Refresh
So, the composition of the break looks to be confirmed, with a gap of 43 seconds:
Nils Politt (Bora-Hansgrohe)
Quinn Simmons (Trek-Segafredo)
Taco Van der Hoorn (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert)
Matej Mohoric (Bahrain-Victorious)
Mikkel Honoré (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl)
Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) may have hoped to be a part of today’s action but reportedly struggled with stomach issues overnight.
Stalemate in the peloton as it looks as though the sprint teams are happy with the composition of the breakaway.
180km to go
The front group of five are already working well together and have opened up a 13 second gap over the peloton.
One rider does not start this morning – Enric Mas (Movistar) has a positive covid-19 test and has withdrawn from the race.
Matej Mohoric (Bahrain-Victorious) and Nils Politt join the group – the five have a small gap over the peloton.
Quinn Simmons (Trek-Segafredo) is one of the first riders to try and make his escape. He’s joined by Taco Van der Hoorn (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) and Mikkel Honore (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl).
Nils Politt (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Peter Sagan (TotalEnergies) are both at the front of the peloton too. Everything is holding steady for now but there’s a sense of high tension among the bunch.
Ineos Grenadiers are already very visible at the front of the bunch controlling the pace.
Christian Prudhomme waves his flag and hostilities commence on this final road stage proper of the 2022 Tour de France.
Dylan Groenewegen (Team BikeExchange-Jayco), pictured prior to today’s stage start, will be one of the riders hoping that today’s stage ends in a bunch sprint. (Image credit: Getty images).
The riders are on their way to kilometre zero on stage 19 of the Tour de France.
So to today’s stage – 188.3km from Castelnau-Magnoac to Cahors. The race heads slightly downhill to start with, and the breakaway formation phase is likely to be a fierce battle between the teams without sprinters who want to contest the stage win.
The sprinters’ teams will try to control as they look for a bunch sprint finish. It should be a fascinating contest.
With predicted tail crosswinds, there is the possibility of echelons, so the GC teams will also need to be careful.
Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) leads the points classification and will take home the green jersey in Paris provided he remains in the race until then.
The mountains classification is a little more complicated – following yesterday’s heartbreak for Simon Geschke (Cofidis), the German rider will still wear the [polka dots in lieu of Jonas Vingegaard, who now leads the classification.
Tadej Pogačar continues in the white jersey, and once again, provided he stays upright and in the race, he has won the youth classification.
Following an emphatic win atop Hautacam in the yellow jersey, race leader Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) protects a lead of 3:26 over Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), with Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) back in third, exactly 8 minutes down on the Dane.
Following an unforgettable day in the Pyrenees yesterday, it’s the final ‘proper’ road stage of the Tour de France.
If you were hoping for a quiet day after all the excitement of the past couple of weeks, you’re likely to be disappointed – this stage represents the final opportunity for many riders and teams to go for a prestigious stage win.
Bonjour and welcome to the Cyclingnews live coverage of stage 19 of the 2022 Tour de France.