Tour de France stage 18: Gap > St-Jean-de-Maurienne, 186kms

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Julian Arredondo has attacked at the stage-start on the Col Bayard...
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Joaquin Rodriguez has joined Arredondo and Rolland to make this a serious move...
Jacob Fuglsang has jumoed across with Rohan Dennis and Michael Rogers to increase the strength of the escape...
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Chris Froome and Nairo Quintana are hardly panicking - but that's becausew they're the two strongest cyclists in the Tour..!
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Michael Matthews is also in the escape, along with 28 others...
Ian Stannard settles down to work for the day with his Sky teamates enjoying the ride so far...
Andrew Talansky and Dennis have time to laugh in the escape - their lead is almost five-minutes now...
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The peloton speeds along the Route Napoleon in the Beaumont valley...
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The peloton is still compact as it climbs the Col de la Morte, halfway through the stage - and still five-minutes down..!
For reasons unknown, cyclists from Trek and Giant-Alpecin seem to be helping Sky chase the escape...
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Chris Froome descends the Col de la Morte before the serious racing begins...
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Sep Vanmarcke and Jumbo-Lotto have forced a split on the technical descent - they now lead a group of 35-riders including all the race-favourites...
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Dan Martin is flying along at the front of the escape-group and forcing a split there...
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Thomas De Gendt has taken a flier and starts the Col du Glandon with a small lead over the chasers...
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Ryder Hesjedal is going after De Gendt to keep Talansky's stage-win hopes alive...
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Rodriguez follows the moves and will add climbing points to his account today...
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Huge crowds watch the small peloton start the Glandon climb at Allemont...
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Bob Jungels is now showing himself in the escape, pulling it away from the chasers and making quite a big impression...
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Talansky has sensed the chance of a stage-win and applies the pressure as well...
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The Froome group is just sixteen-strong as it makes its way up the Col du Glandon, three-minutes down on the escape...
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Alberto Contador makes an attack, but he's far from convincing at the moment...
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Matthias Frank has countered Contador and moves away with Barguil and Gesink...
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Fuglsang seems to be the strongest near the Glandon summit, he's pulled away from the escape with Bardet and Rolland...
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Bardet is now pulling away from Ancona and Fuglsang - he'll cross the Glandon summit 20-seconds in front...
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Alejandro Valverde attacks a few minutes later, but Froome and Quintana are too strong to be beaten...
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Talansky, Fuglsang and Jungels are chasing Bardet along the Mourienne valley, but it's a losing battle...
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Romain Bardet climbs the Montvernier lacets with a stage-win a distinct possibility..!
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Froome looks snug enough as part of a group of rivals on the Montvernier ascent...
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Rafal Majka and Contador have managed to open a gap on the Froome group...
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Froome once again shows little discomfort as he closes the gap halway up the final climb...
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Simon Yates was in the escape but dropped back - and can enjoy some fans' encouragement on Montvernier...
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Adam Yates climbs Montvernier many minutes later - but he too enjoys the encouragement...
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The small peloton climbs the Lacets de Montvernier with enough time to enjoy the stunning views..!
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It's not clear how many of the stragglers are actually laughing in the 'laughing group', but they'll all make the time-cut despite losing almost 36-minutes!
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