Bonjour and welcome to another day of Tour de France live coverage,
The peloton have just three more days left of racing action with Sunday's stage being the usual largely ceremonial ride into Paris.
Today's stage is a rather hilly affair and will perhaps be yet another opportunity for a breakaway to succeed.
Kasper Asgreen took an impressive win from a four-man break yesterday for Soudal Quick-Step. Who will win today? My pick is a rider in the mould of EF Education-EasyPost's Magnus Cort.
Reach out and let me know what you think on Twitter - @thewlistt
General classification ahead of stage 19
Here's a closer look at the overall standings prior to today's stage. I'd expect that they will look almost no different come this evening.
1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Jumbo-Visma in 67-57-51
2. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates, at 7-35
3. Adam Yates (GBr) UAE Team Emirates, at 10-45
4. Carlos Rodriguez (Spa) Ineos Grenadiers, at 12-01
5. Simon Yates (Gbr) Jayco-AIUla, at 12-19
6. Pello Bilbao (Esp) Bahrain Victorious, at 12-50
7. Jai Hindley (Aus) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 13-50
8. Felix Gall (Aut) AG2R Citroën, at 16-11
9. Sepp Kuss (Usa) Jumbo-Visma, at 16-49
10. David Gaudu (Fra) Groupama-FDJ, at 17-57
In just a few moments time the peloton will be starting the neutralised roll out in Moirans-en-Montagne.
Today's stage: Moirans-en-Montagne to Poligny 172 kilometres
Here's a little look at today's stage.
On paper it's pretty hilly so could favour the breakaway again after Kasper Asgreen's heroics yesterday. Although the sprinters aren't going to make the same mistake again and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) will be determined to get a shot at a fifth Tour stage win this afternoon.
The route features two categorised climbs.
The first coming at 23km into the day - the cat.4 Cote du Bois de Lionge - which is really nothing more than a bump in the road, although it could provide a spring board for a break to getaway.
Later on the riders will face the cat.3 Cote d'Ivory which should provide more of a test ahead of the finish.
Just over three kilometres from the neutralised start.
Some real lumps in the road so I'm edging more and more to it being one for the break.
So many of the world's best puncheurs are without a stage win at this Tour. Wouldn't it be brilliant to see riders like Mathieu van der Poel light it up today?
Right they're underway!
It's that man Asgreen leading the peloton out of the neutralised section.
171km to go:
Four riders have a small gap on the bunch. Looks like Alpecin aren't prepared to let anything go unless they have a man in it.
170km to go: Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost) won a similar stage to this at the Giro d'Italia in 2021.
He's another man to watch out for when the pace ramps up!
168km to go: Victor Campenaerts (Lotto-Dstny) is trying to set something up.
The Belgian is one hell of an engine. You can recognise his position on the bike from anywhere.
168km to go: Fred Wright also getting in amongst it. What a turn up that would be if he got in a break that stuck today!
166km to go: Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies) and Corbin Strong (Israel-PremierTech) are trying to get across to Campenaerts.
161km to go: A handful of other riders have made it up to Campenaerts.
Nils Pollitt (Bora-Hansgrohe) is one of them.
160km to go: Campenaerts is back in the bunch as several other riders scrap to get up the road.
160km to go: Mathieu Burgadeau (TotalEnergies) is the next man to try and make something happen.
Matteo Trentin (UAE Emirates), Peter Sagan (TotalEnergies) and Pollitt are all floating around at the front tracking moves.
158km to go:
Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ) and Axel Zingle (Cofidis) are the next two riders to get away. They've got a gap of literally a few seconds for now.
156km to go: Right!! Here we goooo!!!
Peter Sagan has just launched himself up the road and is pushing on.
156km to go: Looks like that was all for nothing! But Sagan is clearly very fired up today.
154km to go: Mads Pedersen is the next rider to try his luck as the riders tackle this small uncategorised hill.
Aleksey Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan) is coming across to the Dane.
Here's Giulio Ciccone in the polka dot jersey with Eddy Merckx and Jonas Vingegaad at the start this morning.
