176 kilometers and the fabled Mont Ventoux - will today be the day that someone makes a difference and strikes a decisive blow in the battle for the overall?
The opening kilometers are marked with plenty of attacks, but things are still more or less together at the first KOM sprint. Matthieu Sprick is first over, followed by Jackson Rodriguez and David Arroyo.
Over the second one around 20k later and the gaps are beginning to appear. Rodriguez is first, Francesco Bellotti second, and a little way back Bouet of B+O.
Just over 10k later at the day's third KOM sprint the escape of the day seems to have formed. Bellotti leads over Rodriguez and Sprick uncontested.
The lead group eventually becomes 13 and with 95k to go they have a lead of 4'25 back to the pack. There are some decent climbers present in the escape - Maisto, Rodriguez, Sprick, Ndbri, Ortega, Amador and Deignan - so the peloton would be wise to keep them close.
The lead grows. The intermediate sprint at 75k to go is not contested. Laurent Mangel is the 'winner' ahead of Davis, and Maisto. The lead is up to 6'30.
66k to go and with the lead out at over 7 minutes the pack finally begin to increase the pace. It's no surprise who the teams leading the pack are.
They are in no hurry to bring the gap down it seems and with 50k to go the gap is 5'55, 35k to go and it's 5'20.
Concerned about the size of the gap, Lipton climber Rodriguez and Eurosport's Lovkvist decide to try and get away. Up front the day's final intermediate sprint is again uncontested and the lead still over 5 minutes. Bouet, Sprick and Amador take the points in that order.
Rodriguez and Lovkvist have carved themselves out a small gap of around 30 seconds and we are half way up the day's penultimate climb, when David Arroyo becomes the first of the real big guns to attack.
There is no reaction from the other favorites as Accumulux, Rabo and Unicef continue to drive the pack forward.
Over the top - Rodriguez takes the moutain points from the break - 3'35 behind are Arroyo, Lovkvist and Lipton's Rodriguez. 38 seconds behind them - the pack.
And so to the bottom of the Giant of Provence. The race situation is shown in this screenshot. 3'41 is probably not enough for any of the escapees to make it - but it's a decent enough lead.
Iglinsky once again hits the front for Accumulux and winds the pace right up. Up front Eurosport's Deignan jumps away from his breakaway companions and launches a bid for glory. He gets a gap and he holds on to it.
Back down the mountain Arroyo attacks again in a bid to shake off Lovkvist. It looks as if Rodrigues is finished.
Arroyo gaps Lovkvist and begins to close in on the escapees.
10k to go and Deignan is out in front alone. Arroyo is closing fast and behind him, the peloton - driven on by Accumulux and Rabobank - have brought back Lovkvist.
David Abal from Credit Lyonnais makes the next big move from the pack. His fellow Spaniards, Gomez Marchante and Ruben Plaza follow.
They did deep, but with Accumulux on the front they only manage to gain a few meters before being pulled back in. Up front Arroyo has reached Deignan. The favourites group are closing fast though.
Game on! With the pace dropping slightly, Popovych, Gesink and Pluchkin make their moves.
Ardila goes with them and it is only then that Frank Schleck wakes up.
Schleck again today seems to have fire in his legs. He outstrips Popo, Gesink, Pluchkin and goes past Deignan. There are just over 5k to the summit and only Arroyo out front.
Popo digs deep again as the gap seems to be getting dangerously wide. Pluchkin is desperately trying to hang on to his wheel and Gesink looks to be going backwards.
Schleck is up to Arroyo now - but somehow he has Popo and Pluchkin for company. These four great riders don't seem willing to work with each other, even though Gesink is back with the main group.
There are less than 5k to the summit and Perez Sanchez manages to make contact with the lead group. Behind him Serpa is also closing the gap - as are the pack.
The hardest of the climbing is done. Serpa has made it across and Gesink too is fighting his way across the gap. Charging past him is Gomez Marchante who has recovered from his earlier efforts.
Marchante charges on past the lead group - who seem to be marking each other out of the stage and waiting for Gesink.
Marchante is thru' the 1k to go mark. Behind him, Serpa has had enough and is going after the Spaniard.
It's going to be very close. Serpa is coming in fast - Marchante has 300m or so to hold on. The yellow jersey group for some reason watch and wait still.
Serpa is so very close to taking it on the line, but the winner of today's stage is Gomez Marchante. A first win of the season for the Eurosport team and what a place to get it.
Pluchkin leads the yellow jersey group home just under 30 seconds back.
