THE RACE LIVE
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Oscar Pereiro finished 26th in the stage with the same time as Moreau. He will keep the yellow jersey for another two days: the rest day and stage 15.

The top five in the 180.5km 14th stage of the 2006 Tour de France is:
1. Pierrick Fedrigo (France - Bouygues)
2. Salvatore Commesso (Italy - Lampre-Fondital) at same time
3. Christian Vandevelde (USA - CSC) at 3"
4. Christophe Moreau (France - AG2R) at 7"
5. George Totschnig (Austria - Gerolsteiner) at 7"

The peloton was within sight of the two stage leaders but they couldn’t close the gap. Fedrigo has won the 14th stage in fine style, easily beating Commesso to the line...!

Commesso and Fedrigo are winding up for the sprint...!

In the final kilometer Commesso has attacked. He has been caught by Fedrigo. This pair lead by just nine seconds...!

Commesso and Fedrigo could hold off the peloton. They are 11" ahead with just one kilometer to go. They cannot hesitate for a moment because the pace of the chase is frantic...!

The yellow jersey is present in the second group that’s 14" behind Commesso and Fedrigo with 2km to go. The chase group has about 40 riders in it.

Mercado has attacked the peloton with Boogerd right on his wheel. They are less than 3km from the finish and have a deficit of 15" to Commesso and Fedrigo.

With 4km to go Commesso and Fedrigo have a lead of 20". Popovych and Azevedo (DSC) are at the head of the peloton, right behind this Discovery Channel pair is Moreau...

Popovych has just led the peloton under the 5km to go banner. This group is just 20" behind Commesso and Fedrigo.

Popovych is now driving the pace at the front of the peloton. The two leaders are 5km from the finish...

Commesso and Fedrigo lead the peloton by 25". Moreau is attacking the descent and leads the pursuit of the leading duo.

The points at the top of the final climb were won by:
1. Commesso (LAM) 20pts
2. Fedrigo (BTL) 18pts
3. Boogerd (RAB) 16pts - at 35"
4. Schleck (CSC) 14pts
5. Rasmussen (RAB) 12pts
6. Zubeldia (EUS) 10pts...
As the Col de la Sentinelle is category-two, double points are awarded to the first six over the summit.

The peloton is 35" behind at the top of the final climb.

The leading pair are at the top of the final climb. The 20 points for 1st place at the top of the Col de la Sentinelle were won by Commesso.

The leader of the climbing classification, David De la Fuente has been dropped by the peloton on the final ascent of stage 14.

Aerts has been caught by the peloton. There are now just two riders ahead of the main pack - Commesso and Fedrigo. The advantage is down to 1’00".

Commesso and Fedrigo are 10km from the finish. Both have their chains in the big chainring near the summit of the Col de la Sentinelle. They advantage is 1’10" over the peloton which is now being attacked by Rasmussen...

Commesso and Fedrigo are near the top of the final climb. They have a lead of 1’20" on the peloton which is being led by riders from the Saunier Duval team.

The Phonake team has come to the front of the peloton but now Rasmussen and Boogerd at moving forward to try and claim points for the climbing classification...

Calzati’s recent attack amounted to nothing. He has been caught by the peloton that’s now 1’00" behind Commesso and Fedrigo.

There has been a crash in the peloton that’s included Goubert and Chavanel. They are back on their bikes and riding again...

Fedrigo has attacked the lead group. He has been chased down by Commesso but Aerts cannot follow.

Calzati has attacked the peloton just after passing under the 15km to go banner.

The peloton is 1’15" behind Aerts, Commesso and Fedrigo with 15km to go.

Mazzoleni, Portal, Pena are amongst the large tally of riders to be dropped by the peloton in the last few kilometers.

As the stage leaders begin the ascent of the 5.2km long Col de la Sentinelle, they are 2’00" ahead of the peloton.

Kessler has just been dropped by the peloton. Given the nature of his crash, it’s no surprise... other riders falling behind the bunch include Brard (CEI).

The attacks at the front of the stage have started. The first to surge was Commesso but he was quickly chased down by Aerts and Fedrigo.

There’s a significant sized ’grupetto’ forming with 20km to go. Some of the other dropped riders are Bennati (LAM), Casper (COF)...

