Soudal-Quick Step are trying to dictate things for Fabio Jakobsen. There are six of them at the front.

Uno-X are one of the teams at the front, hogging the left-hand side of the road. Bahrain Victorious are up there too, but it is Soudal-Quick Step who are setting the pace.

Daniel Oss is caught and the race is back together. Who is planning what?

The peloton is spread across the whole road, with the teams at the front forming their familiar lines of colour, as they prepare to gobble up Daniel Oss.

The pace is ferocious.

The end is nigh for Daniel Oss, who is now only 10 seconds clear.

Daniel Oss has, unsurprisingly, been awarded the prize for the most combative rider today. He is still 34 seconds clear but the gap is falling again, and so is the rain.

It's still tipping it down on the peloton but at the moment it is dry at the finish line in Moulins.

Who are the contenders for the sprint then?

Jasper Philipsen is the favourite, given his form, but Fabio Jakobsen, Dylan Groenewegen, Phil Bahaus, Caleb Ewan and Wout van Aert are all in with a shout.

Here comes the rain, a real downpour too.

Image source, Reuters

Italian rider Daniel Oss is still giving this a go, and is still about 42 seconds clear, but this stage is still only going to end one way.

That's with a bunch-sprint at the finish, where Jasper Philipsen will go for his fourth win of this year's Tour. Can anyone stop him?

Ha, well Daniel Oss is actually increasing his lead, which is up to 47 seconds now, but I promise he won't be out there much longer (just a little longer than I thought).

I know today has been pretty exciting already (ahem), but this is where things start to really ramp up. Soudal-Quick Step and Alpecin-Deceuninck are on the front of the peloton, and the pace is rising.

Oss is 22 seconds clear, but he won't be out there much longer.

Ah no, Andrey Amador has had enough. He sits up and accepts the inevitable, leaving only Daniel Oss is left off the front, with a lead of about 31 seconds.

There are some crosswinds now, and the pace in the peloton is creeping up.

The three men in the break - Italy's Daniel Oss (TotalEnergies), France's Matis Louvel (Arkea-Samsic) and Costa Rican rider Andrey Amador (EF Education-EasyPost) - are not going to have to grimace for much longer....the gap is down to 23 seconds, and in fact Louvel has had enough - he sits up.

Australian sprinter Caleb Ewan is right at the back of the peloton as the race heads down the Cote de la Croix Blanche.

At the front, it is the Alpecin-Deceuninck team who are currently setting the pace, with Ineos Grenadiers and Jumbo-Visma also up there. That gap is still more than 30 seconds but it could disappear at any moment - whenever the main bunch wants to make the catch.

The race is about to head up a category four climb - Cote de la Croix Blanche - but it's not steep or long enough to cause the sprinters any problems.

The three escapees are still dangling off the front, about 35 seconds clear. They've been in this break for pretty much the entire day and I haven't seen any of them crack a smile yet - that's not likely to change to be honest, unless someone tells them about my 'Dogacar' pun from earlier.

... and the peloton are closing in. Apart from that, it's all going well for our breakaway trio.

It is starting to hot up in the peloton, with the sprint teams already jostling for position and trying to get to the front.

The gap is steady, for now... still at 45 seconds.

The gap to the front three is still coming down, to 45 seconds now.

It's not just dogs who are fans of Le Tour by the way... although I thought the kind of dinosaurs who liked cycling were Velo-ciraptors?

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Who do these two want to win this year's Tour?

It's got to be Tadej Dogacar, surely?

(Apologies, that's the best I can do)

Where were we? Oh yes, our three escapees - Italy's Daniel Oss (TotalEnergies), France's Matis Louvel (Arkea-Samsic) and Costa Rican rider Andrey Amador (EF Education-EasyPost) - have been out on their own for the past 80km or so and are doing so for very little reward, other than exposure for their team sponsors.

The gap to the peloton has come down, and has actually just ducked under a minute, but they won't want to make the catch just yet.

Image source, Getty Images