Matt Warwick
BBC Sport

Today’s epic 218km stage goes through the town where Tour legend Raymond Poulidor lived.

The French public absolutely loved him, despite that fact he never won cycling’s greatest race, or even wore the yellow jersey. He died in Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat last year aged 83, at which the riders will come to around half way today.

Is it fair to say France loves a flawed hero? Eric Cantona? Serge Gainsbourg? Today, that could fit the bill of several French riders fighting for prowess in yellow. Thibaut Pinot’s tears last year were emblematic of France’s love affair with Tour failure.

But this year could be different (he says, as Bernard Hinault rolls his eyes), with Guillaume Martin of Cofidis third and Romain Bardet AG2R la Mondiale fourth, only 28 and 30 seconds down in the GC respectively.

Looking at the strength of their teams compared to Ineos and Jumbo-Visma, there’s probably more heartbreak on the cards, but I’m quite excited by their presence – especially Bardet. If he has the race of his life, he’s probably a match for Roglic.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

I'll be honest this very much feels like some of the typical Tour de France stages I used to watch when I first started following the race many moons ago.

At 218km, it's the longest stage in the race and the only one that tips over 200km in this edition of the Tour.

That sort of distance used to be standard. There were eight of that length of more in 2019 and on average 5-6 over the last decade.

What's the longest drag ever in a Tour I hear you ask...Well that was the 482km route from Sables d’Olonne to Bayonne which was in place between 1919-1924.

Mathieu Burgaudeau and Kasper Asgreen have made contact with the breakaway, largely down to the efforts of the Dane.

So a quartet becomes a sextet at the front of the race.

They have about one minute and 20 seconds on the 155 riders that compose the main group behind them.

Still 152km to go mind.

Provisional points classification standings after the intermediate sprint:

1. Sam Bennett (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) - 2522. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) - 1823. Bryan Coquard (B&B Hotels-Vital Concept) - 1624. Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Soudal) - 1555. Matteo Trentin (CCC) - 146

1. Nils Politt - 20 points
2. Imanol Erviti - 17 points
3. Luis Leon Sanchez -15 points
4. Max Walscheid -13 points
5. Kasper Asgreen - 11 points
6. Mathieu Burgaudea - 10
7. Sam Bennett - 9 points
8. Michael Morkov - 8 points
9. Peter Sagan - 7 points
10. Matteo Trentin - 6 points
11. Bryan Coquard - 5 points
12. Dries Devenyns - 4 points
13. Roman Kreuziger - 3 points
14. Michael Gogl - 2 points
15. Jerome Cousin - 1 point

Now then here's the main course when it comes to the sprint. Sam Bennett v Peter Sagan.

And by the looks of things Ireland's Bennett extends his lead in the points classification looks like he finished a couple of places ahead of the Slovak there.

The breakaway are through the intermediate sprint and Nils Politt is over the line first.

The winner of stage 11 Caleb Ewan, had a little dip back to the team car a few minutes back.

Ewan now has five stage wins at the Tour over the last couple of years though the rise up to the finish in Sarran Correze will not necessarily work in his favour.

Seven-time green jersey winner Peter Sagan crossed the finish in second on stage 11 but was relegated to last and docked 13 sprint points for muscling past Wout van Aert late on.

Here's his take on what went down: "I did my own sprint. I don’t think I did it," he told reporters before the start of stage 12.

"I fought to survive. In the middle of the road there was a small pool and that is what I tried to avoid."

The lead group's advantage is now one minute and 55 seconds as Bora-Hansgrohe decide enough is enough.

The German team are trying to up the tempo at the front of the peloton, no doubt working for their main man Peter Sagan.

Mathieu Burgaudeau and Kasper Asgreen are still sandwiched in between the leaders and the peloton.

The four riders at the front of the race have managed to take their lead over a minute.

Total Direct Energie's Mathieu Burgaudeau and Deceuninck-Quick-Step's Kasper Asgreen have clipped off the front of the main group in pursuit.

Still a good 190km plus to go.

The points classification standings:

1. Sam Bennett (Deceunink-Quick-Step) - 243 points

2. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) - 175 points

3. Bryan Coquard (B&B Hotels - Vital Concept) - 157 points

4. Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) - 151 points

5. Matteo Trentin (CCC) - 140points

Image source, Getty Images

The intermediate sprint is relatively early on today so a chance for some action in the points classification.

As it stands Ireland's Sam Bennett is currently the man in possession, of the green jersey that is, though I am sure that seven-time winner Peter Sagan won't be giving up the ghost.

The Slovak has already put himself up near the front of the main bunch in anticipation of that.

Image source, ASO

In case you were wondering here is the stage profile for today.

There are more ups and downs on there than on the Big Dipper in Blackpool.

Meanwhile the green jersey of Sam Bennett has been spotted gluing himself to the wheel of his former Bora-Hansgrohe team-mate Peter Sagan.

Looks as though Guillaume Martin is okay.

A crash in the main bunch may well have helped the escapees but what consequences will it have elsewhere in the race...

It looks as though Astana's Alexey Lutsenko hit the deck for a second day in a row, while yellow jersey contender Guillaume Martin also fell.

The four-man break take their lead out to 30 seconds or so...

It would be fair to say that it has been a pretty eventful start to proceedings.

Denmark's 2019 world race race champion Mads Pedersen had a couple of digs at getting away to no avail.

But Imanol Erviti (Movistar), Luis Leon Sanchez (Astana), Nils Politt (Israel Start-Up Nation) and Max Walscheid (NTT Pro Cycling) have finally broken away from the shackles of the peloton.

According to Britain's Adam Yates, this route has "breakaway written all over it."

The Mitchelton-Scott rider reckons that Greg van Avermaet could be the man to watch today in his stage guide.

You can read all about that here.