The peloton has passed the site of the 2nd intermediate sprint with a deficit of 2’22" to the leading trio. The main pack is now less than 20km from the finish.

Juan Manuel Garate (QSI) has just changed his bike at the rear of the peloton. A number of riders have recently been dropped, including Moncoutie (COF) and Casar (FDJ).

The points for the sprint in La Plaine (160.5km), were won by:
1. Commesso (LAM) 6pts
2. Fedrigo (BTL) 4pts
4. Aerts (DVL) 2pts

The peloton is closing in on the escapees who are now just 2’40" ahead. The maximum deficit of the peloton was 5’40", then Quickstep moved forward and worked for a short while. They were replaced by Milram and Liquigas riders with 40km to go...

The peloton is 22km from the finish of the stage. It is led by riders from the Liquigas team and is 3’00" behind Aerts, Commesso and Fedrigo.

Two victims of the crash at the 141km mark are in the ambulance and on the way to hospital. David Canada (SDV) has a broken right collarbone.
Rik Verbrugghe (COF) will have x-rays for a suspected broken leg.

Aerts, Commesso and Fedrigo are less than 5km from the second intermediate sprint. This is in La Plaine at the 20km to go mark.

The peloton is now 3’15" behind the leading trio - Aerts, Commesso and Fedrigo - who are 25km away from Gap.

LeTour.fr contacted the directeur sportif of the Caisse d’Epargne team, Eusebio Unzue, to get his thoughts on the stage.
"I think that we’ll keep the yellow jersey for a while," said the Spaniard. "I hope that there are no problems on the final climb. Now that Liquigas and Milram are leading the peloton, it’s good for us because have worked since the start of the stage. The goal for us is to retain the overall lead for at least two more days."

Aerts, Commesso and Fedrigo ae 30km from the end of the 14th stage. The latest time check had this trio 3’25" ahead of the peloton that continues to be led by the Liquigas team.

The crash happened at the 141km mark. We don’t have any news on the state of Canada (SDV) or Verbrugghe (COF)...

Kessler has been caught by the peloton which is 3’25" behind Aerts, Commesso and Fedrigo.

Kessler is back on his bike and is riding again after the spectacular crash.

The riders who are now in the lead of the 14th stage are Mario Aerts (DVL), Salvatore Commesso (LAM) and Pierrick Fedrigo (BTL).
We don’t have details of exactly where the crash happened but can report that both Canada and Verbrugghe lost control of their bikes on the same right turn.
The leading trio are 3’05" ahead of the peloton.

Verbrugghe has not moved since crashing over roadside barriers. The ambulance has been called and it appears as though the Cofidis rider will abandon the Tour de France.

Verbrugghe has also flown over the barriers on a right hand turn. There are now just three riders in the lead of the stage. The fallen riders are in a bad state and are waiting for medical attention...

There has been a nasty crash at the front of the stage. Canada’s rear wheel lost traction and he tumbled to the tarmac. Kessler thumped into him and flew over the barriers...

The peloton appears intent on chasing down the six escapees. Right now Liquigas riders are leading the pursuit of Kessler, Verbrugghe, Commesso, Fedrigo, Aerts and Canada. The Quickstep squad has quit its effort at the front and Boonen has just made a gesture to the camera to suggest that he’s not in the sort of shape that warrants an effort from his colleagues today.
Milram has replaced the Quickstep squad at the head of the peloton... Zabel’s team is collaborating with Garzelli’s crew with 40km to go.

There are now three Liquigas riders assisting Quickstep and Caisse d’Epargne with the pursuiting duties at the head of the peloton. Could it be that Garzelli believes he can claim a victory on his 33nd birthday...?
The peloton is 4’10" behind Kessler, Verbrugghe, Commesso, Fedrigo, Aerts and Canada.

The peloton is now 4’20" behind the six escapees who reached a maximum advantage of 5’40".

Bernard Hinault has just called LeTour.fr to report that the conditions today, while hot, are favourable for a fast stage.
"We are just behind the peloton and I can tell you that the pace is really fast because there’s a strong tailwind," said the five-time Tour de France winner.

