Rob Hayles is currently on the live commentary with Simon Brotherton but a little earlier today, he was talking through today's stage with OJ Borg in the Daily Pain (get it?!). Follow this link, external to find out what they were talking about.

Later today, OJ will be doing his daily BeSpoke show from this little cafe. Join him on the BBC Radio 5 live Sport Facebook page from 18:30 BST.

Image source, BBC Sport

There are no risks being taken here. You can tell the peloton's pace has dropped massively because the gap to the escapees has gone up to two minutes, 40 seconds.

It's that old adage of you can't win the Tour today, but you could certainly lose it.

Geraint Thomas is up near the front of the peloton, perhaps mindful of his race-ending crash in the Giro d'Italia in May. Much less chance of being caught up in a crash if you've only got half a dozen riders in front of you!

We have been in Belgium for five minutes and we are already on cobbles. I'm not talking the sort that feature so heavily in the spring one-day classics but on a day as wet as today, they could prove slippery.

The escapees are gingerly over them. Here comes the peloton...

Image source, EPA

It's all feeling a little bit like the calm before the storm. The riders out front know they are live bait and will be swallowed up before the finish.

The quartet are riding well together though, each taking their turn at the front to keep pushing on.

Their lead has increased back up to the two minutes, 25 seconds mark. The peloton not looking particularly bothered at the moment.

Rob Hayles on commentary says not to worry. He guarantees a bunch sprint finish. He says a good rule of thumb is that it takes 10km to knock a minute off a lead on a flat stage. They have 55km remaining.

Right, that's that cleared up then...

The race is leaving Germany and crossing into Belgium as the riders reach Aachen with 61km remaining.

The leading quartet are riding in rain. They are two minutes ahead of the peloton, which is yet to ride into the wetness.

There is one minor category four hill climb to negotiate with around 20km remaining.

Rob Hayles
Former GB cyclist on Radio 5 live sports extra

"There's a big question mark over Mark Cavendish. He has a strong lead out train, but we're unsure about his final sprint as he's still recovering from glandular fever. Andre Greipel and Marcel Kittel both have great lead out trains, but my money is on Kittel today."

Image source, BBC Sport

It looks like it's not just at the Tour de France that British riders are doing well this weekend...over at the women's Tour of Italy...

The BBC Radio 5 live team are up and running and discussing their circuitous route from Dusseldorf to Liege this morning. They drove for an hour on the loop out of the German city that the riders had to navigate, before finding themselves right back where they started.

Thankfully, they eventually made it out and are now at the finish line in Liege.

I've updated my previous answer. I'd been led to believe all other jerseys trumped white but maybe Jonny has hit the nail...

Is that a planned AG2R Mondiale comfort break, under the orders or their team leader and one of the favourites, Romain Bardet? At least half of their team all pull over to the side of the road en masse to answer a call of nature and the television camera respectfully pulls away, although not before showing several fans turning their phones to record the moment.

Am I the only one who finds that odd?

Image source, Getty Images

I've not mentioned them for a while. Our four out front are: Lauren Pichon of the Fortuneo-Oscaro team, Direct Energie's Thomas Boudat, Yoann Offredo of Wanty and Taylor Phinney from Cannondale-Drapac.

Their lead is holding at two minutes as they enter the final 80km of today's stage.

Image source, EPA

The roads are drying out a little as the race heads towards the Belgian border.

The riders in the peloton are hungrily chewing on the energy bars and other bits of food that have been packed into their food bags.

Marcel Kittel is the highest-ranked sprinter after yesterday's time trial. He finished 16 seconds adrift of Geraint Thomas. There are 10 bonus seconds up for grabs for the winner of today's stage. But Thomas is likely to finish in the peloton that will cross the line immediately behind the sprinters and be credited with the same time.

There has also been a change in the rules this year. Previously, if you finished within a second of the rider in front of you, you were given the same time. This year, in an effort to stop too many riders battling to record the same time and the chaos that can cause, that distance has been extended to three seconds.

Three seconds is a long time when the riders are sprinting at over 30mph.

The rider in green is Geraint Thomas' Team's Sky team-mate Vasil Kiryienka. Stefan Küng of BMC Racing, the man who finished second on stage one is in white as the best young rider.

Geraint Thomas is the leader of the points classification but because he is also race leader, he wears the yellow jersey.

Kung picked up the second most points and I had been led to believe that green beats white but Kung is in white.

While setting up in Liege, the BBC Radio 5 live team took a few moments out to take some pics of the finish straight. Looks a little narrow to me...and hoping that green side board is pulled back!

They will be live, via the BBC Sport website at 14:30 BST.

We have reached half distance in today's stage. How you all doing? I'm regretting dipping into my musette early doors and emptying my solitary bidon.

The riders will be entering their feed zone shortly. Hope they get something nice for lunch.

101km to Liege, under slate grey skies. Even race leader Geraint Thomas is hiding his yellow jersey under a white rain mac.

If you have any questions on the tactics, or race in general, send them in to #bbccycling and if I can't answer, I'm sure one of your fellow readers will help out...

It was Cavendish in eighth in that photo!

1. Thomas Boudat 20 points 2. Taylor Phinney 17 3. Laurent Pichon 15 4. Yoann Offredo 13 Two minutes, 10 seconds back5. Alexander Kristoff 11 6. Sonny Colbrelli 10 7. Michael Matthews 9 8. Arnaud Demare 8 9. Peter Sagan 7 10. Marcel Kittel 6 11. André Greipel 5 12. Mark Cavendish 4 13. Ben Swift 3 14. Rick Zabel 2 15. Mike Teunissen 1

Rob Hayles
Former GB cyclist on Radio 5 live sports extra

"All the sprinters were leading out looking to mop up the points, but Cav was rolling through at the back. He's trying to save himself and ride himself through."

Join Rob Hayles with commentator Simon Brotherton from 14:30 BST on the BBC Sport website for live commentary of stage two.