Stage eight: Saint-Meen-le-Grand - Laval Espace Mayenne, 171.4 km
Milan wins first Tour stage in bunch sprint
Tadej Pogacar remains in leader's yellow jersey
Image source, ReutersNow then. Jonathan Milan may well be wearing the green jersey but that is only because the maillot jaune trumps it and the man in possession of both is Tadej Pogacar.
The Slovenian has a total of 156 points, with Milan on 122 points and Biniam Girmay on 111 points.
Today’s stage should see a sprinter take 50 points at the finish and 20 are on offer at the intermediate sprint.
Image source, ReutersTime for a quick medical update.
Mattia Cattaneo (Soudal Quick-Step), Ireland's Eddie Dunbar (Jayco AlUla) and Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious), who suffered a concussion in a crash towards the end of stage seven have abandoned the race.
His team-mate Santiago Buitrago, who was involved in the same pile up “did not have concussion, but has superficial abrasions and contusions to the right thigh” so is ok to race, as is Joao Almeida.
The UAE Team Emirates rider, who is pretty much Tadej Pogacar's right-hand man fractured a rib on Friday and has some nasty abrasions and his team reckon he will find the next few days "difficult".
Also involved in the crash, Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet (Groupama-FDJ) and Louis Barre (Intermarche-Wanty) suffered abrasions, while Warren Barguil (Picnic PostNL) needed stitches on a shin.
Image source, ReutersRacing is under way and the temperature soaring up.
It's currently 31°C as the peloton skirts around Rennes and the wind is also making things uncomfortable, blowing in from the north east, it will be in the riders faces all day, which added to the profile of the stage, makes any attempt to get in a breakaway, a forlorn task.
Anyone for an ice vest? Edward Theuns definitely had the right idea before racing began.
Image source, ASOAs I was saying...I would be amazed if this is not a sprint finish.
Our guide covers every stage and is updated with race results to tell the story of the Tour.
Good afternoon.
Surely it's over to the sprinters today?
It's a largely flat stage with an occasional gentle rise, an intermediate sprint at 85.5km plus a relatively straight final three kilometres in towards the finishing line.
It all points to this 171.4 km run from Saint-Meen-le-Grand to Laval Espace Mayenne being about the fast men and points classification race.