The rider who joined the stage leaders at the 71km mark, Rik Verbrugghe will celebrate his 32nd birthday on the final day of the 2006 Tour. He is currently on the attack with Kessler, Fedrigo, Canada, Commesso and Aerts.
This group is currently 5’05" ahead of the peloton that is led by the Quickstep team.
Verbrugghe won his only Tour stage in Lavaur a day after his birthday in 2001.

The leaders covered 40.6km in the third hour of racing. The average speed for the first three hours of stage 14 is 42.6km/h.

Matthias Kessler (TMO) is one of the riders who are currently 5’30" ahead of the peloton. The winner of stage three of this year’s Tour de France has been doing a lot of work on the 42nd birthday of Miguel Indurain. Surely it’s just a coincidence that he has also won the Grand Prix Miguel Indurain twice, but perhaps he thrives in situations which have a tenuous link with the five-time Tour winner.

Today is the 42nd birthday of five-time Tour de France winner Miguel Indurain. It’s also the 33rd birthday of 2000 Giro d’Italia winner Stefano Garzelli.
The fourth victory of the Italian’s professional career was the GP Miguel Indurain in 1999.

The work done by Quickstep has had an immediate effect. The peloton is now 5’20" behind Kessler, Aerts, Fedrigo, Canada, Verbrugghe and Commesso.

The winner of stage seven last year, Pieter Weening (RAB) has just punctured his front tire.

There are now four riders from the Quickstep team at the front of the peloton. They appear interested in bringing back the escape with the help of the Caisse d’Epargne team...

The Caisse d’Epargne team is keeping today’s escape honest. The maximum gain reported was 5’40". Right now the peloton is 5’35" behind Kessler, Aerts, Fedrigo, Canada, Verbrugghe and Commesso.

The final climb of the 14th stage is the Col de Sentinelle is rated category-two. A ruling introduced three years ago means that any climbing ranked category-two or higher is worth double points if it’s the last ascent.
This means that 20 points are on offer for the first man across the summit that’s 9.5km from the finish.
The Col de Sentinelle has been a feature of the Tour on nine previous occasions. The last time this 981m high climb was part of the itinerary was in 1996 when Rolf Sorensen led the peloton over the line.

The escapees have 75km to race. They are 5’35" ahead of the peloton.

The peloton was led over the top of the Col de Perty by Mercado, 5’37" behind the escapees.

There are five riders cooperating at the front of the stage. Aerts, Fedrigo, Canada, Verbrugghe and Commesso have a lead of about 100m on Kessler who did the majority of the work in the escape group on the ascent of the Col de Perty.

The peloton is one kilometer away from the top of the Col de Perty. It is thinning out as riders drop of the back. The latest victims of the pace being set by Caisse d’Epargne include: Steegmans, Casper, Freire...

The six escapees have just crested the Col de Perty (at the 97km mark). The points were won by:
1. David Canada (SDV) 10pts
2. Mario Aerts (DVL) 9pts
3. Peirrick Fedrigo (BTL) 8pts
4. Salvatore Commesso (LAM) 7pts
5. Matthias Kessler (TMO) 6pts
6. Rik Verbrugghe (COF) 5pts

The peloton is now 5’40" behind Kessler, Aerts, Fedrigo, Canada, Verbrugghe and Commesso.
The escapees are yet to reach the summit of the Col de Perty and they are contuning to cooperate well on this category-two climb.

Eddy Merckx recently told France Television that he wasn’t sure if he would have approached the 13th stage the same way as his son’s team did yesterday. "With regard to Phonak’s tactics yesterday," said Merckx Senior, "I’m not sure if I would have done the same thing but times have changed since I was racing.
"It’s a really open Tour de France."

The peloton is at the 92km mark 5’35" behind Kessler, Aerts, Fedrigo, Canada, Verbrugghe and Commesso.

Eddy Merckx is spending today in the Phonak team car. "It’s lovely to be here," said the five-time Tour winner in a recent interview with France Television. "My favourite for the title remains Floyd Landis..."
The American is a team-mate of Eddy’s son, Axel.

Cedric Vasseur is the only non-Caisse d’Epargne rider at the head of the peloton.

