Image source, Reuters

Sagan left Epernay alongside race leader Vincenzo Nibali a little earlier this morning. He was hoping to get in the yellow jersey at the start of this Tour, having never worn it before. Could he ever go on and win the Tour? Texts to 81111, or tweet #bbccycling

Peter Sagan's Cannondale team are at the front of the peloton. There is no messing around here and they have dragged back the advantage of the leading six to under three minutes. A little more manageable I guess. Still a long way to go in today's race, 169km to be precise.

Alan McCrear:, external Sagan is hugely skilled but still believe he has more gears in him, especially if he gets big team behind him like OPQS for Cav #bbccycling, external

Image source, Tour de France

And, in case you needed proof, here's Clement post-crash - with a simple tweet from the Tour de France:, external @stefclement abandonne / @Stefclement pulls out

Here's hoping he is not too badly injured.

Surprise, surprise - the slate grey skies over northern France are decanting droplets of water on the peloton once more. And we all know what that means for the roads. Slippery when wet.

We already have one casualty today: Dutch rider Stef Clement of the Belkin team has hit the deck and that's his race done. Ten down, 188 left pedalling.

Image source, Getty Images

The race is expected to finish at around 16:30 BST in Nancy so between now and then, we've got a little bit of time to fill. With Peter Sagan chasing today's stage win, I want to know if he is the most complete cyclist you have seen?

He is clearly a talented all-rounder and he has been compared to the legend that is Eddy Merckx but just how good can he become? Who else is there to compare him with?

He is just 24 but has won seven Grand Tour stages (four Tour de France, three Vuelta a Espana) and countless other stages. He has won one one-day classic - Gent-Wevelgem in 2013 and has had a couple of seconds in the Tour of Flanders and Milan-San Remo.

A third straight points jersey at the Tour appears to be his to lose - can he go on and match Erik Zabel's record of six?

Tweet your thoughts to #bbccycling or text 81111 - please put CYCLING at the front of your message and your name.

There are three Frenchman - Alexandre Pichot of Europcar, Nicolas Edet of Cofidis and, joy of joys, Anthony Delaplace of Bretagne-Seche, who are fast-becoming my favourite team in the race. I know there is a prize for most aggressive rider of the day; if there was one for most aggressive team, the French boys would have it sewn up already.

The other three out front are Switzerland's Martin Elmiger of the IAM Cycling team, Poland's NetApp Endura rider Bartosz Huzarski and American Matthew Busche, who rides for Trek.

The sextet have a lead of more than four minutes, having covered the first hour of racing at an average speed of 44.5km/h.

And in a seamless shift, out on the road, the 189 riders left pedalling (nine, including Britain's defending champion Chris Froome and sprint king Mark Cavendish, have pulled out in the first six stages) are already up and cycling.

They left the champagne-producing town of Epernay at precisely 10:53 BST according to the Tour de France's official website and six men have gone off on the break.

Image source, Getty Images

Sagan knows if he can get his Cannondale team-mates to ride at a decent tempo up the ascents, then he has a good chance of distancing the pure sprinters such as Marcel Kittel, who has won three stages on this year's race and stage six winner Andre Greipel (pictured) who prefer the flatter finishes.

Of course, there are other riders who can cope with this kind of terrain - Kittel's Giant-Shimano team-mate John Degenkolb springs immediately to mind. Or, could it be a day where the breakaway succeeds?

Stage seven is the second longest of the 101st edition of the Tour de France, weighing in at a hefty 234.5km (145.7 miles). It's a largely flat profile but two category four hills in the final 20km have whetted Sagan's appetite.

Here's what BBC Sport columnist Geraint Thomas had to say in his stage-by-stage guide: "There is an interesting finish in Nancy and tactics could depend on who the race leader is after Wednesday's stage on the cobbles.

"A breakaway might go all the way to the finish or there may be a significant attack on the final categorised climb which could prove decisive. A team like Cannondale could keep the pace high, hoping to distance sprinters to set up the stage win and points in the race for the green jersey for their man Peter Sagan."

Image source, Tour de France

Green Jersey
Classification

Slovakia's Peter Sagan, who rides for Cannondale, has clearly earmarked today's lumpy finish as one he fancies and who are we to argue?

He is yet to finish outside the top five on any of the first six stages with two seconds, three fourths and a fifth. That consistency has helped him build an 80-point lead over Frenchman Bryan Coquard in the green points jersey competition and with another 45 on offer for the stage winner today, that lead could shoot up over 100.

Hello and welcome to live text commentary of stage seven of the Tour de France. No prizes for guessing who is going for the stage win today.

Peter Sagan:, external Will today be THE DAY?

Image source, AP