Primoz Roglic wins stage 17
Froome extends lead to 27 seconds
Uran and Bardet now second and third
Marcel Kittel abandons - he had been in green jersey
Image source, GettyThe riders on the slopes of the Croix de Fer. Marcel Kittel looks very battered and bruised after his crash earlier.
Bandages and strapping and stuff all over the place. I don't think the likable German is enjoying life too much right now.
Kittel went down in that early crash. Alexander Kristoff has also gone down today.
Sprinters eh....
A few intrepid climbers sharing the benefits of their wisdom (or lack of it)
Tell us about your adventures using #bbcycling or text 81111.
Morph climbs the Galibier
Maybe don't read this if you are tucked towards the back of the peloton and feeling a little leggy.
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If you've just joined us, we've had a crash that saw both Marcel Kittel and Warren Barguil go down. Both are OK but with slightly ripped kit. Though not as ripped as Steve Cummings, who took a big old tumble.
Michael Matthews then closed the gap at the top of the race for the green jersey by winning the intermediate sprint.
Matthews and Thomas de Gendt have a lead of a minute from a breakaway of 31 riders. The main peloton is five minutes back as we head towards the lower slopes of the hors categorie Col de la Croix de Fer.
General classification after stage 16:
1. Chris Froome (GB/Team Sky) 68hrs 18mins 36secs
2. Fabio Aru (Ita/Astana) +18secs
3. Romain Bardet (Fra/AG2R) +23secs
4. Rigoberto Uran (Col/Cannondale-Drapac) +29secs
5. Mikel Landa (Spa/Team Sky) +1min 17secs
6. Simon Yates (GB/Orica) +2mins 02secs
7. Dan Martin (Ire/Quick-Step) +2mins 03secs
8. Louis Meintjes (SA/Team UAE Emirates) +6mins 00secs
9. Damiano Caruso (Ita/BMC) +6mins 05secs
10. Nairo Quintana (Col/Movistar) +6mins 16secs
Just a reminder than there are only 29 seconds between Chris Froome in the yellow jersey and Colombian Rigoberto Uran in fourth.
Michael Matthews and Thomas de Gendt lead by almost a minute from the breakaway of 31 riders.
The peloton with all the main contenders in it are five minutes off the lead.
Image source, EPAHere he goes - Michael Matthews hoovers up the points as the first through the intermediate sprint at Allemont.
Marcel Kittel's lead? That is now down to nine points.
He led by more than a 100 just a few days ago.
Rob Hayles
Former GB cyclist at the Tour de France
Today is a day that just gets harder and harder and so for the bigger guys and the sprinters specifically it's a day when they have to try and survive.
So to have a crash so soon after the start before the climbing has even started is disastrous for the green jersey and Marcel Kittel.
He had team-mates with him yesterday - which in hindsight for their GC rider Dan Martin backfired big time in those crosswinds, with him losing 51 seconds.
It looks like today they are concentrating on Dan. The problem for Kittel now - even though he's got back to the peloton - is that his right shoulder has taken a big hit, which at this stage in the Tour is even harder to cope with, and makes the job in hand so much more difficult.
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Thomas de Gendt and Michael Matthews have a little lead - 25 seconds or so - off the front of the breakaway.
Next on our ticklist is the intermediate sprint. Matthews will definitely be wanting to hoover up those points.
#bbccycling
OK, who has been over the Galibier? Or the Col de la Croix de Fer?
Did you enjoy it? Was it painful? Did you get snowed on in July?
And did you immortalise the moment forever via the magic medium of photography?
Please do let us know, usual channels apply....
#bbccycling or text 81111
Like this......
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Safety pins are currently holding Steve Cummings ripped shorts together.
The wonders of modern technology.
Thomas de Gendt has his eye on King of the Mountains points at the top of the category two Col d'Ornon but Michael Matthews beats him to the line.
Matthews? Isn't he bothered about the green jersey?
Well, superb teamwork work from team Sunweb, who have Warren Barguil down the road in the polka dot jersey.
Matthews beating De Gendt denies the Belgium vital points as he tries to eat into Barguil's considerable lead.
Pawel Poljanski's legs have already made headlines today and now the Polish rider's pins have propelled him into today's early break.
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Image source, Tour de FranceRob Hayle's guide: Two huge mountain passes dominate today's stage and the category one Col du Telegraphe is no easy climb either. The Col du Galibier is back on the Tour route for a 33rd time and first since 2011. It is the roof of this year's race and the rider who reaches the top first will be rewarded with the Souvenir Henri Desgrange in memory of the Tour's founder. It will be a big day for the general classification contenders.
There are around 30 breakaway riders halfway up the Col d'Ornon. Former ski jumper Primoz Roglic is in the group but he suddenly hits a rider in front and tastes gravel.
He's up quicker than I can type but he's lost a few seconds.
Four minutes back down the road, the general classification riders are all together, following the Team Sky led peloton.
Image source, Getty ImagesPolka dot jersey leader Barguil
Frenchman Warren Barguil will have been hoping to put the battle for the climber's polka dot jersey beyond the reach of his rivals with another good day in the mountains today.
The Sunweb rider has already collected 117 points, 79 more than second placed Primoz Roglic and Thomas De Gendt, so with 55 points up for grabs today the Breton can get over the line.
However, he has missed the break so won't be picking up anything over this first categorised ascent of the day. He may have to go for a long one on the Col de la Croix de Fer.
Marcel Kittel is a lucky boy, although he probably doesn't feel like one right now. The peloton has sat up and waited for him to catch up, which means no long, lonely ride to the finish.
He's at the medical car, getting his wounds dressed. No wincing from the big man though.
However, his lead in the green points jersey classification is going to take another hit.
While all that carnage was happening, a break went clear with the Team Sunweb boys to the fore. And that means Michael Matthews is favourite to pick up 20 points in the intermediate sprint.
Polka dot jersey Warren Barguil was among those taken down in that crash, but the Frenchman is able to continue although now with a bandaged right arm.
Both his closest rivals for the jersey, Primoz Roglic and Thomas De Gendt, look to have made today's early move and they need to collect at least 21 points today to keep their chances alive.