150km to go: The two leaders are onto the first climb of the day - the cat.4 Cote du Bois de Lionge - and a huge group full of talent is chasing them.
150km to go: Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious), Remi Cavangna (Soudal Quick-Step) and Ion Izagirre (Cofidis) are chasing the lead duo.
149km to go: Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers), Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) and Krist Neilands (Israel-Premier Tech) are all trying to get involved in the chase.
148km to go: Meanwhile Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious) has made a mechanical issue at the back of the peloton.
The Aussie is battling to try and get back as the tempo ramps up.
Absolutely stunning scenes in the Jura today!
Au revoir Moirans @LeTour #TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/919FkYIvLSJuly 21, 2023
There is really nothing quite like the Tour.
145km to go: Lutsenko and Pedersen are really working nicely together here and switching turns regularly.
They've got 15 seconds on the bunch at the moment but could really do with some extra firepower up there.
Both the leaders and peloton are onto the descent from the first climb now.
Pedersen is pushing on slightly as Lutsenko hesitates on some of the corners.
140km to go:
Lutsenko is back on terms with Pedersen for now but how long will that last?
131km to go: Pedersen and Lutsenko are back in.
Julian Alaphilippe and Stefan Kung are the next riders to give it a go.
Alaphilippe and Kung have now been joined by several other riders including Laporte.
When are we going to get a move that actually sticks?
124km to go: Pollitt try's again to get up the road and make something stick.
Several riders are after him but it seems almost impossible to get away and staya way today.
124km to go:
Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost) catches Pollitt and is straight onto the front.
The Italian drops Pollitt on this slight uncategorised climb and it will be interesting to see who can join him.
Right! This is interesting!
A huge number of riders have caught Bettiol now and if they work together, this will definitely stick.
Here's the race leader in action today.
120km to go:
Looks like I spoke too soon! That break was shut down pretty quickly!
Not a surprise given the types of rider that were in that move then.
Pidcock was there, Alaphilippe was back amongst it as was Laporte, Kung and countless others.
Alright! We've got out breakaway and it's a powerful one.
113km to go:
Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step), Matteo Trentin (UAE Emirates, Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious), Nils Politt (Bora-Hansgrohe), Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Georg Zimmerman (Intermarche-Circus-Wanty), Tiesj Benoot (Jumbo-Visma), Warren Barguil (Arkea-Samsic) and Victor Campenaerts (Lotto-Dstny) are all up the road.
They have 1-18 on the main field for now.
90km to go: The situation on the road is still very much the same.
The breakaway have 1-02 on the main field who seem more than happy to let that break continue up ahead.
90km to go: Argh! That's absolutely gutting!
Nils Politt has just had a broken chain on his bike. He's absolutely fuming as the neutral service car doesn't have a bike that fits him.
The German rider looks absolutely furious.
The Bora-Hansgrohe team car has only just arrived on the scene but that's him probably very much done for the day.
Politt has been caught by the main field now.
80km to go:
So we now have seven men up the road.
Politt is back in the main field.
A second peloton of dropped riders is a little further back at around six minutes currently.
75km to go: The breakaway go through the intermediate sprint point.
Pedersen snaps up the 20 points on offer for first place with Campenaerts in second.
74km to go: The leaders seem to have had their morale massively dented.
It's just 32 seconds that they have over the peloton now.
Wow! This is fascinating.
The peloton is really severely split now.
About 20 to 30 riders have got up the road from the main field and are hovering in between the yellow jersey group and the breakaway.
70km to go: The second group on the road contains Jasper Philipsen, Mathieu van der Poel and several Alpecin-Deceuninck riders along with a handful from Uno-X.
The yellow jersey group is about a minute behind the breakaway, but the Philipsen group is at 32 seconds from the leaders.
69km to go: Biniam Girmay, Matias Skjelmose and Valentin Madouas are in that green jersey group too.
