Here’s Jeremy Whittle’s report from the finish line. Join us on Wednesday for more Tour action, the Evaux-les-Bains to Le Lioran, across the Massif Central.

Jasper Philipsen, stage-winner speaks: “Last week was not a great week, an endless week. We had some bad luck. We got to show our strength, with our lead-out train. We knew the corner was tricky, and everyone is growing. Maybe we didn’t start in the best shape. there’s still some nice stages to come. It was a tough week and it was already Stage 10, and we have five sprints without a win. Girmay is doing a very good ride so far, he is very far ahead, I think we just concentrate on the stages.”

Emotions from Philipsen after so many near-misses and being demoted earlier in the Tour. Last year’s green jersey held off this years. Gaviria, the former track cycling world champion, was in there, while Girmay took second and even more points to add to his total. Such a big win for Alpecin after those previous disappointments.

1km to go: There’s ructions, and Cavendish is at the back of the pack. Laporte well placed. And into a a straight. Van der Poel is in a good place.

2km to go: A gap is in the back of the field, with Van der Poel among those caught. De Lie is up there. Astana riders in the pack, as they approach that final turn.

3km to go: Philipsen loses his place and had to fight his way back. Through they go, and over a roundabout. The pace is high.

5km to go: It’s all about the sprinters now. GC contenders look to the safety of the final four clicks.

6km to go: Astana well to the fore, with Cavendish covered up. The pace is up and down, as the road widens. They turn the bend to begin a massed descent.

8km to go: The teams are grouped together as this final climb approaches. All the major players in reach. The GC teams are eying safety, the sprinters are looking to their lieutenants rivals along that narrow road.

10km to go: Some grim faces as they near that final, slight incline of a climb. But they are not flying along as they whip into the town.

12km to go: Michael Morkov is told by Mark Renshaw to push up the pack for that Cavendish lead-out from the Astana team. Meanwhile, there’s a group of Louis XVI-era-dressed locals, and a violinist. The Sun King not really doing his job, and neither did the wind come.

15km to go: The aforementioned Arnaud de Lie is up there in the peloton, his young legs carrying him to the front. The climb that begins at 10km seems likely to split the pack. Goosens, who we saw up the front earlier, drops back and has to have his boke changed. That may affect his chances of helping Girmay on the way to more green jersey points or another stage win.

18km to go: Probably some nerves in the pack. There’s jobs to do, in guarding the GC contenders and then leading out the sprinters. “The Chicken” asks a fair question here.

22km to go: They’ve whipped through Chavannes, the last town on the route to Saint-Amand-Montrond. Back into that open country, where there’s wind but not nearly enough wind to split the pack up.

25km to go: The peloton is now under the cover of trees, and the next chance for crosswinds will not arrive until 9km to go. Arnaud de Lie, a rider tipped for a few stages but yet to hit the boards, has a puncture. The Belgian is just 22, but has had a few knocks to realise how hard the Tour can be. He has to make up a 30 second gap to the pack.

30km to go: There’s been tears. France’s Sandy Dujardin is feeling his wrist, having broken it on Sunday. He’s in a splint but carrying on. That’s gotta hurt.

35km to go: It’s been the quietest stage of Le Tour so far but the wind is whipping up across the grassy terrain. The big GC teams have control of the pack, at 48km/h, helped by a tailwind, when it’s a crosswind we need for a proper race.

40km to go: There’s some gravel on the road, to bring back memories from Sunday, and that has potential to cause problems. Still, all remains quiet at the front.

45km to go: Joe Pearson gets in touch: “Here in the States, the coverage is on Peacock, which I subscribe to for the Premier League. Anyway, if you’re looking for Phil Ligget, that’s where he is, along with often-goofy American commentator Bob Roll. Christian Vande Velde is out on the course on the back of a motorcycle. Pretty good coverage.”

Phil is now 80, and still going strong. Bebington’s very finest.

47km to go: That lack of wind has rather slowed things down, and more fluids are being taken on – and excreted too, by the side of the road. The road is narrow, very much a country road, and that presents problems in such a packed peloton.

