

Now then, on to today's stage, and the riders head into the Pyrenees for the start of a brutal and crucial period in the general classification race.

The iconic Col du Tourmalet, the most-climbed mountain in Tour history, comes first before a modern-day regular, the Hourquette d'Ancizan - climbed six times since 2011 - precedes the summit finish and gradients of almost 12% on Pla d'Adet.

Image source, EPA

The face masks were back on before the start of today's stage, when Geraint Thomas said: "For a start it's a big, big shame to lose Tom but he felt bad this morning and it's between him and the doctor, and that's what they decided to do.

"For me, I'm also not great. I've tested positive but I've just got mild symptoms and the docs are monitoring me closely and they've got their protocols when it comes to respiratory conditions.

"At the minute it's just a bit of a headache and a runny nose, so we'll just see how it goes."

Image source, EPA

Tom Pidocck is the third rider to withdraw from this year's Tour because of Covid after Juan Ayuso, team-mate of race leader Tadej Pogacar, and Michael Morkov, Mark Cavendish's lead-out man.

And speaking before the start of today's stage, Pidcock's Ineos Grenadiers team-mate and fellow Briton Geraint Thomas revealed that he has also tested positive.

However, the 2018 champion said that he will continue to race - for now.

That's bad timing for Tom Pidcock as not only does it mean a premature end to his third Tour de France, he is set to defend his Olympic mountain bike title on 29 July and also compete in the road race on 3 August.

Image source, Getty Images

Britain's Tom Pidcock is out of the Tour de France after testing positive for Covid-19.

The 24-year-old, who narrowly missed out on a second Tour stage win when he finished second on stage nine, will not start Saturday's stage 14.

A statement from his Ineos Grenadiers team said: "A disappointed Tom Pidcock will not line up for stage 14 of the Tour de France today.

"Tom is experiencing symptoms of Covid-19 and under advice from our medical team will now return home to recover."

Image source, Getty Images

After a couple of flat stages on the 2024 Tour de France, the battle for the general classification title is set to hot up this weekend as the race heads into the French Pyrenees.

But first, we have some bad news for British cycling fans.