Wonder who this lot want to win?

Image source, Gemme Sterba

The nine-men breakaway briefly split on the slippery descent but the roads are now dry and they are now back together. Two minutes to the main bunch, eight to the Cavendish group. We won't be seeing the Etixx - Quick-Step man contesting a spring later.   

Image source, Getty Images

MTN-Qhuebeka's British rider Steve Cummings won the stage on Saturday.

It was the 34-year-old's first stage win at the Tour and I thought it was a terrible shame that it was quickly overshadowed by the day's more unsavoury events.

Still, Cumming's fellow cyclists were quick with their praise. 

Team Sky's Peter Kennaugh is in the 23-man group at the back. The big man has put in some huge turns on the front over recent days - not surprised to see him where he is.

The front group are on a long descent from Col de la Croix - the roads looks wet, it has obviously been raining.

Image source, Getty Images

British Cycling technical director Shane Sutton used to work with Team Sky and has had a long relationship with their boss Sir Dave Brailsford.

On Radio 5 live's Sportsweek this morning he was not mincing his words.

"I think it is appalling," said Sutton on the incident involving Chris Froome on Saturday. "A few mindless individuals are trying to upset things.

"From my point of view Team Sky have changed face of cycling with a zero tolerance attitude to doping – the team are totally clean and performing fantastically.

"Team Sky took the principles from track success and applied them – they have enhanced the word professional.

"It has been a wake-up call to the rest of the world – get your house in order, this is the real business and you can make massive gains if you look at detail of everything that needs to be done."

There are a few riders in the ever-growing group of stragglers (it is now up to 23 riders) who have had some very busy days recently - Simon Yates and Michal Golas, for example, who were both in Saturday's long breakaway.

Jean-Christophe Peraud has been in the wars recently and he is with them, Cyclists in need of a rest day perhaps....

The Cav group is now seven minutes behind the breakaway.

Michael Rogers, by the way, was the first over the category four Col de la Croix de Bauzon.  

Image source, AP

Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme has now had his say about the events on Saturday and his views are quite clear.

"The behaviour of certain spectators, a minority obviously, is evidently intolerable," said Prudhomme before the start of today's stage.

"Insulting the integrity of the yellow jersey is unacceptable

"The top racer has never been liked in the history of the Tour de France. It was true with Jacques Anquetil, it was true with Eddy Merckx, and it's being repeated now. But there must be a minimum of respect."

Image source, PA

Thibaut Pinot is first over the category four Col du Bez.

It has been a tough couple of weeks and I wonder if Mark Cavendish's chances today are pretty much over already? His group of stragglers - now 20 strong - are more than four minutes behind the main group and six behind the breakaway with 72km completed.

Chris Froome was understandably miffed about what happened to him yesterday. 

Team-mate Geraint Thomas sounded unusually and understandably hacked off when he discussed the abuse coming Team Sky's way.

"It's everywhere," he said. "It's just crazy. They can boo me when they start hitting, that's wrong.

"Commentators have so much power, whatever they say people back home take it as gospel." 

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, AP

At first Saturday seemed to be a good day for Team Sky, with Chris Froome taking my time off his rivals up the steep climb to Mende.

And then Froome revealed that something had been thrown at him earlier in the stage. Something you don't really want to be on the receiving end of - a cup of urine.

Dutch corner? Alpe d'Huez? Aren't they a little early. That stage is next Saturday.

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Today's intermediate sprint comes 108km into the stage and do not be surprised if Peter Sagan's breakaway group of nine hold out over the two category four climbs and arrive their first. The Slovak has been hoovering up points to bolster his grip on the green jersey.

The breakaway is almost two minutes clear of the main group - but four minutes clear of 11 stragglers - stragglers that include Mark Cavendish. The uphill 18km at the start was obviously not to Cav's liking.

120km to go.     

Image source, AP

There have been reports of fans booing Chris Froome, others cheering him.

Froome revealed he had a cup of urine thrown at him on Saturday (more on that later), while team-mate Richie Porte was punched on Friday.

I heard Sunday Times journalist David Walsh speculating on 5 live the other day that crowds are down this year and that maybe the French are falling out of love with their own race.

Have you been out in France this year and what did you think? Or have you any particularly vivid memories from following the Tour in previous years?

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It's sunnypublished at 13:17

13:17

Hot again today - it was 25C at the start. It is 32C at the finish. Sure hoping France holds it form until I head there on holiday in a few weeks.

There will be live commentary of the closing phase of this stage, with Simon Brotherton and Rob Hayles on air from 15:00 BST.

If you cannot wait until then, be sure to check out the latest podcast as Simon, Rob and Matt Slater discuss Saturday's stage. It is well worth checking out.

Sebastian Langeveld has withdrawn because of sickness. He is the first to go today.  

Mark Cavendish is currently in a group of stragglers almost two minutes behind the main bunch.

The composition of the breakaway has changed. It was 27 riders but there are just nine now, with a one-minute advantage.

Orica-GreenEdge's Adam Yates is among them, as are Peter Sagan and Thibaut Pinot, who seems hell-bent on winning a stage now his GC ambitions are well and truly cooked.