Nicolas Jalabert finished 25" behind the winner to be the first Frenchman to finish the Bastille Day stage.

14.54 - The Top 5

The top five today is: 1. Vicente Garcia-Acosta 2. Nicolas Jalabert 3. Pascal Herve 4. Guido Trentin 5. Stephane Heulot

14.53 - N. Jalabert Takes Second

Nicolas Jalabert sprinted away from Herve 400 meters from the line to take 2nd place for the 13th stage.

14.53 - Garcia-Acosta's Day

Banesto have taken the day with a fine win by Garcia-Acosta.

14.52 - Second Spanish Stage Win Due in 1km

Garcia-Acosta will steal the stage unless disaster happens. He is now just 1km from the finish. He'll be the second stage winner from Spain this year - after Otxoa's win at Hautacam.

14.51 - Garcia-Acosta's Attacking Pays Off

Garcia-Acosta is now in the final 1,500 meters to the line. He leads the two Frenchmen by a healthy margin.

14.49 - 20" To French Chase

It looks like the stage will go to Garcia-Acosta. The chase by Pascal Herve & Nicolas Jalabert is 20" behind the Banesto leader who is just 3km from the finish.

14.48 - Garcia-Acosta Flying

Garcia-Acosta almost overcooked a turn out of a round-about, but he is still well in the lead with just 4km to go.

14.47 - Garcia-Acosta First: Daylight Second - With 5km To Go

N. Jalabert & Herve continue to share the work in the pursuit of Garcia-Acosta, but their deficit is now 17" with 5km to race.

14.45 - Peloton Out of Action Stage-Winning Today

The peloton is 9'45" behind the leader.

14.44 - 18" Lead For Garcia-Acosta

The Banesto rider is now 18" clear of N. Jalabert & Herve. He has 7km to race.

14.43 - Downhill Rush To Finish

Garcia-Acosta is now flying down the final descent to the finish in Draguignan. His last time check to Herve & N. Jalabert was 9".

14.42 - Garcia-Acosta Leads By 9"

The two French riders are 9" behind the stage leader, Garcia-Acosta.

14.41 - One Spaniard Leads Two Frenchmen

Garcia-Acosta's lead is now about 150 meters from the two French riders, N. Jalabert & Herve. The Spaniard has 11km to race.

14.40 - Garcia-Acosta Attacks

The Banesto rider in the leading trio has attacked. Garcia-Acosta has dropped N. Jalabert & Herve.

14.37 - Heulot and Trentin Over Summit

The two chasers were 40" behind at the top of the final climb.

14.36 - The Final Climb Results

The results of the Cote de l'Esparrus are: 1. Garcia-Acosta 5pts 2. Nicolas Jalabert 3pts 3. Pascal Herve 1pt. Herve is now back with the two leader.

14.34 - Jalabert Attacks

Nicolas Jalabert has attacked 800 meters from the final summit. He is matched by Garcia-Acosta. The Spaniard now leads.

14.33 - The Peloton Now In Final 25km

The peloton passed under the 25km to go banner 8'50" behind the three leaders.

14.32 - 3 Leaders On Final Climb

The three leaders are now en-route to the final summit. They are 8'20" ahead of the peloton.

14.31 - One More Climb Remains

The final climb of the day - at cat-4 rise up the Cote de l'Esparrus - comes 16km from the finish.

14.29 - 20km To Go

The three leaders are now in the final 20km. Their lead is 22" on Heulot & Trentin.

14.28 - Trentin Rejoins Heulot

Trentin has caught back up to Heulot's attack.

14.28 - Group of Six 2'25" Behind Leaders

The group of Elli is 2'25" behind the three leaders.

14.27 - Heulot Leaves Trentin on Descent

Heulot is now the fourth rider on the road. He has attacked Trentin on a descent.

14.26 - Six Chasers Now In Final 25km

The third group on the road is a cluster of six riders: McEwen, Elli, Simon, Agnolutto, Morin and Wauters.

14.25 - 25km To Go

Garcia-Acosta, N. Jalabert & Herve lead Heulot & Trentin by 14" with 25km to go.

14.22 - Peloton At 8'10"

The peloton is 8'10" behind the three leaders. The leading trio is now in the final 26km.

14.20 - Andreu In Peloton

The US Postal rider who was in the break, Andreu, is now back with the peloton. They are 6'50" behind the three leaders.

14.19 - In Final 30km

Nicolas Jalabert, Vincente Garcia-Acosta and Pascal Herve are in the final 30km of the stage.

14.19 - Fallen Motorcyclist Okay

The motorcyclist who fell after Simon hit the tarmac is okay.

14.17 - Wauters Back With Other Five - 1'55" Behind Leaders

The three leaders have passed the second intermediate sprint (at Aups, 154km). The results are: 1. Vincente Garcia-Acosta (Banesto) 6pts 2. Nicolas Jalabert (ONCE) 4pts 3. Pascal Herve (Polti) 2pts.

14.16 - Wauters Back With Other Five - 1'55" Behind Leaders

Elli, Morin, Simon, Wauters, Agnolutto and McEwen are 1'55" behind the three leaders.

14.15 - 3 Lead By 38"

Herve's group is 38" ahead of Heulot and Trentin.