Kessler, Aerts, Fedrigo, Canada, Verbrugghe and Commesso are 5km from the top of the Col de Perty. They have a lead of 5’30" on the peloton.

Kessler is doing the majority of the work in the lead group which is now 5’30" ahead of the peloton that’s still being led by riders from the Caisse d’Epargne team.

The heaviest rider in the 2006 Tour de France, Magnus Backstedt (LIQ) has just stepped off his bike and abandoned the race. There are 158 men still in the race.

The leaders are on the third climb of the 14th stage. The Col de Perty is a 8.8km long ascent with an average gradient of 5.1 per cent. It’s summit is 1,303m above sea-level and peaks at the 97km mark.
This is the fifth time in the history of the Tour that the climb has been featured in the itinerary. The last rider to win points on this climb was Lucien van Impe in 1972...

The six escapees have an advantage of five minutes over the peloton after two hours of racing today.

The escapees covered 40.4km in the 2nd hour. The average speed for the first two hours in stage 14 is 43.6km/h.

There are 159 riders still in the 2006 Tour. Mirko Celestino (MRM) is the latest rider to abandon the race.

Of the six riders in the lead group, three have previously won a stage of the Tour de France.
Salvatore Commesso (LAM) won stage 13 to Albi in 1999 and stage 18 to Fribourg-en-Brisgau in 2000.
Rik Verbrugghe (COF) won stage 15 to Lavau in 2001.
Matthias Kessler (TMO) won stage three this year in Valkenburg.

The peloton is currently 4’25" behind Kessler, Fedrigo, Aerts, Commesso, Verbrugghe and Canada.

Of the six riders in the lead of stage 14, Kessler is spending more time in the wind than any other escapee. In the last 10km he was at the front of the escape group for 24 per cent of the time. The rider doing the shortest turns of pace is Salvatore Commesso (just 8 per cent).

Florent Brard and his Caisse d’Epargne colleagues are currently at the front of the peloton which is around the 85km mark. The six stage leaders have an advantage of about four minutes.

The peloton is currently in the feedzone. It is 3’30" behind Kessler, Fedrigo, Aerts, Commesso, Verbrugghe and Canada. Of the six riders in the lead group, Pierrick Fedrigo (BTL) is the best-placed in general classification. He began the stage in 42nd place, 26’12" behind Pereiro.

Kessler, Fedrigo, Aerts, Commesso, Verbrugghe and Canada are in the feedzone at Saint-Auban-sur-L’Ouveze at the 78.5km mark. They are 3’25" ahead of the peloton.

There are now just six riders ahead of the peloton. Martinez (DSC) has just been caught by the main pack that is 3’40" behind Kessler, Fedrigo, Aerts, Commesso, Verbrugghe and Canada.

Martinez (DSC) is 2’40" behind the six stage leaders. At the top of the second climb, the peloton is led by Caisse d’Epargne and is 3’40" behind the escapees.

The points at the top of the second climb in stage 14 were won by:
1. Salvatore Commesso (LAM) 4pts
2. Mario Aerts (DVL) 3pts
3. Matthias Kessler (TMO) 2pts
4. Pierrick Fedrigo (BTL) 1pt

Kessler (TMO), Aerts (DVL), Verbrugghe (COF), Commesso (LAM), Canada (SDV) and Fedrigo (BTL) have just reached the top of the second climb, the Col de Peyruergue at 72.5km.

David Canada (SDV) has caught the stage leaders.

Rik Verbrugghe has bridged the gap to the four stage leaders: Salvatore Commesso, Pierrick Fedrigo, Matthias Kessler and Mario Aerts.

Kessler, Fedrigo, Commesso and Aerts lead Martinez, Canada and Verbrugghe by 20” and the peloton by 1’50".

There are seven riders ahead of the peloton. Kessler (TMO), Fedrigo (BTL), Commesso (LAM) and Aerts (DVL) lead Verbrugghe (COF), Canada (SDV) and Martinez (DSC) by 17".

The peloton has stopped chasing the escapees. It is now 1’20" behind Kessler’s quartet.

Aerts (DVL), Kessler (TMO), Fedrigo (BTL) and Commesso (LAM) are 5km from the 2nd climb. They are 25" ahead of Martinez (DSC), Verbrugghe (COF) and Canada (SDV) and 55" ahead of the peloton.

