Ullrich is 3rd 30" behind.

15.13 - The Stage Goes To Pantani!

There was no sprint. Pantani came around Lance and has won the stage.

15.12 - Lance Still Leads

With a few more turns Lance has been leading for the last 500 meters. Both look like they have something in reserve for a sprint...

15.11 - Lance Or Marco

The two leaders are side by side. They are nearing the summit... Now Lance takes over.

15.10 - Lance In The Last Kilometer!

The two leaders are now in the last kilometer. Lance is currently in the lead.

15.09 - Lance Goes Again.

Lance has left the Pirate behind with a surge, but now the Italian is coming back.

15.09 - Lance Or Marco?

The two leaders are well clear of their nearest challengers. The stage is now between Marco and Lance.

15.08 - Lance Continues To Lead

Lance is still leading Pantani at the front of the race. Both are out of the saddle.

15.07 - 34" To Virenque

Virenque is 34" behind the two leaders.

15.07 - 20" To Ullrich's Group

Armstrong is 20" clear of Ullrich's group.

15.07 - Lance And Pantani At The Front

lance is out of the saddle and dancing trying to get rid of Pantani. But the Pirate equals the yellow jersey's effort.

15.06 - Ullrich Can't Respond

Ullrich is at the back with Heras.

15.02 - Pantani Again

Pantani has gone again! He is now well clear of the five others.

15.02 - Armstrong Comes To The Front

Armstrong has risen from the saddle to take the lead for the first time on the climb. He is now ahead of Ullrich and Pantani.

15.01 - Ullrich Takes Lead Again

Ullrich is in the lead of the group again. Virenque is now 15" behind.

15.00 - Pantani Driving The Lead

Pantani is still at the front, then Ullrich, Armstrong, Botero and Heras. Beloki is still looking strong too.

15.00 - Virenque Off Back Again

Virenque is off the back again. He is now about 70 meters from the leading group.

14.50 - Ullrich-Armstrong-Beloki-Heras-Botero-Virenque

This is the order which the leading six have been in for the last kilometer. Ullrich is still seated in his leading effort.

14.49 - Two Kelmes Chatting

The two Kelme riders are now chatting. They are Botero and Heras.

14.48 - 8km To Go

Ullrich continues to lead this group of six with 8km to go to the finish.

14.48 - Armstrong Happy To Follow Ullrich

Lance is sitting close to the wheel of Ullrich happy to watch the rider currently 4'14" off his overall lead.

14.46 - No Real Attack Yet

The only surge of this leading group was a little surge by Heras. The six are now all seated and being led by Ullrich.

14.15 - 1'35" As The Peloton Begin Their Climb

The peloton is now on the climb. They were led by the Banesto team with US Postal, Telekom and Polti in their shadows... The bunch was 1'35" behind the eight leaders with 21km to race.

14.13 - On the Climb

The eight leaders are now on the climb to the Mont Ventoux. They have a lead of 1'55".

14.12 - Lead Now Under One Minute

The 8 riders up front have a lead of 1'57" as they have 21.5km to race.

14.11 - 2'15" For Eight Leaders

The latest time check is 2'15" for the eight leaders. The head of the peloton looks akin to the approach of a sprint finish - with all the big-hitters' teams jostling for position on the approach to the climb.

14.09 - 2'17" With 23km To Go

The eight leaders are 2'17" ahead of the peloton with 23km to go. The final climb to the Ventoux summit is 21km long.

14.08 - Big Hitters At Front of Peloton

The Banesto team continue to lead the peloton. Zulle and Maria Jimenez (3rd at Hautacame) are their leaders today. The Telekom team is also right up the front for Ullrich and Guerini. The Postal team is also near the front for Armstrong & Dauphine Libere Mont Ventoux winner, Hamilton...

14.06 - 2'25" With 25km To Go

The leaders are 2'25" ahead of the peloton with 25km to race.

14.05 - Last Tour Stage Finish at Mont Ventoux A Time Trial

Jean-Francois Bernard's win in the Mont Ventoux stage of the 1987 Tour was a time trial from Carpentras... The last road-race stage to finish at the summit was in 1974.

14.02 - Less Than 10km Before Battle Royale Begains...

There are now less than 10km to race before the climb of the Mont Ventoux begins. The latest time check for the eight leaders - who continue to work together - is now 2'35".

