34 km to go – The big names appear in front! We see Wout van Aert, among others, positioning himself well.
41 km to go – Magnus Cort has let down from Perez, and the pack has caught him. Perez stands still for the time being, and drives 1 minute and 28 seconds for the rest.
47 km to go – It’s starting to get a bit predictable now, but Magnus Cort wins the next climb. He is now eleven out of eleven. Twelve out of twelve is a different story, which is ten kilometers from the finish. The peloton will probably have caught up with the two in front by then.
48 km to go – Wout van Aert appears at the front with his faithful servant Christophe Laporte. Is the Frenchman trying to drag Van Aert to the leading duo?
55 km to go – Another 6 kilometers until today’s fifth climb, Cort will probably manage to get there first. For the final ascent, this is a different story. At the moment, the leading duo is still 43 kilometers away from the last hill, the Côte du Cap Blanc-Nez, while the gap with the peloton is still shrinking.
56 km to go – The gap between the peloton and the leading group drops below two minutes. How long until the peloton catches up with the riders?
63 km to go – Trek-Segafredo pushes hard and tries to close the gap as quickly as possible. Alpecin-Deceunink also reports at the front.
68 km to go – It remains to be seen whether Cort will get the chance to be the first on the next climb as well. This one is only 22 kilometers away and the lead on the peloton is falling quickly. He and Perez still have 2 minutes and 30 seconds†
68 km to go – Cort wins tenth climb in a row! The Dane is one of the major protagonists in the early stages of the Tour and will not settle for nine climbs in a row. He is currently ten out of ten.
69 km to go – That’s just going well! Mads Pedersen escapes a ‘collision’ with his own support car, which makes a steering movement to the left out of nowhere. It’s only about ten centimeters away.
69 km to go – The leading duo has started on the Côte de Harlettes.
71 km to go – The next climb is the fourth ascent where points can be earned, and we’ll see it in 2 kilometers. Does Cort take ten out of ten?
74 km to go – Cort is the first rider ever to win nine Tour climbs in a row! Perez is not trying to take this success away from the Dane, who can safely cross the line.
74 km to go – Cort is going to try to make history. Will he succeed, or will Perez put a stop to it?
78 km to go – Bad luck for the birthday boy! Philippe Gilbert is standing by the road with bad luck and calls for his support vehicle.
79 km to go – At Trek-Segafredo they also take responsibility: the head turns in the peloton are neatly taken over by the teams. The difference quickly drops to 5 minutes and 30 seconds†
85 km to go – We are half way through the stage! In 6 kilometers the leading duo will reach the third categorized ascent.
84 km to go – We’re getting closer to today’s third ascent where Magnus Cort can make history. Will he be the first rider ever to top nine Tour climbs first?
87 km to go – At Alpecin-Deceunink they think it’s been good with the lead of Cort and Perez. The two have had enough lead, and so Van der Poel’s troops move forward to increase the pace again. The difference was just 7 minutes and 30 seconds, but has now dropped to 7 minutes†
92 km to go – The peloton takes it easy and leaves the lead of Cort and Perez for what it is: 7 minutes†
Another 99 km – Cort equals Bahamontes and is first to the top for the eighth climb in a row! When Cort emerges first on the Côte de Nielles-lès-Bléquin again, the Dane writes history. He will then be the first rider ever to win 9 climbs for mountain points in a row in the largest cycling race in the world.
99 km to go – Cort and Perez go fast and we get another mountain sprint!
Another 103 km – Jakobsen wins the intermediate sprint in the peloton! The Dutchman turns right at Van Aert at the last moment and is clearly the first to cross the line.
103 km to go – This will be an interesting intermediate sprint. We see Laporte attracting again, followed by Van Aert. Jakobsen is on the trail of the yellow jersey wearer.
106 km to go – We see, among others, Caleb Ewan appearing in front again. The Australian does not have to rely on the big tours this year. After a lesser Giro, this Tour also does not want to get off to a good start for him. Will he get the 15 points?
108 km to go – Perez takes the 20 points in the intermediate sprint† Cort calms down behind it and takes the 17 points, which means that the riders in the peloton will compete for the 15 points.
109 km to go – Van der Poel is now safely back in the middle of the pack and has a chat with Jan and everyone. Tom Pidcock is his companion this time.
Another 111 km – Cort and Perez get another big bonus: 6 minutes and 22 seconds the lead is now.
Another 116 km – Another 8 kilometers until the intermediate sprint. The peloton seems to realize that catching up with Cort and Perez is not feasible for the sprint, so the riders save their strength to be able to drag in the other points.
119 km to go – Perez and Cort get some space from the pack again. they now have 5 minutes and 30 seconds head Start.
128 km to go – The second platoon reconnects with the first platoon, entirely thanks to the efforts of Alpecin-Deceunink. Mathieu van der Poel, among others, had to make the necessary efforts.
130 km to go – All hands on deck! The second part of the peloton pushes hard, to still find the connection with the first peloton, before it is too late.