Stage eight: Dole - Station des Rousses, 187.5km
Lilian Calmejane holds on to claim stage win
Chris Froome retains leader's yellow jersey
Listen now to commentary on BBC Sport online
Peter Scrivener
Result of the intermediate sprint at Montrond (km 45.5):
1. André Greipel, 20 points
2. Michael Matthews, 17
3. Marcel Kittel, 15
4. Sonny Colbrelli, 13
5. Alexander Kristoff, 11
6. Alexis Vuillermoz, 10
7. Tony Gallopin, 9
8. Jack Bauer, 8
9. Lilian Calmejane, 7
10. Danilo Wyss, 6
11. Sylvain Chavanel, 5
12. Rudy Molard, 4
13. Warren Barguil, 3
14. Philippe Gilbert, 2
15. Fabio Sabatini, 1
Christian Knees of Team Sky has clearly been ordered to try and slow this down.
Four riders are clear but attacks are continuing within the peloton as the race weaves through a town. Knees is zig-zagging across the road, acting like a rolling roadblock.
But his efforts are wasted as the race leaves the town and he is swamped.
This blistering start is still not over.
My fingers are already aching. #bbccycling for your thoughts on today's stage
I've just seen a man, on a bike, dangling from a crane. Only on Le Tour. I just pointed it out to a colleague who doesn't follow the cycling. She didn't appear to be that impressed. I'm disappointed.
Meanwhile four riders have attacked again. And here comes Steve Cummings. The British national champion has waited 51km. Will he bridge across?
The attacking continues but nobody is getting clear. Sylvain Chavanel is certainly trying to force something.
The Direct Energie rider just will not give up.
Riders are weaving all over the place. The race is 50km old. Steve Cummings was waiting for a hard stage to go clear. It doesn't get any harder than this Steve...
Marcel Kittel has half a dozen riders leading him out. Katusha-Alpecin are moving Alexander Kristoff up, while Andre Greipel is in Kittel's wheel.
Is that a win for Greipel? The Gorilla takes it. Kittel looks like he took second, fractions ahead of Michael Matthews. Full result to follow.
Who is in the break?
The sprinters will have their fun in the next couple of kilometres. Marcel Kittel is making sure his shoes are nice and tight.
Steve Cummings is close to the front too. As is Thomas Voeckler. They know that if they can get a big of a tow off the sprinters, they will have an opportunity to push on as the sprinters ease off.
1km to the line in Montrond...
Two Quick-Step Floors riders have taken up pacing duties, with Julien Vermote on the nose.
And that can mean only one thing. Marcel Kittel has made it up the climb in contention. This is his big race for the day. There are 20 points up for grabs for the first over the line.
Team Sunweb will be cursing.
And here's Steve Cummings, starting to move up the peloton...
A couple of Trek Segafredo riders are back at their team car, taking on bottles of juice. One, two, three, four, five, six...the arm keeps coming out of the car...seven...how many bidons can one domestique carry?
Trek's big rider is two-time winner Alberto Contador and he will need plenty of energy for later. He is 52 seconds behind race leader Chris Froome.
Just 5km to the intermediate sprint. This has been a truly brutal opening hour of racing.
Depends how far away the shops are Jill! This pace surely cannot continue for too much longer. I'd suggest at least waiting until the intermediate sprint has been and gone. Just 7km to wait.
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Sylvain Chavanel attacks again. For the third time today the veteran French rider just will not give up today.
He has taken Dimension Data rider Serge Pauwels with him. Is Pauwels just keeping tabs on Chavanel for Steve Cummings? Or will he be riding for himself?
Cummings is still some way off the front of the race. Perhaps his pre-race optimism is going to come to nought today.
The trio out front have been caught. The riders are currently on an uncategorised climb with the intermediate sprint coming just over the top.
The Team Sunweb tactics are working. French national champion Arnaud Demare has been dropped. He is second in the green jersey competition.
Marcel Kittel, winner of three sprint stages, is in the green. I'm yet to see him but I suspect he too will be struggling.
How do you see things going today? #bbccycling for your thoughts
I wonder if Steve Cummings is sitting at the back of the peloton rubbing his hands together and saying: "I love it when a plan comes together."
Team Sunweb are keeping the pace high on the front of the peloton. They have put four riders on the nose and are determined to keep the escapees in check.
The pace is far too high for Cummings to go just yet. He must have figured out what is going on so is letting the three out front, all of whom could be big rivals for the stage win, bury themselves in trying to stay clear.
Once Team Sunweb have got Michael Matthews over the intermediate sprint line, you've got to suspect they will sit up, job done.
And then the stage is set for you Steve...simples?
The race has reached Arbois. It's a significant town for Steve Cummings, coming 28km into today's stage. 28km is the point at which he said he would try to get in the break...
Sylvain Chavanel, Greg van Avermaet and Alexey Lutsenko have opened a lead of 35 seconds but they cannot snap the elastic.
It's a little complicated because there are races going on within the race, so bear with me here...
Team Sunweb are keen to keep things close because the intermediate sprint is in about 20km. That is just over the top of this little climb coming up that Steve Cummings has picked as his launch pad to go in the break.
Team Sunweb's Michael Matthew is chasing the green points jersey and can climb better than the pure sprinters so he has a decent chance of picking up more points.
But if Cummings tries to go on the climb, that could scupper their plans.
Cummings still at the back of the peloton. Watchful.
Once the attacking calms down, we'll take a closer look at what's in store but for now, let's just enjoy it.
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This is not great news for Steve Cummings.
Greg van Avermaet has attacked and gone clear with Alexey Lutsenko and Sylvain Chavanel.
Belgian rider Van Avermaet had also picked today as a stage that would suit him.
He is putting the hammer down, teeth gritted. After a big turn on the front he flicks his elbow and Lutsenko takes over the pacing duties.
About another eight riders have broken clear and are midway between the break and the peloton.
The Lotto Jumbo-NL team is not happy though. They have a couple of riders on the front of the peloton.
Cummings still biding his time at the back of the peloton - so having written Van Avermaet's break was bad news, is his gamble actually paying off?
Four riders are trying to make a break stick.
Wily old Tour veteran Sylvain Chavenel has gone and taken Gianluca Brambilla and Alberto Bettiol with hime.
And can you believe this? Edvald Boasson Hagen is trying to bridge the gap.The Norwegian was the man pipped on the line by Marel Kittel yesterday.
Perhaps it's a canny move by the Dimension Data team? Steve Cummings could still launch a counter-attack at 28km and he'll have a team-mate up there to help him.
You'll know the routine by now. Christian Prudhomme waves his flag at kilometre zero and a break tries to go clear.
On flat days, the peloton would have sat up by now and waved au revoir but not today.
Half a dozen riders immediately leap clear but the peloton is still animated and determined to chase it down.
Steve Cummings warned that it may take a while for the break to go with most of the big riders waiting for the race to be super hard.
He is still at the back of the peloton. He's not wasting any energy, but also hoping that a break won't go clear before the road starts going up in 25km or so.