Pereiro has come to the front of the peloton and signalled that it’s time to halt the chase of the escapees. The yellow jersey’s group is now 55" behind the four escapees.

There are numerous riders attacking to try and join The Escape of stage 14. So far 65km have been raced and the bunch is not content with who is in the lead of the stage.
Kessler, Commesso, Fedrigo and Aerts are still in the lead but their advantage is just 30".

There are now just four riders in the lead of the stage. Martinez (DSC) has dropped out of the escape group that’s 10" ahead of Verbrugghe and Canada.

Canada and Verbrugghe are now just 10" behind Martinez, Commesso, Aerts, Fedrigo and Kessler. The rest of the escape attempts have all been reeled in by the peloton which is 25" behind the five leaders.

Martinez, Kessler, Aerts, Commesso and Fedrigo lead Verbrugghe and Canada by 20"
Padrnos, Flecha, Voeckler and Grivko by 25"
And the peloton by 35"...

There are numerous riders attempting to join the escape in stage 14. The latest to attack the peloton is Daniele Bennati (LAM).

Martinez (DSC), Kessler (TMO), Aerts (DVL), Commesso (LAM) and Fedrigo (BTL) now lead Verbrugghe (COF) and Canada (SDV) by 20".

Padrnos, Flecha, Voeckler and Grivko have attacked the peloton. There are seven riders ahead of this quartet.
The stage is led by: Commesso, Kessler, Fedrigo, Aerts Martinez. Behind them are Verbrugghe and Canada.

The stage leaders covered 46.8km in the first hour of racing in stage 14. They are 20" ahead of Canada and Verbrugghe and 30" ahead of the peloton.

Two riders are attempting to catch the leading quintet. It’s Canada (SDV) and Verbrugghe (COF)... they are about 150 meters ahead of the peloton.

Gilberto Simoni was dropped on the first climb of stage 14. He is now five minutes behind the peloton!

Flecha has been caught by the peloton that is just 30" behind Martinez (DSC), Kessler (TMO), Aerts (DVL), Commesso (LAM) and Fedrigo (BTL).

The points for the intermediate sprint in La Bonte (at 50.0km) were won by:
1. Mario Aerts (DVL) 6pts/6"
2. Pierrick Fedrigo (BTL) 4pts/4"
3. Egoi Martinez (DSC) 2pts/2"
Flecha (RAB) is the rider trying to bridge the gap to the five stage leaders.

Martinez (DSC), Kessler (TMO), Aerts (DVL), Commesso (LAM) and Fedrigo (BTL) have a lead of about 30" over a rider from the Rabobank team. The counter-attacker is about 250 meters ahead of the peloton.

The escapees are near the first intermediate sprint. Their advantage over the peloton is 30". The counter attackers have been caught.

After almost an hour of racing, there are five riders about 45" ahead of the peloton. There is a counter-attack in between the escapees and the main pack. Calzati, Botcharov, Marchante and Grivko are in pursuit of the five leaders.

Of the five riders in the lead of the 14th stage, the best-placed in the general classifcation after 13 stages is Pierrick Fedrigo (BTL). He began the day in 42nd place overall, 24’28" behind Pereiro.
His quintet is now 35" ahead of the peloton at the 45km mark.

The five escapees are 22" ahead as the peloton arrives in Nyons at the 40.5km mark.

Martinez (DSC), Kessler (TMO), Aerts (DVL), Commesso (LAM) and Fedrigo (BTL) now lead by 25" as the peloton passes the 40km mark.

Martinez (DSC), Kessler (TMO), Aerts (DVL), Commesso (LAM) and Fedrigo (BTL) are now 18" ahead of the peloton. This group is more likely to succeed with an escape than the 10 that they were originally part of. There WERE five riders from the top 20 in the initial move...

The five escapees are 15" ahead at the 39km mark.

Martinez (DSC), Kessler (TMO), Aerts (DVL), Commesso (LAM) and Fedrigo (BTL) are now 12" ahead of the peloton. The other five escapees have been caught.

