As Blel Kadri and Vincenzo Nibali get simultaneous kisses on both cheeks on the podium, it is time to bid you adieu.

We'll be back tomorrow with live text and radio coverage as things get serious straight out of the blocks.

Six categorised climbs, including the category one Le Markstein, will make it tasty from the off.

See you there.

Team Sky's Richie Porte speaking to ITV4: "I'm happy with how that went, it is not really my bread and butter and I think that on the longer climbs I will be better. Tinkoff Saxo are riding very aggressively from a long way out, a bit like Team Sky used to do."

Alberto Contador is two minutes 34 seconds off yellow

Jurgen van den Broeck in three minutes two seconds off the overall lead, while Andrew Talansky is now four minutes 22 seconds behind the pace.

Yellow Jersey
Classification

What does that mean for the general classification then?

Well, it wasn't a good one for Andrew Talansky or Jurgen van den Broeck.

1. Vincenzo Nibali Astana 33 48' 52"

2 Jakob Fuglsang Astana +1 minute 44 seconds

3. Richie Porte Team Sky +1'58"

4. Michal Kwiatkowski Omega Pharma-Quick Step +2'26"

5. Alejandro Valverde Movistar +2' 27"

1. Blel Kadri AG2R 3:49:28

2. Alberto Contador Tinkoff-Saxo +2.17

3. Vincenzo Nibali Astana +2.20

4. Richie Porte Team Sky +2.24

5. Thibaut Pinot FDJ +2.28

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

"Poor old Chavanel and Yates only got reeled in by the Contador and Nibali-led peloton in the final few hundred metres but Contador was only able to take three seconds back on Nibali. A good ride by Porte. We've heard he's going well on the climbs and he's proved that here today. Definitely a good day for Team Sky and they can fly under the radar a bit now because they don't have a Chris Froome or Bradley Wiggins. They can sit back and let the other teams do the work."

When I say "a few seconds", the gap between Alberto Contador and Vincenzo Nibali was just three.

It looked to me as though Nibali looked happy to take defeat at that small price.

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

"What a day for the French. Incredible. We knew it was going to be a backloaded stage with the climbs in the final 30km of the race. The poor crowd have had to stand on the hill in the rain all day but they haven't been disappointed."

Alberto Contador takes second, a few seconds ahead of Vincenzo Nibali with Richie Porte hanging tough to take fourth.

Vincenzo Nibali is staring down Alberto Contador's rear wheel and has not looked the slightest bit flustered by Alberto Contador's best efforts so far.

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

"Richie Porte is starting to get distanced, only by a couple of bike lengths, but he is riding himself into a potential podium position."

Blel Kadri scoots across the finish line - barely able to lift an arm - for a very, very popular win.

Alberto Contador is up and dancing.

The Spaniard makes his move, but Vincenzo Nibali is right with him, refusing to be shaken.

Simon Yates's hopes of third are over. He is swallowed up by the peloton with just a couple of kilometres to go.

Garmin Sharp leader Andrew Talansky has taken a spill. He is still spinning his rear wheel in search of kinks and all the time the peloton speed away.

Team Sky's Geraint Thomas was also caught up in all that and has also lost time.

Blel Kadri has begun the final climb to home. He has 1.7km to go to the line and the cheers of his countrymen in his ears. Three minutes of lead will surely be enough.

Tinkoff Saxo are leading the peloton off the top of the Col de la Croix des Moinats with Michael Rogers pushing the pace and testing his skinny tyres to the limit in the wet.

He is a little too quick for his own team-mates at times, having to slow up at times.

Vincenzo Nibali is still locked onto the rear wheel of Alberto Contador waiting for the move which will surely come over the last two climbs.

Rob Hatch
BBC Radio 5 live sports extra commentator

"It's that exciting on the road that the Spanish commentator next to me has just fallen off his chair."

Tony Gallopin and Peter Sagan have been dropped out of the peloton's cat-flap. They will both slip down the overall rankings this evening.

Blel Kadri looks like he is going to win the stage and he will have to get some polka-dot pyjamas for the night.

Eight kilometres to go and his leads over the peloton in up around four minutes. He also has two minutes on Sylvain Chavanel and two and a half on Simon Yates.

The drama is now further back in the peloton.