14.00 - Banesto-Led Peloton Over 4th Summit

The Banesto train has led the peloton over the Cote de Mormoiron 2'45" behind the eight leaders.

14.00 - Banesto Continue To Lead Chase

The Banesto team is still at the head of the peloton. They are now 2'33" behind the eight leaders.

13.59 - Results of Category-Four Climb

The points for the Cote de Mormoiron go to: 1. Mattan 5pts 2. Botero 3pts 3. Herve 1pt.

13.57 - Mattan Attacks

Mattan has led a surge near the summit of the 4th climb. He is now well clear of his fellow escapees, but is being pursued by Botero.

13.56 - Details Of Cote de Mormoiron

The second-last climb today is a category-four rise to the 345m Cote de Mormoiron (118km). The climb is 1.8km long with an average gradient of 5.8 per cent.

13.54 - Lead Grows Again

The eight are now 3'55" ahead of the peloton.

13.50 - 3'15" Lead Now

With 35km to go, the eight leaders are 3'15" clear of the peloton.

13.46 - A Cat-4 Climb Before The Ventoux Battle Begins

There is still a small rise to the cat-4 Cote de Mormoiron (118km) to be raced before the battle of the Ventoux begins. The leading eight are now 3'19" ahead of the peloton.

13.43 - 40km To Go

The eight leaders are now in the final 40km of the 12th stage. Their lead is 3'37" on the descent of the 3rd climb.

13.40 - Results of 3rd Summit (99km)

At the Col de Notre-Dames-des-Abeilles, the results were: 1. Mattan; 2. Agnolutto; 3. Botero; 4. Vinokourov; 5. Kivilev; 6. Herve; 7. Garcia-Acosta; 8. N. Jalabert; 9. Otxoa at 3'50"; 10. Orlando Rodriguez.

13.38 - Arritea Caught By Peloton

Arrieta is back with the peloton. He was caught as Otxoa led the bunch over the 3rd summit.

13.37 - Leaders Over Summit... Peloton 1km Away

The leading riders are over the summit of the 3rd climb. The peloton is now 1km from the cat-2 summit of the Col de Notre-Dames-des-Abeilles. Results will follow once 10th place has been decided...

13.34 - Nearing 3rd Summit

The eight leaders are now 4'00" ahead of the peloton. Arrieta is 3'20" ahead of the peloton on his own. The eight are about to contest the 3rd climbing prize - the Col de Notre-Dames-des-Abeilles (99km).

13.31 - Arrieta Waiting For Peloton

One of the Banesto riders up front, Arrieta, has dropped out of the lead group. He is waiting for the Banesto-led peloton. There are now 8 riders up front.

13.30 - Banesto Chase Takes Effect

The Banesto move to the front of the peloton has brought the leading nine's advantage back to 4'20".

13.29 - Kivilev 5th In Dauphine Stage to Ventoux

One of the riders in the break, Andre Kivilev (AG2R), finished well in the last race to the summit of the Mont Ventoux. He finished 5th in the fourth stage of the Dauphine Libere early in June. The winner that day was Tyler Hamitlon (US Postal).

13.26 - Banesto Take Over Chasing Duties

Even though they have two riders in the nine-man break, the Banesto team has now come to the front of the chasing peloton.

13.25 - Lead Continues To Grow

The lead is now 4'57" for the nine riders up front. They are: Mattan (Cofidis), Arrieta & Garcia-Acosta (Banesto), Botero (Kelme), N. Jalabert (ONCE), Vinokourov (Telekom), Agnolutto & Kivilev (AG2R) and Herve (Polti). They have 54km still to race.

13.17 - Details Of 3rd Climb

The peloton is nearing the 3rd climb today - the cat-2 Col de Notre-Dame-des-Abeilles. The 3rd climb is 7.8km long at an average gradient of 4 per cent.

13.16 - Lead Up To 4'34"

The 9 leaders are now 4'29" ahead of the peloton.

13.15 - Mattan Pushes His Way Into Top-10

Mattan, who is the best-placed in the break, is now in 7th place overall with his current lead on the peloton 4'29".

13.13 - Lead Now Over 4 Minutes

The latest time check has the nine leaders 4'02" ahead of the peloton.