So the full situation looks like this:
We've got our breakaway containing Alaphilippe, Pedersen and others in front. Another group containing Philipsen and Van der Poel are 30 seconds behind them. The yellow jersey group is another 25 seconds back, and then we have another reduced peloton 7-46 behind the Alaphilippe group.
Chaos!
The breakaway have been caught by the second group on the road. We've now got a huge breakaway up ahead but it will almost certainly split again.
Victor Campenaerts is still going at the front of that group.
Rasmus Tiller (Uno-X) is just behind him.
61km to go: Campenaerts and Simon Clarke (Israel Premier Tech) have both pushed on out of that front group.
Little reminder that Campenaerts was out in front all day yesterday too. What a warrior!
56km to go: This race is crazy today! It's like the E3 Saxo Classic or something else that's equally as frenetic.
The huge group of leaders is 2-33 ahead of the yellow jersey group. Campenaerts and Clarke still have a bit of a gap, around 20 seconds, but that won't last.
42km to go: It's 4-28 to the peloton now for Campenaerts and Clarke. The Philipsen group are 52 seconds behind them.
You never know, this could stick.
The fourth peloton of sorts on the road is now more than ten minutes behind the leaders.
Here's our lead men in action.
The riders are ripping through the valley that leads onto the category three Cote d'Ivry climb now.
Clarke and Campenaerts are just dangling out ahead, but you would expect them to be brought back in any time soon.
32km to go: Noooo!!
Terrible luck for Clarke.
He's grabbing his calf and looks in some discomfort. Has he got cramp?!
The Philipsen group has just sailed past Clarke. It's just Campenaerts out ahead now.
31km to go: Tiller is leading the second group on the road now for Uno-X.
Asgreen attacks with Ben O'Connor on his wheel closely followed by Jack Haig.
That's cut Campenaerts lead down to just 20 seconds.
😱 @SimoClarke can't follow @VCampenaerts! He is cramping and has to let the belgian go solo!😱 @SimoClarke ne peut plus suivre @VCampenaerts ! Il est perclu de crampes et doit laisser le Belge filer seul.#TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/t45SC1R5mlJuly 21, 2023
Here's Clarke struggling with his cramp.
Got to feel for him! The Aussie won a stage here at the Tour last year.
30km to go:
O'Connor, Asgreen and Mohoric have just torn past Campenaerts and have gone off in search of victory.
Pedersen has launched a move from the second group now and has gone off in search of the lead trio.
29km to go: It's amazing what one win can do for your confidence.
Asgreen looks seriously fired up here for number two.
28km to go: Pedersen goes again with Bettiol on his wheel.
Mohoric is pushing on in the front group.
What a chaotic day of action!
12km to go:
This is serious business now!
The trio of leaders are still up the road but we've got some crazy firepower just behind them.
Van der Poel, Pidcock, Bettiol, Pedersen, Laporte, Philipsen, Zimmerman and Trentin are chasing them.
Luca Mezgec is there too.
Here are the trio up the road.
The Pidcock group is 28 seconds behind them.
2.8km to go: This road is arrow straight! It's crazy.
The trio of leaders have got 33 seconds.
Unfortunately I'm counting Ben O'Connor out of this. There's no way he's beating Asgreen or Mohoric in a sprint.
1km to go:
When are they going to open up the sprint?!
Asgreen goes to the front of the three.
Mohoric is locked into Asgreen's wheel.
Here goes Ben O'Connor!
Hee comes mohoric!
That's a photo finish surely!
Wow! I have no idea who won that!
Here comes the fight for fourth
Philipsen gets fourth.
I think Mohoric just did enough there to win that but really not sure.
I honestly can't call that.
There we go! They've called it! It's Matej Mohoric!
He's in tears on the line!
That's Matej Mohoric's third stage win at the Tour de France.
A superb win for a superb bike rider.
Huge shout out to Asgreen though.
He was in front all day yesterday, won the stage and then nearly had it today.
We'll have a stage report for you shortly.
Here's our stage report. Thank you for joining us on another action packed day at the Tour de France.
