Stage 11 Albertville - Col du Granon Serre Chevalier, 151.7km
Col du Galibier is the high point of the race at an altitude of 2,642m
Col du Granon Serre Chevalier is the highest stage finish this century
Tadej Pogacar is the wearing the yellow jersey as overall leader
Britain's Geraint Thomas, Adam Yates and Tom Pidcock are all in the top 10 overall
It’s stinking hot in this valley,” says the 2012 Tour champion Bradley Wiggins, now working on the race from the back of a Eurosport motorbike.
“This is the gateway to the Tour, this is where the race really starts now, the first real climbs, the long ones.”
Oliver Naesen has called it a race. The Belgian joins his AG2R Citroen team-mates Ben O'Connor and Geoffrey Bouchard on the sidelines for the remainder of the Tour.
Here's a quick reminder of how the race for the yellow jersey was looking at the end of stage 10.
1. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) 37hrs 11mins 28secs
2. Lennard Kamna (Ger/Bora-Hansgrohe)
3. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo-Visma) +39secs
4. Geraint Thomas (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +1min 17secs
5. Adam Yates (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +1min 25secs
6. David Gaudu (Fra/Groupama-FDJ) +1min 38secs
7. Romain Bardet (Fra/DSM) +1min 39secs
8. Tom Pidcock (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +1min 46secs
9. Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar) +1min 50secs
10. Luis Leon Sanchez (Spa/Bahrain Victorious) Same time
It's about 27°C out on the road at the moment. Be interesting to see how the main GC contenders deal with the heat.
There's been a suggestion that Tadej Pogacar may struggle a touch in really hot weather, though I'm not convinced.
Geraint Thomas doing a decent job at staying cool.
Image source, Getty ImagesPierre Latour was first the top of the Lacets de Montvernier. He scored five points.
Simon Geschke was second and scored four points as he tries to defend his polka-dot jersey.
The break has about four minutes on the peloton albeit the highest placed general classification rider is Warren Barguil who is over 13 minutes down on the yellow jersey.
Jumbo-Visma have got Christophe Laporte and Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) so that may come in handy later on.
The other riders up there are Mikaël Cherel (AG2R-Citroen), Nils Politt and Max Schachman (Bora-Hansgrohe), Andrea Bagioli, Mattia Cattaneo (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl), Simon Geschke and Ion Izagirre (Cofidis), Kamil Gradek and Dylan Teuns (Bahrain Victorious), Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Jonas Rutsch (EF Education-EasyPost), Mads Pedersen, Tony Gallopin (Trek-Segafredo), Maciej Bodnar and Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies) and Krists Neilands (Israel-Premier Tech).
Slight correction...Mathieu van der Poel is the first breakaway rider dropped from the leading group. So just the 19 riders at the front up to Lacets de Montvernier.
An early attack saw Wout van Aert (who else) and Mathieu van der Poel clip off the front from the start, although since then a number of other riders have zipped over to form a 20-man breakaway.
The baroudeurs and the main bunch are currently travelling up the picturesque switchbacks of the Lacets de Montvernier.
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Image source, Getty ImagesRacing is under way on the first of two huge days in the Alps.
The Col du Galibier and Col du Granon are on the menu today, so this promises to be an intriguing stage.
Will Jumbo-Visma and the Ineos Grenadiers be able to pile the press on UAE Team Emirates after race leader Tadej Pogacar lost his key mountain domestique George Bennett to Covid-19 on Tuesday morning?
Or will the defending champion show he has diamonds in the legs?
I for one can't wait to find out. Anyone else excited?