50km to go: Gary Naylor gets in touch: “Of course, Jacques Brel also wrote this tribute to French breakaway artist, M. Durand.

Here’s an English version from Scott Walker.

55 km to go: The echelon alarm sounds as they come away from the town. Into open country, and the wind isn’t too high. There’s relief that the wind isn’t strong enough wind – yet – to split the pack. They’re sitting up, while smashing through the countryside at one hell of a lick.

60km to go: There’s a race on. – and finally - with Ineos setting off on one corner, and then Astana on the other side of the road. Once round the bend, a nasty one everyone gets past, with no prangs, the pedals are spinning for everyone, round a roundabout, and separated by the divide in a dual carriageway. The wind is up, and the game is afoot. It’s the GC teams to the fore, the sprint teams holding back to pick up the pieces. The speed is 59km/h as they approach that 56 km to go mark.

65km to go: Worth saying that the Tour de France is also available – in Welsh – on S4C. The peloton is getting ready for the turn that will take them into the wind that can be seen blowing the trees. The teams are in business mode after the japery of the early clicks. Pogacar’s Team UAE men are at the front, and so too are Astana, keeping their leading men safe.

75km to go: Biniam Girmay off the back of the field? Perhaps a mechanical, perhaps a word with the team car but he’s being paced back to the front by a teammate. Soon enough, the green jersey is back in the pack, ready for the battle to commence in the next few 20 clicks.

Mark Cavendish, recalling that 2013 triumph at Saint-Amand-Montrond: “Yeah, it was really nice. I was with Omega Pharma, we broke it in the crosswinds. Actually it wasn’t planned in the day. We were just left to ride alone for the sprint, we were the only team who wanted to control. Just did an acceleration. Later some other teams went, we went with that, and it was a very nice win. One of the smallest groups I’ve won from in the Tour de France. I think it was 12 or 15 guys. Very good memories.”

80km to go: There’s a wind up, but not enough of a wind to trouble them. It’s 58km to go when the crosswinds kick in, and then they last until 22km, before another dose of wind at 9km.

90km to go: They’re whipping through the Loire region at pace now, across the bridges of Vierzon, a town mentioned by Jacques Brel in the song Vesoul.

You wanted to see Vierzon, and we saw Vierzon
You wanted to see Vesoul, and we saw Vesoul
You wanted to see Honfleur, and we saw Honfleur
You wanted to see Hamburg, and we saw Hamburg
I wanted to see Antwerp, we saw Hamburg again
I wanted to see your sister, and we saw your mother
Like always
You didn’t like Vierzon anymore, we left Vierzon
You didn’t like Vesoul anymore, we left Vesoul
You didn’t like Honfleur anymore, we left Honfleur
You didn’t like Hamburg anymore, we left Hamburg
You wanted to see Antwerp, we only saw its suburbs
You loved your mother more, we left your sister
Like always
But I tell you, I won’t go any further
But I warn you, I won’t go to Paris
Besides, I hate all fools

100km to go: Gareth Thomas gets in touch: “Adding to the discussion on TV options, I am in Spain watching free on RTVE: the Spanish commentators are great. I used to watch everything until last year on GCN+. After they collapsed I went to Eurosport but they put up the price by 30% immediately before TDF and I cancelled in protest. So thanks to the demise of GCN+ I now have no subs but a reduced programme of bike races. Oh well, that’s big business in sport! Never good for the fans on a tight budget.”

GCN seemed a good product, some fine documentaries I hope could get shown elsewhere.

Meanwhile, out on the road as the woodland is negotiated, the fear is that the wind will be coming in. There’s a concern over humidity, and the wind will come with 58km to go. Everyone’s staying hydrated in the pack as the 100km-to-go mark is upon us.

105km to go: Tony Russell gets in touch: “On the subject of tv coverage, I really miss Paul Sherwen and Phil Liggett with the Laurel and Hardy duo of Ned and Chris for light relief.’