Martinez (DSC), Sastre (CSC), Kessler (TMO), Moreau (A2R), Leipheimer (GST), Aerts (DVL), Commesso (LAM), Vila (LAM), Karpets (CEI), Fedrigo and Zubeldia (EUS) are the riders involved in the latest escape. They have a lead of 40"...

The pace is extremely rapid early in the 14th stage. Kessler (TMO), Commesso (LAM) and Fedrigo have been able to escape the pack at the 33km mark but their advantage is negligible.

The peloton has reeled in Hincapie, Mazzoleni, Commesso and Camano at the 31.5km mark.

Perrick Fedrigo (BTL) has bridged the gap to the four escapees.

Moncoutie can now return to his usual place in the peloton, right at the rear, now that he’s been caught by the bunch after a brief attack. Joly is also back in the peloton.
The only riders ahead of the pack are: Hincapie, Mazzoleni, Commesso and Camano. The last check had them in the lead by 20".

There are two riders - Moncoutie (COF) and Joly (FDJ) - trying to catch the four leaders.

The Phonak team is at the front of the peloton that is 12" behind Hincapie, Mazzoleni, Commesso and Camano at the 29.5km mark.

The two counter-attackers have been caught by the peloton at the 28.5km mark.

There are two riders attempting to bridge the gap to Hincapie’s quartet. They are 15" behind the stage leaders at the moment...

Hincapie (DSC), Mazzoleni (TMO), Commesso (LAM) and Camano (EUS) are now the only riders ahead of the peloton. Their advantage is just 10".

Commesso is now being pursued by Hincapie, Mazzoleni and Camano. The chasers are 10" behind the stage leader and the peloton is at 20" at the 27km mark.
The other escapees have been reeled in by the bunch.

There is now one rider, Commesso, 10" ahead of nine former escape companions.

The manager of the Phonak team, John Lelangue explained the tactics of his squad in stage 13 in an interview with L’Equipe last night.
“There are still nine days until Paris," said Lelangue. "The most important thing for our team is to save as much energy as possible. We can’t chase all the escapes on our own. We need a little bit of assistance from other squads to control the race.
“Oscar is not a big danger at the moment: he is 1’29” ahead with three big mountain stages yet to come. We know him well enough to be sure of this. Of course it’s impossible to be certain; maybe Pereiro will be a threat in the coming days but I’m not convinced.”

Simoni (SDV) has been dropped by the peloton which is now 35" behind Hincapie (DSC), Mazzoleni (TMO), Goubert (A2R), Boogerd (RAB), Ballan, Commesso and Valjavec (LAM), Arroyo (CEI), Rujano (QSI) and Camano (EUS).

The yellow jersey has been worn by seven riders so far this year. The current overall leader is Oscar Pereiro Sio (CEI); he was second in yesterday’s stage and jumped from 46th overall to first thanks largely to the apathy of the peloton’s pursuit of his escape.
The bunch finished 29’57" behind Jens Voigt (CSC) and Pereiro in Montelimar. The former overall leader, Floyd Landis (PHO) is now in second on GC, 1’29" behind Pereiro.
Third place is held by another former overall leader, Cyril Dessel (A2R) who is now 1’37" behind.

Of the 10 riders who are now 30" ahead of the peloton, the best-placed on the general classification after 13 stages is Michael Boogerd (RAB). He began the stage in 16th overall, 7’08" behind Pereiro (CEI).

The Phonak team is at the front of the peloton now. The latest time check had the 10 escapees - Hincapie (DSC), Mazzoleni (TMO), Goubert (A2R), Boogerd (RAB), Ballan, Commesso and Valjavec (LAM), Arroyo (CEI), Rujano (QSI) and Camano (EUS) - ahead by 25".

The 10 riders who escaped on the first climb now have an advantage on the peloton of 30".

1. Michael Boogerd (RAB) 4pts
2. Eddy Mazzoleni (TMO) 3pts
3. Jose Rujano (QSI) 2pts
4. Stephane Goubert (A2R) 1pt
Hincapie (DSC), Mazzoleni (TMO), Goubert (A2R), Boogerd (RAB), Ballan, Commesso and Valjavec (LAM), Arroyo (CEI), Rujano (QSI) and Camano (EUS) are the riders in the escape group.