13.12 - 30 Climbing Points Each To Mattan & Botero

Botero & Mattan, who are currently 2nd and 3rd in the King of the Mountains competition, have both earned 30pts in the climbing prize today. Otxoa has earned 3pts so far today. Botero is now 38pts behind the lead of Otxoa. Mattan is 37pts behind.

13.08 - Lead Up To 3'48"

The nine leaders now have a 3'48" advantage on the peloton.

13.04 - Lead Now 3'20"

The nine escapees have a lead of 3'20". This is the biggest gain the US Postal-led peloton has allowed them to get.

13.00 - 2nd Hour Average Speed

The average speed for the 2nd hour is 38.2kph. The total for the first two hours is 38.5kph.

13.00 - Results of Cote de Javon

The results of the 2nd climb are: 1. Mattan, 2. Botero, 3. Agnolutto, 4. Herve, 5. Vinokourov, 6. Kivilev, 7. N. Jalabert, 8. Arrieta, 9. Garcia-Acosta, 10. Otxoa. Otxoa led the peloton 3'12" behind the nine escapees.

12.55 - Cote de Javon

The 2nd climb, the Cote de Javon (75km) has been passed. We're awaiting the official results.

12.50 - Recapping the Names & Teams of the Leaders...

The nine leaders - Arrieta & Garcia-Acosta (Banesto), Kivilev & Agnolutto (AG2R), Nicolas Jalabert (ONCE), Mattan (Cofidis), Herve (Polti), Botero (Kelme) and Vinokourov (Telekom) - are now 3'08" ahead of the peloton.

12.48 - Postal Continue To Control Peloton

With the nine leaders being kept in check - now 3'10" ahead of the peloton - the Posties are all up front of the bunch. The maximum lead of the nine was 3'15".

12.47 - Five Ventoux Champions Reunite Last Night

The five winners of the Mont Ventoux stage finishes had a reunion last night at the initiative of the 'Conseil General de Vaucluse'. Today's 12th stage is raced entirely in the Vaucluse region of France.

12.44 - Average Speed For First Hour

The average speed for the first hour of racing was 38.9kph.

12.41 - 8km From 2nd Summit

The leading nine are now 3'15" off the peloton. They have 8km to ride before the summit of the cat-2 Cote de Javon (75km).

12.39 - Two More Retirements

Michael Blaudzun and Enrico Cassani are the last two riders to withdraw from the Tour. They are the 4th and 5th riders to retire during today's stage.

12.39 - Mattan In Other Early Climbing Attack

Nico Mattan was also involved in the early attack of stage 10. He is the best-placed of the nine riders at the front of the race - starting the day in 21st (9'51" off Armstrong's lead).

12.36 - Jalabert Not Working In Lead Group

Nicolas Jalabert is the only one of the nine leaders who isn't assisting in their effort at the front of the race. The latest time check has the group of Jalabert, Vinokourov and Herve 3'09" ahead of the peloton.

12.29 - Peloton 2'50" Behind As They Pass Sprint Site

The peloton has just passed the 2nd sprint (61.5km). They were 2'50" behind the nine leaders.

12.27 - Results of Saint-Saturnin-les-Apt Sprint

The results of the 2nd sprint are: 1. Nico Mattan (Cofidis) 6pts 2. Santiago Botero (Kelme) 4pts 2. Jose Luis Arrieta (Banesto) 2pts.

12.25 - 2nd Sprint Due Soon

The nine leaders are on the approach of the 2nd intermediate sprint of the day at the 61.5km mark.

12.23 - Lead Up to 1'45"

The leading nine are 1'45" clear of the US Postal-led peloton.

12.02 - Six Others Interupt Postal's Control

Agnolutto is now being chased by a small group of about six riders.

11.56 - 110km To Race

The peloton is now at the 39km mark. There are 110km still to race.

11.56 - Laurent Blanc On Tour Today

Laurent Blanc, a member of the world champion French football team, is a part of the Tour convoy today.

11.45 - Full Postal Contingent Up Front

The nine riders of the US Postal team are at the front of the grouped peloton.

11.44 - Julich & Jalabert Attack The Peloton

Jalabert and Julich are amongst a small group which has attacked the peloton.

