Julian Alaphilippe is off his bike. I think that's a mechanical.

Yet another crash. This time CCC's Jonas Koch goes down heavily. Alejandro Valverde and Astana's Miguel Angel Lopez are also involved.

Lopez is ninth in the GC standings.

Michał Kwiatkowski and Luke Rowe can't hold the front any longer as the peloton starts to splinter behind.

Where's Egan Bernal...it looks like the defending champion is being brought back to the front by Julian Alaphilippe.

Michał Kwiatkowski, Luke Rowe and Egan Bernal are at the front of the peloton is it grinds up a climb towards the bridge to Re island.

Apparently France's Bryan Coquard will not be involving himself in the end of race shake up.

The B&B Hotels-Vital Concept sprinter is still feeling worse for wear after an earlier crash.

Any sort of crash here would be devastating for one of the GC contenders as Ineos Grenadiers send Michał Kwiatkowski over to chaperone Egan Bernal.

The Ineos squad are holding a spot down the left as Warren Barguil tries manfully to regain contact at the back.

Image source, Getty Images

The main group is really being strung out now as Denmark's national champion Kasper Asgreen ramps things up through the twisty turning streets of La Rochelle.

Lovely shot of La Rochelle harbour there...

Just as I remember it from Tricolore.

Image source, Getty Images

Hello, what's this another crash.

Arkea Samsic's French duo Warren Barguil and Kevin Ledanois are involved.

If you're wondering just what impact that sprint had to the green jersey standings...

Peter Sagan now sits on 155 points so has a nine-point lead to Sam Bennett with Italy's Matteo Trentin up to third on 118 points.

Wout van Aert who has not got involved at all in the points race throughout the race is now fourth on 111 points.

1. Matteo Trentin, 20 points

2. Peter Sagan, 17 points

3. Sam Bennett, 15 points

4. Michael Morkov, 13 points

5. Bryan Coquard, 11 points.

Sam Bennett didn't even contest that.

Very much keeping his powder dry for the far more important potential final sprint of the day.

Matteo Trentin clips off to beat Peter Sagan with the Irishman in third.

Not long until the intermediate sprint as Peter Sagan glues himself to the wheel of Sam Bennett.

The race for the green jersey, which Sagan currently heads on 138 points from Bennett who is seven points back, is wide open this year.

Image source, Getty Images

Not a lot doing at present. Very much the quiet before any late storm and the intermediate sprint at Chatelaillon-Plage.

So a nice chance for the TV coverage to cut to aerial shots of Fort Boyard.

Yes it is an actual place and not just a game show that was once presented by Melinda Messenger.

As a show it was actually pretty big in France with the likes of Eva Longoria appearing on it back in 2009. And in 2019 France's World Cup winning defender Adil Rami was sacked by Marseille for reportedly, external missing training to appear on the show.

Oh and Guillaume Martin has latched back on by the way.

Tadej Pogacar is back with the peloton.

What a Tour this is turning out to be for the Slovenian...

He responded superbly in the Pyrenees, winning stage nine and clawing back time after a misjudgement cost him in Friday's seventh stage into Lavaur.

Three or four Cofidis riders have been told to put the brakes on and help Guillaume Martin get back to the main bunch.

He's about 40 seconds off the back at the minute after that untimely spill.

Tadej Pogacar looks to have been caught up in that crash as has Guillaume Martin.

So that's a couple of the big hitters in trouble.

You're not safe anywhere on this edition of the Tour de France it seems.

Crash, bang, wallop. There's another smash and this time at the front of the peloton which seems to have been caused by a rider clipping the central reservation.

The peloton is moving along briskly again now as it heads towards Rochefort.

Jumbo Visma's version of Superman, Wout van Aert said he felt "a bit more recovered then the other days," back on the start line.

What that means for the rest of the peloton and the sprinters I don't know but it doesn't sound good does it.

The Belgian has probably been the standout rider at the Tour this year winning two stages and showing he can sprint as well as mix it in the mountains.

"I’m ready for the second part," he said.

"This stage is designed for action I think. There are a lot of tricky sections for the crosswinds, maybe there's not too much wind, but I think down along the coast we always need to be aware of crosswinds."