Our commentary team of OJ Borg, Rob Hayles and Rob Hatch are already in situ at the finish at Lac de Payolle.. You can catch their commentary from 15:35 BST on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra or at the top of this page. 

For those of you on the app, you can see OJ's video right here., external

Those 29 riders, who now have a five minute 46 seconds lead, include yellow jersey wearer Greg van Avermaet, Steve Cummings, Vincenzo Nibali, Fabian Cancellara and Tony Martin.

Van Avermaet already had a five minute-plus lead before the start of stage seven. Team Sky are leading the chase in the peloton. 

The 29 leaders also includes the man in the yellow jersey: Greg van Avermaet. The gap is now above five minutes. 

Rob Hayles
Former GB cyclist

Today could suit Vincenzo Nibali, he climbs well and puts pressure on during descents but yesterday he lost time. He said otherwise, saying he was not a general classification rider and it was all normal. But we just wonder if he was suffering, did he intend to lose that amount of time?

For the record, Nibali is 14 minutes off the overall leader's pace but is in the leading breakaway. 

Still 29 riders out in front, including Tsgabu Grmay (Lampre-Merida), the first Ethiopian to ride in the Tour de France. The breakaway also includes Brit Steve Cummings, who earned a first stage win for South African based-team MTN-Qhuebeka, who are now called Team Dimension Data. 

They are all three minutes 45 seconds out in front now, so forming a decent gap. 

We now have 29 riders clear of the peloton and they have a gap of two minutes and 30 seconds. 

They include Giro d'Italia winner Vincenzo Nibali, who was tipped to do well today as he likes a descent, and Brit Steve Cummings, who won a breakaway stage last year. Fabian Cancellara and Tony Martin are in there too. 

This could get tasty. 

Paul Voss (Bora-Argon) breaks clear of those 22 breakaway riders but is reeled back in. 

The nine riders who have broken away have been joined by a further 13. 

The nine attackers were: Alexis Vuillermoz (AG2R-La Mondiale), Paul Martens (LottoNL-Jumbo), Fabian Cancellara (Trek-Segafredo), Oliver Naesen (IAMCycling), Sebastian Langeveld (Cannondale-Drapac), Kristijan Durasek (Lampre-Merida), Jurgen Roelandts (Lotto-Soudal) and Pierre-Luc Périchon (Fortuneo-Vital Concept). 

Don't forget that former GB cyclist Rob Hayles and BBC 5 live commentator Rob Hatch will be bringing commentary from the latter stages of the race on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra from 15:00 BST, which you can listen to at the top of this page. 

But being nice guys, they're also willing to answer your Tour de France questions in the meantime. 

Wondering if Greg van Avermaet can sustain his yellow jersey challenge? Want to know how good they think Mark Cavendish is? Or maybe you don't get some of the teams' tactics? Then they are the men to ask. 

Just get in touch via #bbccycling, external and we'll put the best questions to them. 

Rob Hayles
Former GB cyclist

Image source, Tour de France

The descent at the end of the stage will be crucial today, especially if it drags up again to the finish. If it's twisty and turny, then it will be a show. It's good in the way organisers have mixed it up with mountain top finishes and those like today, which has a descent and then a ramp up to the finish. It's stressful for a rider, but it will be a show for us. 

And now we have another attack from nine riders, including seven-time stage winner Fabian Cancellara, from Switzerland. Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) and Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Dimension Data) attempt to join them. 

It wasn't just Mark Cavendish and Peter Sagan who were starting to ease off the gas. The peloton have caught the dozen breakaway riders. 

As you were. 

Rob Hatch
BBC Radio 5 live commentator

It's very open today. It depends on who is in the break and how it's raced. There are three days of climbs, this weekend, then Mont Ventoux next week, then time trials and then the Alps. There is a long way to go and riders won't to be burn too many matches too soon, if they can help it. 

The 12 breakaway riders are: Gorka Izagirre (Movistar), Luis Leon Sanchez (Astana), Peter Sagan (Tinkoff), Jarlinson Pantano (IAM Cycling), Ramunas Navardauskas (Cannondale-Drapac), Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data), Jeremy Roy (FDJ), Cesare Benedetti (Bora-Argon 18), Rui Costa (Lampre-Merida), Nicolas Edet and Geoffrey Soupe (Cofidis), Chris Anker Sørensen (Fortuneo-Vital Concept).

Suggestions that Mark Cavendish and Peter Sagan are starting to ease off their pedals. The gap from the breakaway riders to the peloton has reduced to 23 seconds. 

Image source, AFP

This is what Team Sky's Geraint Thomas has to say about stage seven in his day-by-day guide to this year's Tour. 

The Welshman says: "I can't see too many of the favourites for the general classification being too aggressive because the next two days are tough. The ascent of the Col d'Aspin will lead to a selection going over the top together but not necessarily the best riders. 

"They will be a bit nervous because of the descent to the finish. All the top guys can descend the same when they are together but downhill runs to the finish cause a bit more stress because they can be dangerous."

Thomas tipped fellow Brit Steve Cummings to feature today, but I wonder if we will see a winner from the breakaway out in front?

Image source, AFP

Etixx-Quick Step are leading the charge to try and catch the dozen out in front. With 24km gone, those 12 buccaneers have a 30-second gap. Mark Cavendish and Peter Sagan are among them. 

Image source, Getty Images

As the riders bust out in front, a quick reminder of where we are at in terms of the jerseys: In short, the Belgians are looking strong.

Yellow jersey: Greg van Avermaet. The BMC rider from Belgium is still in yellow after a relatively sedate day for those not contending the sprints. He's still five minutes 11 seconds ahead of second placed Julian Alaphilippe. Chris Froome is six seconds further back. 

Green jersey: Mark Cavendish, who else? The Brit has three stage wins this Tour and has 204 sprinters points, 22 ahead of Marcel Kittel and 29 ahead of Peter Sagan.

Polka Dot jersey: Thomas de Gendt is first of a Belgian trio at the top of the king of the mountains standings. He has 13 points, ahead of Van Avermaet's 11, and Jasper Stuyven with five points. 

White jersey: Second-placed Julian Alaphilippe leads the way in the young rider's category, ahead of fellow French rider Warren Barguil and Wilco Kelderman of the Netherlands.