Any lingering thoughts the escapees had of making it to the finish in front are gone.

But Quick-Step are having to do all the work on the front. It's as though the other teams have said, 'you've got the best sprinter in Marcel Kittel, why should we pace it out to help your man win'.

Can anyone beat the German today?

Image source, Getty Images

Quick-Step and Katusha have muscled Sky out of the way down the right and suddenly the peloton gets a bit more pointy at the front.

In the last couple of kilometres, the lead has halved.

Arnaud Demare is slipping back a bit. Easy to spot in his green jersey. He'll want to start moving up as the pace continues to increase.

The road into Nuit-Saint-Georges is relatively narrow and with the general classification teams dominating the front, there is no room for the sprinters to take over.

The escapees are now 50 seconds clear. Surely not?

The final 5km is a tailwind, which should help the break.

Quick-Step have managed to get a rider on the front. It's Philippe Gilbert and immediately the advantage drops 10 seconds.

Movistar are hogging the middle of the road. Team Sky are down the right. Katusha are inbetween the two. The Lotto NL-Jumbo train has forced its way through.

They have Tour de Yorkshire stage winner Dylan Groenewegen in their team and he will be looking to improve on his sixth place from yesterday.

The four out front are still staying 30 seconds clear. No urgency to completely close it down. The sprinters don't want surprise attacks to deal with.

Time to focus on the finish. Who's your money on? I can't see past Drago winning a third stage of 2017's Tour.

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Tony Martin is on the front of the peloton, with three Katusha team-mates. The four-time world time trial champion "can do some damage" says Rob Hayles. He has three riders in his slipstream. Once again he is trying to set this up for Alexander Kristoff.

Team Sky are still all together. Christian Knees doing the hard yards right now on the right of the road.

The leaders are hanging 20 seconds clear.

The peloton is still spread right across the road and the teams of the general classification riders are all to the fore.

"It's pretty much a drag race at the moment. A stampede," says Rob Hayles.

"The sprinters will like this because the longer they can sit back and not do too much work, the better."

Image source, Getty Images

#bbccycling - are there any more out there?

Rob Hayles still thinks there's going to be a bit of wind to affect the run-in. At the finish line he and Simon Brotherton are watching a hot air balloon getting ready to lift off.

"Wouldn't happen in England," says Rob. "With all the health and safety there's no way they'd let it up if there was so much of a sniff of a breeze."

I think his tongue was lodged firmly in his cheek, as he continues to pray for a gust or two.

With the break close to being reeled in, it's perhaps time we gave them one final salute.

Maxime Bouet of the Fortuneo-Vital Concept team, Dylan van Baarle of Cannondal-Drapac, UAE Emirates' Manuele Mori and Direct Energie's Yohann Gene have given it their all but their fun is about to come to an end.

They have just 30 seconds advantage.

The four leading riders are working well together, although their spells on the front are becoming shorter. A few seconds each, a flick of the elbow, and the next man takes his turn.

Back in the peloton they are on a wide stretch of road and the riders are about 10 abreast.

It's a fairly straight stretch too and the prey is in sight, despite being 45 seconds clear.

Image source, Getty Images

From a lay chaplain...maybe in 20 years? #bbccycling

James Collins, external: In 1993 Stage 18 to Bordeaux. About 1/3 of peloton escaped with a bunch sprint. Abdoujaparov. Boardman WHR #bbccycling, external

Rob Hayles
Former GB cyclist on Radio 5 live sports extra

I've just popped out the back of the commentary box and done the wind dance.

The pace is really on in the peloton. Chris Froome is right up near the front of the peloton, perhaps heeding the warnings of Rob Hayles.

Geraint Thomas is also keeping tabs on this, following Welshman Luke Rowe who is now leading the peloton. Movistar are moving Nairo Quintana up there.

There are vineyards left and right but nobody has time to sample the wares.

The increase in speed has seen the advantage of the four out front reduced to just 70 seconds.

A cracking spot this one. #bbccycling for your cycling look-a-likes.

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Rob Hayles on radio commentary is pleading for wind to shake up the finish.

"Chris Froome shouldn't be too troubled," he says, before adding...

"If you start to get echolons where riders are overlapping each other so there is a long diagonal to shelter from the wind, a touch of wheels can lead to a crash.

"And if you have a puncture or a mechanical then nobody will be waiting for you. So you've got to be vigilant."

Stretching it a bit there Jonny. #bbccycling

Cofidis' French sprinter Nacer Bouhanni has already gone further in this race than ever before.

In two previous Tour attempts, he has been forced to abandon after stage five.

He was also supposed to be racing last year but had to pull out with a hand injury sustained in an altercation with hotel guests the night before his national championships.

He has won three stages at the Giro d'Italia and two at the Vuelta a Espana but he's never stood atop the Tour podium

Image source, Reuters

The race skips through Chamboeuf, an ancient-looking town, just south of Dijon.

The road is extremely narrow as it weaves between houses, only enough space to go three or four abreast.

With brick walls the punishment for a miscalculated corner, everyone knocks off the pace a little.

Lotto-Soudal, Quick-Step Floors and FDJ have been joined on the front by a Cofidis rider.

Image source, Getty Images