Golden memories, Chris Boardman is actually a very droll man, and Ned remains an excellent broadcaster. Paul Sherwen’s loss is still felt by those of us of the 1980s, and as for Phil, a true legend, even if the Lance years – a turn-off for many, including me – might have been better served by more questioning. That said, there may still be eyebrows raised against certain performances these days that are not picked up in rights-holding coverage, or in the widers press pack. The soup’s back on the menu, now who would piss in it? There’s also a tacit acceptance, I’d say, from the public that it has never been possible to win fully unaided by something or other. Lance was just so...brazen.

Two quotes by Jacques Anquetil come to mind: “You can’t ride the Tour de France on mineral water” and: “You’d have to be an imbecile or hypocrite to imagine that a professional cyclist who rides 235 days a year can hold himself together without stimulants.”

Those are from the 1960s and time has moved on but perhaps those same rules apply.

115km to go: The peloton travels through what look like soggy roads in bright conditions. Ben Turner of Ineos has had a bike change, some kind of gearing problem for him. But not much doing, the breakaway soloist having been eaten up by the pack.

120km to go: Just one man in front now, and Goosens stays a minute ahead of the peloton. It will not be for long.

Some TV suggestions, from an NKJ Bad: “The reader asking about ITV coverage could stick a VPN on and get RTVE player for full coverage. Also get to listen to background Spanish and broaden horizons. And free.

Suzy: “Loving the coverage so far. I’m enjoying TG4’s coverage to even though I don’t actually speak Irish. But the guys are very enthusiastic ‘Chapeau Ben’ (Healy) and the ‘geansaí buí’ gets plenty of mention too. It’s all to play for still. Allez Ben agus Sam!!”

Bill Preston (perhaps not that one): “Regarding viewing preferences: on the TV it’s the Discovery+ option, because I subscribed to it to watch the thrilling heroics of Paris Roubaix and then forgot to unsubscribe. Otherwise, it’s ITV on the laptop because the book with the password for Discovery+ is rarely in the same room.

“Anyway: Are there more flat, windy, stages than there used to be, or am I/we more aware of the effect the weather has? Having simulated the effects on the rigours testbed that is the board game Flame Rouge, the weather does have a big effect, losing me a world championship to a nefarious Doctor after they got a stomp on.l at a key juncture. Meteo!!!

“Looking forward, as surely the main contenders are, to amble through the countryside, and hoping the low key snide comments will pick up bit between the top riders. We need a bit of spice, like how some previous champions really didn’t like many of his rivals on a personal level. Have a lovely day.”

My memory of Tours in the olden days was of lot of very flat stages for the likes of Mario Cippolini and Djamolidine Abdoujaparov to take home. Then such riders – particularly Cippolini – abandoning before the hills crucified the legs.

130 km: The peloton catches the second breakaway group, and there’s very nearly a prang in pack as Girmay almost comes to grief on the barriers. Jasper Philipsen held him off, and maybe moved across Girmay to take the available points. That could have been nasty. Thankfully, it wasn’t. Girmay looked strong until he was caught out by the barriers. Van Moer, Geniets and Madoua drop back into the pack.

Goosens beat Vanhoucke in that sprint at the front, and the latter seems to want to drop back.

133km to go: The chasers are 38 seconds back on those leaders, and there’s a minute gap to the peloton. Who’s up there? Madouas and Geniets of Groupama FDJ give chase too, and catch up Van Moer. With the sprint imminent, the lead-out teams set to work, even if the break has reduced the points on offer by taking the first five scores on offer.

140km to go: Breakaway shocker – two Lotto riders and an Intermarché go off the front. They gain 19 seconds, and are soon reduced to two. Then there’s some chasers. Maybe it is a breakaway after all. Kobe Goossens (Intermarche-Wanty) and the Lotto pair of Van Hoeke and Maxim van Gils are those who kick it off.

Stat from the official website here: “By reaching the finish line today, Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X) will have equaled a record that dates back to 1984 by leading the Mountain classification for the first 10 stages of the Tour de France. Previously to him, only the Belgian Ludo Peeters managed it in 1984.”

