Tour de France 2019 LIVE Stage 14: Julian Alaphilippe extends lead as Geraint Thomas suffers

The Frenchman faces a fight to keep hold of the yellow jersey as the race climbs more than 2,000m above sea level

Stage 12 highlights from the Tour de France

Julian Alaphilippe has faced plenty of tests dotted along the road in the first 13 stages of the Tour de France, but this is different. The Col du Tourmalet – which translates from Gascon as ‘the long mountain’ – is the highest paved pass in the French Pyrenees, a Tour classic, and a brute which will crack open even bigger gaps in the top 10.

For the first time, this Tour will climb high above Alaphilippe’s comfort zone, more than 2,000m above sea level. He has shown no weaknesses so far, stunning everyone including second-placed Geraint Thomas by winning Friday’s time-trial, but preserving his lead here will be a much harder thing. In his favour is the length of the stage: at only 117km it is not a particularly long day, with a couple of small climbs at the start and the category one Col du Soulor in the middle. It doesn’t leave much room for a breakaway to escape and could set up a grandstand finale between the main GC riders.

Then comes the Tourmalet, attacked from the west side, a gruelling 19km drag at an average gradient of 7.4% with the finish line on its summit. It has a rich history of appearances in the Tour de France, although this is only the third time a stage will have finished on the top. The Tour’s most recent visit to the Tourmalet was last year; the first man to the top that day? Julian Alaphilippe. That was a whole different scenario, as he went for King of the Mountains points to win the polka dot jersey. This time he wears yellow, and he faces a fight to keep it. Follow the latest updates below.

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Key Points

• Stage 14 takes runs from Tarbes to the Tourmalet peak
• Romain Sicard has slight lead over peloton containing Alaphilippe and Thomas
• Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe leads Geraint Thomas by 1:26 minutes overall

[20 July 2019 14:12 · Jack de Menezes]

Welcome to The Independent's live coverage of stage 14 at the Tour de France.

[20 July 2019 14:20 · Jack de Menezes]

A breakaway group of 17 riders are currently around 2:30 minutes up the road from the peloton, containing:

Tim Wellens (Lotto-Soudal), Lilian Calmejane, Romain Sicard and Rein Taaramee (Total Direct Energie), Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe), Alexis Vuillermoz (AG2R-La Mondiale), Vincenzo Nibali and Matej Mohoric (Bahrain-Merida), Matthieu Ladagnous (Groupama-FDJ), Carlos Verona (Movistar), Luis Leon Sanchez (Astana), Sergio Henao (UAE Team Emirates), Lennard Kamna (Sunweb), Ilnur Zakarin and Marco Haller (Katusha-Alpecin), Guillaume Martin (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) and Elie Gesbert (Arkéa-Samsic).

However, that advantage is being managed, and with the lead bunch already on the ascent up the Col du Soulor, the pack are beginning to splinter. Both Haller and Taaramee have fallen off the back, and more will inevitably follow.

[20 July 2019 14:26 · Jack de Menezes]

Peter Sagan has joined those riders falling off the lead bunch, but further behind there's trouble for Adam Yates.

The Briton is struggling up the Col de Soulor and his brother, Simon, is attempting to drag him up the climb after dropping off the back of the peloton.

[20 July 2019 14:28 · Jack de Menezes]

The margin is down to 1:23, just as three riders attack in the shape of Nibali, Wellens and Gesbert with 2km of the climb remaining.

[20 July 2019 14:30 · Jack de Menezes]

Spectators are lining the street as the riders come towards the end of the gruelling climb, but they are not the only ones watching on.

A pack of fans react quickly to ensure a cow - yes, a cow - is ushered off the road seconds before the leaders arrive, averting a rather tricky situation. 1km remaining until the summit is reached.

[20 July 2019 14:35 · Jack de Menezes]

Tim Wellens goes for it and Nibali can't stay with him 300m from the top of the climb, handing the Lotto-Soudal rider another 10 King of the Mountain points in the process to add to his lead.

However, those two attacks have really splintered the field now, while way back off the peloton Romain Bardet is in big trouble, more than two minutes off the main bunch.

"I think his Tour is over," says Bradley Wiggins.

[20 July 2019 14:43 · Jack de Menezes]

With 47km to go on the stage, the riders are flying down the descent at speeds close to 90kmh, earning a well-deserved rest before the Tourmalet climb.

Here's how the points were dished out:

[20 July 2019 14:45 · Jack de Menezes]

An update from Team Ineos as the peloton descends at speed:

[20 July 2019 15:02 · Jack de Menezes]

The lead gap is closing by the second and is now just 45 seconds to a peloton being lead by Sagan, having been picked up from the earlier breakaway.

We're into the final 30km.

[20 July 2019 15:03 · Jack de Menezes]

Rather impressively, Adam Yates is back onto the tail of the peloton. He has his brother to thank for that, with Simon reacting quickly to keep him in the running.