Hello and welcome to live coverage of stage 9 of the Tour de France - and it's the big one: the queen stage of this year's race (at least, for many) is this seven-climb 181.5km schlep through the Jura mountains from Nantua to Chambery.

Pinot edged up for the sprint near the summit, but it was De Gendt who took the 2pts over the top, with Alexey Lutsenko of Astana just behind for the remaining point. Pinot, who clearly has bigger fish to fry, is happy to let them nuke it out for scraps.

Right, it's the third climb of the day, the Cat.3 Cote de Francleans, which is a mere blip in comparison to what else is on the menu. De Gendt still drives the pace in this 35-man break.

Rear puncture for Sergio Henao, who takes a stricken age to get a new wheel. The Team Sky rider will have a long fight to get back onto the peloton. He's passed by a Fortuneo-Oscaro rider covered in bandages - it could well have been Sepulveda after his earlier crash.

The best placed rider in this break is the Colombian Carlos Betancur, one of Nairo Quintana's key Movistar team-mates. Betancur started today's stage 3:17 down on Froome, so he's not the virtual yellow jersey yet.

Thomas De Gendt drives the pace of the break, which is down to around 33 riders after numerous riders - including Thomas Voeckler, Brice Feillu and Zdenek Stybar - were dropped, along with those riders who crashed.

The gap is up to 2:20 as the break hits a small plateau ahead of the final part of this descent. Team Sky are still on the front of the pack for Chris Froome with Luke Rowe, who was in the gruppetto yesterday, setting the tempo.

The break has all strung out on the descent - and we've had a crash: Eduardo Sepulveda of Fortuneo-Oscaro has crashed out on a wet bend. The Argentine is trying to chase back on. Vegard Stake Laengen also hit the deck, the Norwegian from UAE Team Emirates. They used to be house mates a few years ago while riding for Bretagne-Seche, incidentally...

Confirmation that Robert Gesink withdrew owing to a back problem.

The riders are currently on one of the four long descents on the menu today, at the foot of which they will find the next climb. With the roads quite wet from earlier rainfall, they will have to be careful around the corners. Even in the dry yesterday, Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas came a cropper...

Team Sunweb clearly mean business: they have five riders in this large leading group. Perhaps they're hoping to keep Matthews ahead in time for the intermediate sprint? Although that's unlikely, for it comes after the first two HC climbs. It could simply be all-in for the stage and, perhaps, the polka dot jersey for Barguil. The gap is currently 1:45.

Right, here are our leaders: Jan Bakelants, Axel Domont and Alexis Vuillermoz (AG2R-La Mondiale), Jesus Herrada and Carlos Betancur (Movistar), Bauke Mollema and Jarlinson Pantano (Trek-Segafredo), Alessandro De Marchi and Amaël Moinard (BMC), Bakhtiar Kozhatayev and Alexey Lutsenko (Astana), Kristjian Durasek and Vegard Stake Laengen (UAE), Thibaut Pinot (FDJ), Michael Albasini (Orica-Scott), Zdenek Stybar (Quick-Step Floors), Pawel Poljanski (Bora-Hansgrohe), Robert Kiserlovski and Tiago Machado (Katusha-Alpecin), Thomas De Gendt, Tony Gallopin and Tim Wellens (Lotto-Soudal), Michael Matthews, Nikias Arndt, Warren Barguil, Simon Geschke and Laurens ten Dam (Sunweb), Nicolas Edet and Dani Navarro (Cofidis), Primoz Roglic (LottoNL-Jumbo), Thomas Voeckler (Direct Energie), Pierre Rolland and Dylan Van Baarle (Cannondale-Drapac), Javier Moreno (Bahrain-Merida), Brice Feillu, Pierre-Luc Périchon and Eduardo Sepulveda (Fortuneo-Oscaro).

Pinot is on a polka dot mission: the Frenchman takes the 2pts over the top of the Col de Berentin to move on to 7pts in the KOM standings - that's one point behind Dan Martin and Warren Barguil, who took a single point for fourth place over the summit of the previous climb. Thomas De Gendt took the second point over the top, right behind Pinot and ahead of Geschke, who was clearly trying to protect team-mate Barguil's interests - albeit half-heartedly.

Even bigger news is that Robert Gesink (LottoNL-Jumbo) has also withdrawn from the race. He didn't look too bad after that crash, but he must have done his collar bone or something.

Confirmation that Manuele Mori of UAE Team Emirates has withdrawn from the race - so we're down to 192 riders. The Italian was clearly in considerable pain after his fall after the summit of the first climb.

There are 40-odd riders in this break, which is being driven by Laurens ten Dam of Team Sunweb, who has team-mate Simon Geschke just behind. Thomas Voeckler, with his tongue largely out, is also here, as is Pinot and Wellens, another Sunweb rider in Warren Barguil, Pantano and Bauke Mollema of Trek, Eduardo Sepulveda of Fortuneo-Oscaro, Thomas De Gendt of Lotto Soudal. Full breakdown coming up. They're 1:30 ahead.

Team Sky have no one in this break and instead have amassed on the front of the peloton to set the tempo and marshal things there, as the gap increases to about a minute. A reminder that Chris Froome leads compatriot and team-mate Geraint Thomas by 12 seconds in the overall standings, with Fabio Aru third at 14 seconds, Dan Martin fourth at 25 seconds and Richie Porte fifth at 39 seconds. The likes of Simon Yates, Romain Bardet, Alberto Contador and Naito Quintana are all within 54 seconds of Froome, so it's nicely poised in the battle for yellow.

Straight onto the second climb of the day, the Cat.3 Col de Berentin (4.1km at 6.1%). There's a large break that has formed now, including some interesting names such as Jarlinson Pantano (Trek Segafredo), Pierre Rolland (Cannondale-Drapac) and Carlos Betancur (Movistar).

CRASH: Three of four riders hit the deck near the back of the peloton - including yesterday's winner up, Robert Gesink, and a Direct Energie rider - Angelo Tulik. But it's Italian veteran Manuele Mori of UAE Team Emirates, who has come off worse - he's screaming in pain, and looks to have a serious shoulder problem.

Pinot has caught Wellens just ahead of the summit of this climb, to take the 5pts over the top. There are 70pts available today in the King of the Mountains competition and so it's a potential bonanza for whoever wants to take - and keep hold - of the polka dot jersey. Pinot is one of those men - and with that move he's almost halved the lead held by yesterday's winner, Lilian Calmejane of Direct Energie, who moved about Fabio Aru in the KOM standings with his win.

For all his effort, Wellens is failing to open up much of a gap. He looks over his shoulder just in time to see Thibault Pinot of FDJ dart clear of the pack in pursuit.

Alessandro De Marchi of BMC is riding in pursuit of Wellens. The Italian is one of Richie Porte's mountain domestiques so he will hope to act as a relay for the Australian later in the day, perhaps.