Richard, via text: With all the local description I figured it must be a local lad. Peter Scrivener as I live and breathe...glad you're working for a proper company now pal; MaCall Assoc massive! All the best.

Ash, Wales, via text: Just listened to Kraftwerk "Tour De France", what should it be with the Tour going through Yorkshire?

Dave Irwin, via text: Watching from Rio de Janeiro, on cable car up to Sugar Loaf Mountain. Missing Ilkley today but Rio a good second best.

Out on the road, the leaders are approaching the first climb of the day, the Cote de Cray. It's a category four climb - it's only 1.6km long but has an average gradient of 7.1%.

Matt Slater
BBC Yorkshire Tour de France correspondent

Lord knows what the riders made of all that pomp & circumstance, but it did look good on telly.

Image source, Getty Images

Danny Savage, the BBC's north of England correspondent reports: "All services from York to Harrogate are very overcrowded. Passengers at Knaresborough and Starbeck cannot get on."

Has anyone managed to do a head count yet? Two million over the weekend? Two million today more like.

Update from Mrs Scriv - she is persevering in trying to get a train from Leeds to Harrogate, although how she'll get back is anybody's guess. I'm thinking I could be on a drive from Salford to north Yorkshire this evening...anyone else stuck on platforms? Text me on 81111 or tweet #bbccycling

John Moorhouse, via text: At the bar by the pool in Crete and following on BBC, the atmosphere is even coming through the text coverage - can anyone teleport me to the Black Bull, Middleham for the afternoon?

The helicopter has veered off to the right to take in the sensational Malham Cove which is a few miles off the route (am I doing enough for the Yorkshire tourist board today?) and the limestone pavement atop it.

With the lull in the race, probably a good time to point you in the direction of my colleagues on BBC Radio 5 live who will be providing live commentary of the closing 90 minutes or so of today's stage.

Rob Hatch is the commentator with 2008 British road race champion Rob Hayles providing the analysis. You can listen on Radio 5 Sports Extra or via this very web page and I'll nudge you again a bit closer to them going on air.

Official organisers Le Tour Yorkshire, external are aware of the travel problems at the train stations as thousands of fans try to get to Harrogate for the finish. Their advice? "Additional services running but full due to fans trying to get to finish, stay where you are & catch it on big screens."

Great shots of Le parc national des Yorkshire Dales, which was founded in 1954, from the helicopter that is following the race. And for the first time, the crowds have thinned out a bit but there are still a couple of hundred in Cracoe, with one of the Tourmakers trying to shepherd over-enthusiastic fans out of the middle of the road. Stand back when the peloton comes thundering through in three minutes.

Camilia Halewood:, external The leaders going through a packed Skipton. Amazing atmosphere!

Image source, Camilia Halewood via Twitter

Matt Slater
BBC Yorkshire Tour de France correspondent

Sir Dave Brailsford: There's nothing wrong with Yorkshire's roads, that's what your brakes are for, you race accordingly.

The peloton heads out of Skipton and turns right up one of my favourite roads in the country - the B6160 up towards Grassington and Kilnsey Crag. Up here the roads get a little narrower and that has led to some nervousness among some of the riders.

German sprinter Marcel Kittel is not a fan of the dry stone walls that line much of the route and has claimed they could be dangerous for the riders.

Chris, York, via text: Following the text commentary whilst locked out my work car in York. Whole day of appointments ruined. Expecting P45 but at least I'll get the day off tomorrow to watch Le Tour live.

Le Chateau de Skipton. Why do places always sound better in French? A good day out if you ever get chance. There's a huge yellow jersey hanging off the front of the nearby church with a picture of a sheep riding a bike. Wonderful. If anyone out there can take a pic, I'll share it.

Welcome to Skipton. Edet briefly drops off the back of the leading trio but catches up as they cycle up the high street towards the Castle before peeling off to the left and heading up out of the town. I'm pleased to say that Yorkshire is looking especially fantastic in the sunshine. The riders have struck lucky with the weather today.

The peloton heads into town three minutes, 10 seconds later, sweeps round the right-hander at the bottom of the main street by the Woolly Sheep pub, past the Red Lion on the right and left again by the Black Horse.

Image source, Chris Westgarth on Twitter

Chris Westgarth:, external Watching out for my home town Reeth (see 11.37 entry) from Chiang Mai in Thailand. Great day for Yorkshire!

I've just let out a little squeal. I've just spotted a signpost for Silsden. Nothing too remarkable in that for most of you out there. But that's my home village and the Tour will be heading through on Sunday. Not that I'll be there. I'll be here, taking you through it. I can feel myself welling up now. I dread to think what state I'll be in tomorrow!

Image source, Getty Images

He's not competing this year, but 2012 Le Tour winner Sir Bradley Wiggins is never too far away...

French national champion Arnaud Demare, who rides for the FDJ squad, drops out the back of the peloton for a wheel change after getting a puncture. It's like a Formula 1 pitstop as one of Demare's mechanics leaps out of the team car, whips his wheel off and puts a new one on. No messing about with inner tubes and rubber patches for these boys. Demare is a decent sprinter and could feature at the finish.

Image source, Getty Images

The centre of Harrogate awaits Le Tour - still several hours to go, I'd pop into Betty's Tea Shop for a Fat Rascal or two.

Arthur Mitchell:, external Go Froome! Following the race in Bangalore on BBC.

Chris Richardson:, external Blooming j'adore le tour!

Image source, Chris Richardson on Twitter