Ouch!published at 15:09

15:09

Jean-Christophe Peraud, who is 30th in the GC, has clipped a wheel and gone skidding across the road. It's nasty and there's barely anything left of his shorts. There's also not a lot of flesh left on his hip. He's shaking his hands in pain. But he's back on the bike - guts.

Rob Hayles is picking Alejandro Valverde. Simon Brotherton reckons John Degenkolb. Matt Slater says Peter Sagan.

I'll go with Andre Greipel, just because he had the beating of Sagan earlier.

You can hear Simon Brotherton and Rob Hayles of BBC Radio 5 live fame talk you through the final 65km by clicking on the Live Coverage tab. This is their view of the finish line, where it is 35C.

The thighs are pumping a little more now. Tinkoff-Saxo are heading the peloton's climb up the Cote de Saint-Cirgue, a category three ascent of 5.8% lasting 3.8km. Tinkoff-Saxo will fancy giving their man Peter Sagan every chance of picking up maximum points at the finish line today.

The tremendously named Cyril Gautier is back among his fellow escapees. The Europcar rider picked up a few bottles of water during his wheel change and has poured most of them over his head as he spins across the searing hot French countryside. There are 70km to go and the gap to the peloton is four minutes.

Love this. Absolutely love it. Is it a bike, is it a picnic hamper? Who cares? I want one.

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Simon Brotherton and Rob Hayles will be providing commentary from Rodez at 15:00 BST. So there's even more reason to stick with us.

Cyril Gautier of Europcar has dropped into no-man's land after a mechanical. It all looks sorted and he's scrambling to get back among the five breakaway riders. It looks like the Frenchman has the legs for it.

The state of play on the road is exactly as it was when we got this started two hours ago. Six men are out in front and they've stretched the gap to about 4mins 40secs. There are 80km left to haul them in and with the first climb looming we may see some action soon.

Everything, and I mean everything, is made better by attaching a bottle of wine to it, and this bike is no exception. Although, it must be said, I would never condone tippling and trekking at the same time.

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I'm sorry to be one the to tell you this, but there has been a fatality at the Tour today. As you can see from this tweet, a cat got stuck in an Astana support car and has subsequently not made it.

As well as the three climbs today, the first of which is up in 40km, there is a little bit of juice in the final few km, with an uncategorised climb making things interesting. That's why this stage is not so straightforward for your classic sprinters and may lend itself to a Peter Sagan-type figure.

Here's a reminder of who wears what at the moment, as it stands.

Yellow GC: Chris Froome

Green points: Andre Greipel

Polka dot climber: Chris Froome

White young rider: Nairo Quintana

Image source, EPA

So that sprint was a tad more thrilling than we expected. It keeps the green jersey competition nice and interesting and may enhance Peter Sagan's resolve to have a tilt at this stage.

But we're back to the sleepy pace (relatively) of earlier, with the peloton picking up drinks from their cars to try and ease the crushing heat of the French sun. The gap to the six up front is 3mins 55secs with 95km remaining. How long will it last?

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Matt Slater
BBC Sport in Rodez

"I think the race will have one of its periodic and very understandable brief naps today. That is not to say there will be no action or glory to enjoy, it will just be slightly more sedate than recent days.

"Why? Well, the riders looked utterly shattered, and very wet, at the top of Plateau de Beille yesterday, the third of three hard days in the Pyrenees.

"It is also very hot on the road to Rodez - the hottest temperatures we have witnessed at this year's race since Utrecht. I am working on keeping very still today.

"And the final reason is that we always get a lull in the second week as the Tour moves from Pyrenees to Alps, or vice versa. It happens to journalists, too."

Now we get some proper sprinting from the boys in the peloton and it's a proper elbows and all affair.

Andre Greipel is over first (seventh overall), with Peter Sagan fourth. That give Greipel nine points and moves him a point ahead of Sagan in the green jersey rankings.

Mark Cavendish is behind Sagan and looks furious with himself (or somebody else).

Image source, AP