A true summer landscape of lavender watches the Tour fly across Provence...
SCENERYTDF
The pace is fast - too fast for escapes like Sylvain Chavanel's to succeed...
Juan Antonio Flecha attacks - and fails to stay away...
SKYTDF
Philippe Gilbert tries an attack with Tony Martin - and that fails too..!
OMEGATDF
Remy Di Gregorio has a go, but that will fail as well...
Team Sky chase another escape down - they have a plan of their own today..!
ZANDIOTDF
Levi Leipheimer is neither attacking nor getting dropped - he's just suffering somewhere in the peloton..!
SHACKTDF
Ten men have finally got away - and Boasson-Hagen and Martin are leading the way..!
Fabian Cancellara can relax at last, and put on some warmer clothes now the escape has gone...
LEOPARDTDF
Martin is helped push the escape to a six-minute lead with 50-kilometres to go...
BMC start to wind up the chase pace in the pouring rain...
Ignatiev has attacked from the ten-man escape on the last climb above Gap...
KATUSHATDF
Ryder Hesjedal chases after Ignatiev, he seems to be working for teamate Thor Hushovd...
GARMINTDF
Hesjedal has attacked, caught Ignatiev and heads to the last five-kilometres of the ascent...
Five minutes later, Alberto Contador has started attacking..!
SAXOTDF
Contador attacks again and again - only Cadel Evans and Sammy Sanchez can stay with him..!
Evans now has a go, and Contador's face shows concern at his rival's strength...
BMCTDF
Thor Hushovd wins into Gap to take his third stage-win in the Tour..!
Thomas Voeckler finishes behind the Evans-Contador-Sanchez trio, he's still in Yellow but has lost some time today...
EUROPCARTDF
Andy Schleck finishes over one minute down on his overall rivals - his Tour chances are slipping away in the rain...