A reminder that we have two Brits, Tom Pidcock and Chris Froome, in the breakaway bunch of nine riders, who are now more than seven minutes clear.

Pidcock is looking to be the first Olympic mountain bike champion to win a Tour stage, and I guess the dream place to do it is on top of Alpe d'Huez.

It takes over an hour for these riders to get up the Col de la Croix. If Jumbo-Visma want to put any more heat on Pogacar and Co, then this will be their chance.

More bad news for Tadej Pogacar and his UAE team. It's been reported that their manager, Joxean Fernandez Matxin, has left the Tour after recording a positive Covid test.

It's fair to say that Jumbo-Visma - the team of race leader Jonas Vingegaard - are still in full control of this race. They have allowed the gap to the escapees to grow to more than six minutes now.

The nine men in the breakaway bunch - including Pidcock and Froome - are all together again, and are about to start pedalling up the Col de la Croix de Fer.

Ok, so the racing hasn't been quite so spectacular today - apart from Tom Pidcock of course - but the Alpine scenery never disappoints does it?

Jumbo-Visma made all the moves yesterday to get Jonas Vingegaard in yellow. Today? They are sitting pretty, controlling the peloton and ready if anyone attacks - which no-one of note has done so far. That's good news for the breakaway riders, who have seen their lead grow to more than four-and-a-half minutes.

Tom Pidcock is the highest-placed of the escapees, in 11th place ... but at 11 minutes and 12 seconds behind Vingegaard, he is not seen as a threat to the overall lead.

Image source, Reuters

Wow. Tom Pidcock is still going downhill, fast... well, very fast indeed actually.

As soon as he and Froome reached the breakaway bunch, Neilson Powless tried to go it alone, but Pidcock flew out to catch him, though, and they are looking to open up a gap on the other seven escapees.

Right them, all the riders are still going downhill, for now... it won't be long until they are heading in the opposite direction though, when they reach the bottom of Col de la Croix de Fer with around 85km to go.

Not too much happening in the main bunch, where Jumbo-Visma still controlling the pace - and they have allowed the gap to grow to more than three-and-a-half minutes.

Far more happening at the front, where Froome and Pidcock have caught the leaders. What was three separate groups is now one breakaway of nine riders.

Ah, there's another group between Pidcock and Froome, and the four leaders.

Sebastian Schonberger, Kobe Goossens and Nelson Oliveira are apparently 20 seconds behind the front four, and 50 seconds ahead of the British duo.

At the front of the peloton, it is the Jumbo-Visma team of race leader Jonas Vingegaard who are controlling the pace.

Scratch that, because Pidcock sat up and waited for Froome ... they are together now, still about a minute behind that lead quartet.

Anthony Perez, Giulio Ciccone, Louis Meintjes and Neilson Powless are all together at the front, about three minutes ahead of the main bunch, but it probably won't be long until Tom Pidcock joins them.

Chris Froome tried, but didn't last long on Pidcock's wheel - he does not have the same exquisite downhill skills as Britain's Olympic mountain-bike champion.

Wow, Tom Pidcock has absolutely flown downhill after cresting Galibier in the main bunch. He has already gone past Chris Froome, who is trying to hold on to his wheel...

It looks absolutely glorious in the Alps today, but the hot weather clearly isn't so much fun if you are riding at high speeds and mostly uphill!

Image source, Reuters

Yes, Perez is first over the Galibier... there is a small group of three riders, Meintjes, Powless and Ciccone, a few seconds behind him and then Chris Froome, all on his own, another minute-and-a-half back.

The peloton are still climbing, another two minutes adrift.

We heard from him earlier... and Chris Froome has just attacked - he's had a couple of unsuccessful escape attempts already but has got clear of the peloton this time, and is about one minute 45 seconds clear.

The remnants of the early breakaway is still ahead of him up the road, with Anthony Perez out on his own as he approaches the summit of the Galibier.

Wout van Aert is, typically, setting the pace at the front of the peloton and there are riders spilling out the back of it as he puts the pressure on.

Further up the road, Anthony Perez has gone out on his own off the front of the breakaway bunch. He's got about 3km to go to the top of Galibier.

Image source, EPA

We're still on the first climb of the day, the Col du Galibier, but it already looks pretty lively on Alpe d'Huez...

a few Jumbo-Visma riders - team-mates of race leader Jonas Vingegaard - were in that break with Pinot, while it lasted. They are back in the main peloton now, but it was interesting to see them step on the gas again after all their work yesterday.

Yes, Thibaut Pinot has just jumped out from the front of the pack. A few riders have followed him.