Chris Froome has been paced up by Mikel Nieve, who now drops off.

Over to you boss.

Froome is 25 seconds behind Romain Bardet's group, which also features Fabio Aru.

As it stands, Aru is taking yellow. A crucial few minutes of climbing ahead.

There are six AG2R riders helping Bardet zoom up this slope.

Nairo Quintata cannot handle the pace. The Movistar rider slides down the mountain.

A few moments ago Romain Bardet had a 45-second lead over Froome on the road.

Bardet started the day just 23 seconds behind - so that's enough to take yellow, if it holds.

The Frenchman and his team want more time. They are biting harder, pushing faster in search of more seconds. Froome is with two team-mates, but getting back on level time will be tough.

This climb is pretty brutal in parts - one section is at 14%.

Wow. Seriously interesting drama unfolding here now. And just as I left my PC to retrieve a banana (one-man band here, so not great timing).

As it stands, Tony Martin is about a minute ahead of the 27 early breakaway riders behind him. The German is trying to time-trial his way to stage victory.

But the tasty stuff is all going on about nine minutes down the road from Martin. AG2R have pulled a surprise attack on the category-one Col de Peyra Taillade.

And Froome's yellow jersey could be in peril...

AG2R La Mondiale have absolutely hammered this. They are burning their way forward at the front of the peloton, and Team Sky are having to work extremely hard to keep the pace.

Froome had to switch wheels, with Sergio Henao dropping back to help him out. They are going to have to dig deep to regroup.

A superb move from AG2R. Their main man Romain Bardet is 45 seconds clear of Froome on the road.

Mechanical for Chris Froome!

Image source, EPA

Movement at the front of the peloton as the riders jostle for position ahead of the climb.

Movistar and AG2R La Mondiale pick up the pace, and the Team Sky shirts, those we've seen at the front for the duration of the race so far - slip back down the lines.

For a second it looks like a gap is going to form, but Chris Froome's team-mates soon latch on the wheels in front.

Interesting! Romain Bardet's team looking to put the yellow jersey under pressure. Good stuff.

Tony Martin's solo lead stretches out to one minute and 33 seconds. There are 27 riders chasing behind him, and he's about to start climbing the long and challenging category-one Col de Peyra Taillade, which has an 800m section at 14%.

Zooming in on the brutality...

Image source, BBC Sport

Rob Hayles
Former GB cyclist at the Tour de France

In reply to Simon's question at 15:31:

Don't bother with stuff that blows away in the wind. You need something with substance. But you have to find something that suits you. If you are doing an event or a big race, a mixture of gels, fluid... a lot of guys just have water but I always needed a bit of isotonic too.

Derek from Canada has also emailed in. He explains that he is "recovering from being knocked off his bike by a deer while cycling home from work".

More: "Sprained wrist, dislocated finger, broken toe, five stitches, but I did manage to un-clip in the time it took the bike to endo and hit the ground. Bike and deer both fine btw."

And he has a question:

How much say do the teams get in the selection of the TdF route and stages? Every year the route is a bit different, with team time trials some years and not others, more or less sprints or mountains. Do the teams get any input at all in defining the stages?

Tony Martin is a picture of machine-like efficiency as he contorts his human form around corner after corner, powering down on the pedals as much as he can on this short descent towards the foot of the category-one Col de Peyra Taillade.

He is a minute and 15 seconds ahead of the 27 riders behind him, and nine minutes clear of the peloton.

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There is also 'the knock' to contend with, correct? One being a shortage of sugar and the other a lack of salt?

Simon, from Newry in Northern Ireland texts in on 81111 to ask:

Question on cycling food. What is best food to prevent "bonking" on gritty Irish roads after 2 hours cycling?

Rob Hayles
Former GB cyclist at the Tour de France

Tony Martin is in his element here. A nice flat back, keeping as aerodynamic as possible by resting on the handlebars. All the power is from the hips downwards, keeping his breathing steady and the top part of the body nice and relaxed.

Katusha rider Tony Martin is increasing his lead out on the front. He's now one minute and two seconds clear of the 27 riders just behind him.

Six minutes and 50 seconds further back still is the peloton, controlled by Team Sky, who are protecting the yellow jersey of Chris Froome.

This looks nailed on for a breakaway stage victory, but will it be the dazzling, daring display of Martin that wins the day?

Daniel believes he is being greedy as he emails in with another question. Far from it Dan!

He writes:

Another question, to be greedy, if you threw in a stage that required mountain bikes, would that decimate the field? Who'd your money be on for a stage victory? And could you ever see it happening?

Tony Martin is already about 42 seconds in the clear...

Rob Hayles
Former GB cyclist at the Tour de France

Tony Martin is in full time-trial mode.

If he gets himself a minute advantage by the time he hits the foot of the climb, he should have enough to get over with his lead intact...

We are in the rolling green. All is calm. But suddenly Tony Martin breaks clear from the lead group at the front of the race.

With 65km to go, the German goes for it. A daring solo attack.

So far the racing has been pretty pedestrian, but this move is intriguing. Can Martin hold out?

He is a monster of a rider, but in about 30km comes the Col de Peyra Taillade, a category-one climb with a section at 14%. We should see a few sparks fly.