11.42 - On Climb of Col de Murs

The leaders are on the 10.3km category-2 climb of the Col de Murs.

11.41 - Two Lead; Seven Chase - Then The Peloton

Morin and Wesemann are still in the lead. They are 12" clear of seven chasers and then comes the US Postal-led peloton are at 25".

11.40 - Four More Chasers

Pascal Herve, Jon Odriozola, Fabrice Gougot and Pascuel-Llorente have now caught the group of Dufaux.

11.38 - 3 Counter-Attackers

Dufaux, Pena and Heulot are now chasing the two leaders. They are 15" behind the two leaders - Morin and Wesemann.

11.37 - Two Lead By 20"

Wesemann and Morin now lead the race by 20". (We're waiting on news of the riders involved in the fall.

11.36 - Millar Also Caught In Fall

The winner of stage one, David Millar, was also caught up in the fall. He is now back on his bike and chasing.

11.36 - Two Riders Break Free

Morin (CA) and Wesemann (Telekom) are now in the lead of the stage at the 27km mark.

11.34 - Fall In The Peloton

There has been a fall in the peloton. There are about 25 riders involved. The leader of the Best Younger Rider Classification, Mancebo is caught up as is Extebarria...

11.33 - Bettini And Steels Off The Back

Mapei's Paolo Bettini and Tom Steels are off the back of the peloton.

11.31 - All Together Again

The five attacks have been caught. The peloton is all together again.

11.31 - Five Riders Now Lead The Stage

There has been an attack after the sprint. There are five riders at the front of the race. They are: Garcia-Acosta (Banesto), Pena (Kelme) Vinokourov (Telekom), Agnolutto (AG2R), Demarbaix (Lotto).

11.29 - Results of Pernes-les-Fontaines Sprint

Zabel has scooted off the front to grab the 6pts points at the first intermediate sprint. The results are: 1. Erik Zabel (Telekom) 6pts 2. Gian Matteo Fagnini (Telekom) 4pts 3. Emmanuel Magnien (FDJ) 2pts.

11.26 - Bettini Sick At The Back

Bettini was vomitting as he drifted off the back of the peloton. The Mapei rider who won stage nine is now at the back of the bunch as they approach the 22km sprint.

11.24 - Bettini Back With Peloton

Bettini is back with the peloton.

11.24 - Bettini Off The Back

The winner of stage nine, Paolo Bettini, is off the back of the peloton.

11.19 - Pantani's Team Chase Reels In Front Echelon

The Mercatone Uno team's chase has caught the group of Armstrong. The peloton is all together at the 15th kilometer.

11.18 - Otxoa Not In Front Group

The King of the Mountains, Otxoa, is not in the front group. Neither is Pantani. The Mercatone Uno team is at the head of the chase which is about 50 meters off the back of Armstrong's group.

11.17 - 40 Riders in Front Group

There has been a regrouping. There are about 40 riders in the front group, with the US Postal Service now driving at the front. Lance is in this break as is Ullrich and Virenque.

11.15 - Armstrong In First Group

Armstrong is in the front echelon. Also up front in the first group - which now consists of 14 riders - is Ullrich and Virenque.

11.06 - Armstrong Leading Ullrich By 4'14"

Lance Armstrong (US Postal) has started today's stage with a 4'14" lead on second-placed Jan Ullrich (Telekom).

11.02 - Eight Complete Teams For Stage 12

With Wust's retirement before the start of today's stage, there are now just eight teams still with their full contingent of nine riders. They are: US Postal, Banesto, Mapei, Rabobank, Telekom, Mercatone Uno, AG2R and Lotto.

11.00 - 159 Riders Still in The Race

There has been one retirement during the rest day. The winner of stage five, Marcel Wust (Festina) didn't start today's 12th stage. There were 159 riders at the start today.

10.58 - Racing

The 12th stage has officially begun at 10.58am.

10.56 - Blue Skies The Order of the Day

Even though the conditions at the finish are severe - with 60kph an winds a temperature of just 6 degrees (C) - the riders must be pleased that, at the very least, the sun is shining.

10.55 - Otxoa In Spotted 'Champion' Sunglasses

The reigning King of the Mountains, Javier Otxoa (Kelme), has begun today's stage in the promotional sunglasses of the climbing-prize sponsor, Champion supermarkets.