Meanwhile, out on the road...the first big split of the day. Are there any big names caught out? I'm trying to find it out. The Tinkoff team were the ones to put the hurt on the front of the peloton. 

Steve Cummings is one - he rides for the same Dimension Data team as Mark Cavendish and will be a miss in the run-in, particularly as Cav is already missing his main lead-out man Mark Renshaw.

The extra pace means the two out front's advantage has been chopped to two minutes.

I remember that snow, I was interviewing a bunch of scouts halfway up Sutton Bank on the eve of stage one while covering the race for BBC Radio York.

Love this. Miniature riders on miniature bikes, riding a mini Tour through the undergrowth. What's not to like?

The leading two are receiving hearty cheers as they dash through Saint-Chinian. No doubt most are for Arthur Vichot, who as the winner of the French road race is wearing the national champion's red, white and blue jersey and instantly recognisable.

They have just 95km remaining, the peloton is four minutes adrift and being pulled along by the Lotto Soudal team of Andre Greipel.

The Movistar team of Nairo Quintana are also prominent though. They are on super-careful watch today.

OJ Borg has been in touch to say the next BBC Radio 5 live Facebook live,, external featuring himself and the Robs Hatch and Hayles will be live in the next couple of minutes. 

Head over there to ask a question or two, it's not late to fire one to #bbccycling

Are you staying on Mont Ventoux waiting for the Tour to come through? If you are, let us know how long you've been there, how windy it is and the mood at the news the stage may be shortened?

Also, can anyone beat this? Chapeau! #bbccycling

Team Sky are ploughing a furrow at the front of the peloton, keeping the escapees on a leash of two minutes, 30 seconds.

There are rumours that tomorrow's Bastille Day trek up Mont Ventoux may be truncated. Wind speeds of 100km/h are being forecast and that is not good for bike racing.

I went up the Beast of Provence, in a car, while on holiday a couple of years ago. It was windy then, on a non-windy day! 

A decision will be made in due course but the plan B is to stop the race at Chalet Reynard which is around 500m lower in altitude and 6km from the summit.

Good work Robert, hope you made it through to the finish.

Send in your photos of battling the elements #bbccycling

Image source, AP

The influence of the wind cannot be underestimated.

Colombia's Nairo Quintana was caught out by crosswinds in last year's race and lost nearly the same amount of time on stage two as he finished behind Chris Froome in Paris.

"Anybody who gets caught out in the wind is going to be in a lot of trouble," said Rob Hayles on a BBC Radio 5 live Facebook live a little earlier today.

 "Once you're in the wrong position, you could be just 10 bike lengths back, it's difficult to get back on. Quintana doesn't have the brute force to get back across. A puncture at the wrong time, getting stuck behind a crash...hopefully it won'tcome to that.

"Position, position, position is key today. Chris Froome does have the power to get back on and has the likes of Geraint Thomas, Ian Stannard and Luke Rowe, who have big engines.  

"Everyone's eyes are on Mont Ventoux tomorrow but it could be carnage today."

Quintana claims to have learnt from last year. Today we will find out.

As well as stage predictions for today, in a nod to the windy conditions today, I want your photos and memories of riding through awful weather, whether it be wind, rain, cold, snow...#bbccycling

Image source, Getty Images

Arthur Vichot takes the solitary point on offer for being first over the early category four climb - the Cote de Minerve. It's a mere bump in the road and Leigh Howard is happy to let him take that uncontested.

It looks like there is a rather large fire somewhere close to the route. There's certainly a lot of smoke and there are several planes circling and dropping water. I have no idea whether it will affect today's stage but I'll keep you posted as I find out more.

If there is a fire, then this wind will not be helping.

Today's stage, at 162.5km is "relatively short" says BBC Radio 5 live's expert Rob Hayles. He says that, coupled with strong winds, will "entice riders to attack".

Rob calls it a Mistral wind, which blows in from the north. There are others saying the wind is coming from a more north-westerly direction and that makes it a Tramontane.

Whichever it is, it spells trouble for the riders because "that could lead to echelons and decimate the field" according to Rob.

If you have any questions on today's stage, please tweet them to #bbccycling and the two Robs - Hayles and Hatch - will answer them either in this live text or when they do their next Facebook live at 14:00 BST, or in race commentary from 15:00 BST.

Image source, Getty Images

Mark Cavendish has form in Montpellier. He won there five years ago. Like omens? That too was his fourth stage win of the race.

But his main lead-out man Mark Renshaw has pulled out of this year's race. Will that make a difference? The Australian has been Cav's main man for the majority of his 29 Tour stage wins.

There are also a couple of frazzled Germans who will be keen to register their first wins of this year's race. Andre 'The Gorilla' Greipel and Marcel Kittel have won 10 and eight stages respectively in their careers but have both been blown out by Cav this Tour.

Greipel won in Montpellier in 2013 though, the last time the race visited the city in the south of France.

A timely point to add in a message from Lotto Soudal's big hope for today, The Gorilla himself Andre Greipel...

There are a couple of riders in the ditch down the side of the road. Looks like the man in the King of the Mountains polka dot jersey Thibaut Pinot and George Bennett ended up a couple of feet below the road. A reasonably soft landing in the verge but an early indication of the panic in the peloton. A little further down the road and an Astana and Katusha rider have also taken a tumble.

The man who everyone is trying to beat, had a quick word with Eurosport before setting off today. Mark Cavendish won in 2011 in Montpellier, but he said: "It's a bit different beating Tyler Farrar and Rojas than beating Greipel and Kittel, but then that doesn't change the fact we're trying to win. And it might help that they have got big strong teams for the finish.

"The last finish I can picture it and remember the road. There were roadworks last time but the road is a bit wider now."

And on the wind factor, he is not convinced echelons will form: "I think you'll see guys going out the back," he said. "It will be nervous all day without anything really going."

But first, time to get you lot involved with this live text. What are you expecting from today's stage? A fourth stage win of the race for Mark Cavendish? Or will the German Gorilla finally fire?

If you are struggling with your Mistral or Tramontane, have no idea what an echelon is, or have any other questions for our BBC 5 live team out in France, tweet them to #bbccycling and they will do their best to answer them. The Robs, Hatch and Hayles will be doing a Facebook live from 14:00 BST with OJ Borg.

And in a nod to the wind the riders will face today and the hail they faced on stage nine, I want your pictures of the worst conditions you have ridden through. #bbccyling

French champion Arthur Vichot of the FDJ team is the first to break clear of the peloton on a fast start from Carcassonne. He has been joined by Australia's Leigh Howard of the IAM Cycling squad.

The duo have quickly opened up a minute's lead on the bunch. 

Quite how long it will stick is anyone's guess because there's a bit of wind about today and that could play havoc with proceedings. More on that and the echelons it could produce shortly.