King of the Mountains at the end of the race was Robert Millar, now known as Pippa Yorke.

145km to go: There’s an intermediate sprint to come. All eyes on Biniam Girmay, in green, his Intermarché team will be working for him. It’s coming in the next 15km or so.

Among the sprint teams, the major news is the retirement at the end of the season of lead-out king Michael Morkov.

150km to go: All very jokey-jokey out there. Perhaps ITV had the right idea with Terry McCann.

160km to go: “Am I just being thick or has the ITV coverage not actually started for the day? It seems like it only comes onto ITVx at 2? Is my only option for actual full coverage throwing money at Discovery (which I’m loathe to do!) Was hoping for some pleasant background noise and viewing whilst working from home today!”

Yes, seems ITV has to get its episodes of Minder and The Sweeney out of the way before it starts on Le Tour. The Discovery option is good, and free with a couple of TV packages.

165km to go: It’s still slow-going, the pack together, and it’s all very cheery at the moment. The race awaits the winds predicted to come. Astana and Team UAE are at the front. Charly Wegelius, woken in his Education–EasyPost team car, says that once these woodland conditions become more exposed, then there’s the wind and storms to come.

180km to go: This is a crawl so far. And with 70 points on offer in the two sprints, powder is being dried.

Astana are up the front, and Mark Cavendish will be protected for the next 179km to go. Good to have Jonathan Harris-Bass - chef, teacher and broadcaster extraordinaire – on the Discovery/Eurosport coverage, guiding us through the Loire scenery. He’s on with Rob Hatch, the loquacious Lancastrian and the legendary Sean Kelly. Both they and the ITV team of Gary Imlach, David Millar and Ned Boulting really spoil the UK viewers.

How about when Seán Kelly spoke to the great, much-missed Paul Doyle? Whatever happened to drugs in cycling?

We are just a kilometre from the départ réel in Orleans, made famous by Joan of Arc, herself made famous by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, who did two songs about her.

There’s beef in the peloton, with Remco Evenpoel and Tadej Pogacar suggesting Jonas Vingegaard rode defensively in Sunday’s gravel stage.

Vingo, 1’ 15” back on Pogacar, has hit back: “I feel very good. I feel that I am growing. I am getting better and better. I am at a high level, much higher than I ever expected with only one and a half months of preparation. I can’t put a figure on that. Last year I took seven minutes in two days. Now we don’t know how I will react in the third week. We’ll see day by day. Of course, the closer I am, the better. But I trusted our plan last year. That worked. I trust the plan this year too.”

Big blow to Primoz Roglic, robbed of his mountain lieutenant.

Some interesting insight here on Big Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos-Grenadiers team.

The Welshman is ostensibly ­racing in a support role to the designated Ineos Grenadiers team leader, ­Carlos Rodríguez. The team have yet to win a Grand Tour since their former team principal, Dave Brailsford, was appointed as director of sport to Ineos in December 2021.

Asked if he was comfortable with a series of further changes to the team’s management structure, Thomas paused and said: “It’s challenging.”

Great piece from Jeremy Whittle here.

The Cadillac doesn’t have fins, but it does have an iPad, a TV, several phones, a hand towel, multiple short-wave radio channels in multiple languages, packets of mints, spare wheels, a cool box, a bumper load of Bounty bars that the mechanics picked up on special offer and, handily for Southam’s stress levels, an in-built back massager.

It can also accelerate from 30km/h to 100km/h in the blink of an eye, which is much needed as the race splits apart and Southam is forced to cover events at both the rear and front of the peloton. The team has every member of staff out on the course. Chefs, press officers and bus drivers are standing at the roadside, lugging spare wheels and bidons back and forth. The biggest issue, Southam says, is likely to be wheel changes. “Basically, if you have a problem today, then you’re out of it,” he says as we roll out of Troyes ahead of the peloton.

Here’s one of Cav’s best rides on Le Tour from 2013. After reading the break so well, there was no doubt who was going to win the small bunch sprint, even with Peter Sagan in there.