The slackening off could be to allow the likes of Chris Horner and Joaquim Rodriguez, who are potential winners of the overall race and were distanced when the riders had to stop on the Buttertubs and Grinton climbs, to get back into the peloton. Cyclists are generally very good at allowing riders who have been dropped through no fault of their own to catch up. It's a nice touch.

Ben Ford: , externalYou wanted the Skipton church Yellow Jersey. Skipton still buzzing.

Image source, Ben Ford on Twitter

The Lotto-Belisol team of sprinter Andre Greipel is guiding the peloton through the market town of Leyburn and over the River Ure as they head down to Middleham. The bunch have spread out across the road, indicating that the pace has slackened off a little.

One of the most famous men in the country is in the VIP enclosure at the finish and he has just been shaking the hand of Prime Minister David Cameron. I didn't have 'Sir' Geoffrey Boycott down as a cycling fan but Mr Yorkshire is right there on the finish line.

The riders are a little behind schedule according to my Tour de France book. It suggested that if the riders were racing at an average speed of 40km/h they would reach the summit of Grinton Moor at 15:15 and that would give them an arrival time in Harrogate of 16:45. Reckon it might be a few minutes after that, although you can expect a speedy run in to the finish from here.

Rachel, Halesowen, via text: I've grown up sharing the love of the Tour with my dad. To see the thousands on the roads here in Yorkshire embracing the greatest sporting event brings a small tear. Vive le Tour!

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With just 60km remaining Jensie is finally caught. What a treat that was to see one of the icons of the sport on a 130km break.

Now there's just the small matter of a sprint finish in Harrogate to get through. It's time to make your predictions folks.

Will Cav do it? Will the Germans Greipel or Kittel ruin the party? Could it be the Frenchman Demare? Or will Sagan start the defence of his green jersey in style?

Texts to 81111 or tweets to #bbccycling

TC:, external I must say that the BBC cycling feed is making for great reading. Especially with the added sub-plot of Mrs Scriv's train journey...

Image source, PA

Classic North Yorkshire scenery as the peloton goes through the village of Muker in North Yorkshire.

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The encouragement for the peloton is not quite as vocal. There is only one man the Yorkshire crowd want to see reach the summit first. And Jens Voigt obliges. That's two more points for the German and the four he has in total means he will be in the King of the Mountains jersey on Sunday - it's a repeat of what he achieved on his first Tour in 1998. Chapeau Jensie.

Image source, Tom Lawton on Twitter

Tom Lawton:, external It's started already...

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Jensie has 1km to go to the summit. And it's a familiar sight with thousands of people screaming their encouragement and the Trek rider bobbing and weaving in his saddle. He is only 90 seconds clear of the peloton which is chasing hard. I think he's going to have just enough time to get up to the summit first.

Mark Antrobus:, external Has Cav stopped for a pint at one of the many pubs on the route?

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The support for the German is terrific. He climbs out of his saddle again to as he tries to inject one last bit of speed into his wheels. This is painful stuff. He has been out front for more than 125km and the suffering is starting to show on his face. His lead is down to under two minutes.

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And here comes the Cote du Grinton Moor. It's a 3km ascent at an average gradient of 6.6%. If he gets to the top first, which he is extremely likely to do, he will be wearing the polka dot jersey on Sunday's second stage. He's 42 remember.

He is in the lowest gear he has on his bike. He is famed for shouting at his legs, telling them to shut up as he tries to block out the pain. Go on Jens, get up there.

Rob Hayles
Former Great Britain cyclist on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

"The finish up the hill into Harrogate is tough, it's certainly not a run of the mill banker. It's a tough sprint, but it's doable, and Mark Cavendish has won tougher stages than this, and a lot of it will come down to team work and timing."

The peloton is zipping along nicely and Chris Froome is up near the front of the bunch, riding alongside his Team Sky team-mates. They will try and keep him near the front because that lessens the chances of getting involved in a crash.

A Cannondale rider from Peter Sagan's team is helping out with the pace-setting on the front of the peloton and they are slowly but surely reeling in race-leader Jensie. He is now just 2'25" clear of the main bunch.

Image source, Scott Heppell

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have had no bother getting around the Dales today. They've hot-footed it, in a helicopter, from Harewood House to West Tanfield, about 15km north of Harrogate, to surprise the villagers. I've had no word on whether Mrs Scriv has made it to Harrogate on the train yet...

Beyond Reeth we have the final climb of the day, Cote du Grinton Moor, before the race heads down through Leyburn and Masham to Ripon and into the finish in Harrogate.

Rob Hayles
Former Great Britain cyclist on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

"Looking at the crowds on Buttertubs, it was like being on Alpe d'Huez or Mont Ventoux. It was crazy. The crowds will undoubtedly play a big part in the outcome of these opening stages."