[ritchiebaby]

This is the first stage I've been able to watch from start to finish. The curse of the cobbles didn't really materialise, as almost all of the incidents took place on the tarmac, mostly jostling for position leading into the cobbles. The stage was won right on the line by Simon Clarke from Taco van der Hoorn with Edvald Boassen Hagen coming in 3rd 2 seconds behind. An aggressive display from Neilson Powless saw him finish 4th a further 2 seconds down. These 4 were part of a 6-man breakaway after 21 kms and held together almost all the way home.

Wout van Aert, despite a crash and waiting for Jonas Vingegaard who punctured, still leads the Yellow Jersey rankings 13 seconds ahead of Powless and 14 seconds ahead of Boassen Hagen, with Tadej Pogacar 19 seconds down. There are only 11 riders within a minute and today's big loser must be Primoz Roglic, 2 minutes 36 seconds behind the leader, after a crash. Van Aert leads the Green Jersey competition by a comfortable margin. Marcus Cort Neilson holds the Polka Dot Jersey and was part of the breakaway, although no KOM points were at stake today.

Tomorrow's stage is the longest at 220km and is described as hilly - a slight understatement as it seems to consist of 20 or 30 hills plus two Category 3 climbs and a long uphill slog at the very end. It starts in Belgium at Binche and meanders south-eastward through the Ardennes to Longwy. I'm still waiting for van der Poel to put in a sustained challenge and it looks like he's waiting for the right day. Will it be tomorrow? - it's looking less likely every day as his fitness seems to be an issue. If not, the usual suspects of van Aert, Sagan and Cort Neilson (for KOM points) should be to the fore. Don't discount a big breakaway to be allowed to go long either, which would suit Matej Mohoric.

Friday sees the first ot the proper mountain stages from Tomblaine to a summit finish at La Super Planche des Belles Filles, a total of 176kms with two Category 3 climbs and a Category 1 climb, including ramps of 20% and 24% to finish with. This stage will probably see the first real battle of the big boys, Pogacar and Roglic, with most of the sprinters concentrating on finishing within the time limits. It looks like the last chance saloon for Roglic, even this early in Le Tour. Warren Barguil, Thibaut Pinot and Romain Bardet will be keen to do well for France. AS Nancy Lorraine in Tomblaine was the starting point of Michel Platini's senior career. Not only is he famous for his footballing exploits, but also his managerial and administrative service to the game, both good and bad. Quite a character!