The 10 escapees are now 15" ahead of the peloton. We await confirmation of the other riders involved in the escape...

Hincapie (DSC), Mazzoleni (TMO), Valjavec (LAM), Camano (EUS), Rujano (QSI), Arroyo (CEI)... are part of a 10 man group that is now 10" ahead of the peloton.

The Cote du Bois-de-Salles is a category-three ascent that is 5.1km long with an average gradient of 4.2 per cent. The summit is 444m above sea-level (the site of the stage start is 104m high).

The pace at the start of the 14th stage is rapid. The first men to be dropped on the initial climb of the 180.5km stage are Gilbert (FDJ) and Backstedt (LIQ).

The escape by Cunego and Verbrugghe has also been caught by the peloton.

On the first climb, just Verbrugghe and Cunego are ahead of the peloton. Their two escape companions, Schroder and Lobato have been caught by the peloton.

Cunego, Verbrugghe, Lobato and Schroder are the riders now in the lead of stag 14.

The Lampre team is leading the peloton that’s about to swallow up the escapees - Kopp, Schroder and Lobato - at the 9km mark.

The three escapees are 8" ahead of the peloton near the start of the first climb, the 5.1km long Cote de Bois-de-Salles.

The leaders are at the 8km mark. The chasing quintet has been caught by the peloton which is now being controlled by Rabobank and is only 10" behind Kopp, Schroder and Lobato.

The chasing duties are now being handled by the Francaise des Jeux and AG2R teams.
There is a group of five or six riders now trying to bridge the gap to the three leaders. This chase is 12" behind and the peloton is at 20".

The peloton is trying to close in on the three leaders who are now 20" ahead. The pursuit is being controlled by riders from the Lampre team.

Kopp, Schroder and Lobato are now 20" ahead of the peloton which has just passed the 4.5km mark.

The peloton is currently being led by riders from the Discovery Channel team. This group is 10" behind Kopp, Lobato and Schroder who attacked in the first kilometer.

Schroder has caught up with Kopp and Lobato. They are at the 1.5km mark of the stage and have a lead of 10".

Schroder (MRM) is chasing the two early escapees.

Kopp (GST) and Lobato (SDV) attacked in the first kilometer of racing. They have a slight advantage over the peloton.

There are 160 riders still in the 93rd Tour de France. No one retired after the 13th stage.
The flag fell at 1.01pm to signal the official start of the stage from Montelimar to Gap.

The green jersey is worn by the winner of stages two, four and six - Robbie McEwen (DVL). He has 252 points, 30 more than Tom Boonen (QSI). In third place is the winner of two stages of the 2006 Tour, Oscar Freire (RAB) with 207 points.

There are two intermediate sprints during the course of the 14th stage. The first is in La Bonte (50.0km) and the second in La Plaine (at 160.5km).

The polka-dot jersey is worn by David De la Fuente of the Saunier Duval-Prodir team. He has a tally of 80 points and he’s led the climbing classification for five days now. In second place is the former overall leader, Cyril Dessel (A2R) who claimed most of his 62 points during the stage to Pau in which he finished second to Juan Miguel Mercado (AGR) - currently fifth in the mountains competition.
In equal third place after 13 stages are Fabian Wegmann (GST) and last year’s King of the Mountains Mickael Rasmussen (RAB) - both have 61 points.

The 14th stage includes two category-two climbs, with the final summit coming just 9.5km from the end of the stage in Gap. The categorized ascents in this undulating transitional stage are the Cote du Bois-de-Salles (category-three at the 14.0km mark), the Col de Peyruergue (category-three at 72.5km), the Col de Perty (category-two at 97.0km) and the Col de la Sentinelle (category-two at 171.0km).

The peloton is currently rolling along in the 4.5km neutral zone and on its way to the site of the official start. This is expected to be at around 1.00pm.

The 14th stage of the 2006 Tour de France is scheduled to start at 12.50pm. It’s a 180.5km ride from Montelimar to Gap in the Hautes-Alpes department.
The conditions are hot again with temperatures expected to rise into the 40s (Celsius). The sun is shining and there’s minimal win. At the start temperature in the air was 32 degrees Celsius; and at road level it was 42 degrees in Montelimar.
Live coverage will begin shortly.