14.14 - Andreu Waiting For Peloton: Wauters Attacks

Of the group of 7, Andreu (US Postal) has dropped off the pace and is waiting for the peloton. Marc Wauters has just attacked, and Simon (who fell earlier) is back with the remnants of the group.

14.13 - Rous Off Lead by 4'40"

The early attacker, Rous, is 4'40" behind the three leaders; Garcia-Acosta, Herve and N. Jalabert.

14.12 - 7'30" To Peloton

As the peloton passed the 147km mark, the three leaders had an advantage of 7'30" on the Postal-led peloton.

14.10 - Simon Falls

In the group of seven, Francois Simon has fallen. His fall has caused a following camera motorcycle to fall... The motorcyclist is still on the road receiving attention. Simon is back on his bike.

14.09 - Group of Seven 1'30" Off Lead

The group of Andreu is 1'30" behind the 3 leaders.

14.08 - 3 Leaders 22" Clear Of 2 Chasers

Herve, N. Jalabert & Garcia-Acosta are 22" clear of Heulot and Trentin.

14.07 - 40km To Go

The three leaders have 40km to race. Their lead is 14" from 2 chasers and 1'10" on the group of Andreu.

14.05 - 3 Lead By 40"

Pascal Herve, Vincente Garcia-Acosta and Nicolas Jalabert lead Guido Trentin and Stephane Heulot by 14" and the seven others by 1'10".

13.59 - The 13-Man Break is Now: 3, 2, 7 & 1...

While we wait for the time checks, we'll explain the fall of the 13 leaders... Garcia-Acosta, Herve & N. Jalabert lead. Then comes Heulot & Trentin. Then comes Andreu, Wauters, Elli, Agnolutto, McEwen, Morin & Simon. Then Rous... then the US Postal-led peloton.

13.56 - 18" Lead For Garcia-Acosta's Group

Garcia-Acosta, Herve and N. Jalabert lead Heulot & Trentin by 18".

13.55 - The Situation With 50km To Race

There are 3 leaders: Garcia-Acosta, Herve & N. Jalabert; then comes two chasers, Trentini & Heulot then the rest of the 13-man break... Except for Rous who has dropped off the back - his effort alone has taken its toll.

13.53 - Garcia-Acosta Breaks Up The 13 Riders

An attack by Garcia-Acosta has broken up the 13 leaders. There are now 3 riders at the front of the race - Garcia-Acosta, Herve and Nicolas Jalabert.

13.47 - Postal Chase Brings Break Back To 5'45"

The leading 13 riders are now 5'45" ahead of the US Postal-led peloton.

13.43 - The 13 Leaders...

The 13 riders at the front of the stage are: Rous & Simon (Bonjour), Elli (Telekom), McEwen (Farm Frites), Herve (Polti), Trentin (Vini Caldirola), Wauters (Rabobank), N. Jalabert (ONCE), Garcia-Acosta (Banesto), Andreu (US Postal), Morin (CA), Heulot (FDJ) and Agnolutto (AG2R).

13.40 - 7 French In 13-Man Break

There are 7 Frenchmen in the leading group of 13. Their lead is 6'30" on the US Postal-led peloton.

13.40 - Two Bonjour Riders in Leading Group of 13

The Bonjour team is the only team with more than one rider in the 13-man leading group. The two Bonjour riders are Didier Rous and Francois Simon.

13.38 - 13 Leaders With 60km To Race

Rous has been caught by the 12-man chase with 60km left to race.

13.37 - Rous' Lead Drops to 22"

Rous is 22" clear of the 12-man chase. The Bonjour rider is now waiting on the chasing group which includes his team-mate, Francois Simon.

13.36 - Mapei Lose Four Riders in Two Days

The retirement at today's feedzone of Michele Bartoli drops the Mapei team's tally of riders to five. They began the 12th stage yesterday with nine riders. Steel and McRae abandoned during the stage to Mont Ventoux, Bettini didn't start today and Bartoli withdrew at the 99km mark today.

13.34 - Rous Still Solo By 40"

Rous is holding onto his solo lead. He is 40" ahead of the 12-man chasing group with 64km to race. The peloton is 6'10" behind the stage leader.

13.31 - US Postal Lead The Peloton

The US Postal team is at the front of the peloton. The man they are watching most is Marc Wauters (Rabobank) - who is the best-place of the escaped riders, starting the day in 17th place (12'15" off Armstrong's lead).

13.19 - Results of Cote de Cardache

At the top of the 2nd climb, the cat-4 Cote de Cardarche, the results are: 1. Didier Rous (Bonjour) 5pts 2. Pascal Herve (Polti) 3pts - at 52" 3. Guido Trentin (Vini Caldirola) 1pt.

13.17 - Rous: 12-Man Chase at 52"

The situation after the 2nd climb sees Rous leading a 12-man break by 52". The peloton is 6'09" behind the solo leader.

13.15 - 12 Teams Represented In 12-Man Chase

The 12-man chase - 52" behind Rous - has 12 teams represented. They are: US Postal (Andreu), Banesto (Garcia-Acosta), Rabobank (Wauters), ONCE (N. Jalabert), Telekom (Elli), AG2R (Agnolutto), Farm Frites (McEwen), Francaise des Jeux (Heulot), Polti (Herve), Credit Agricole (Morin), Vini Caldirola (Trentin) & Bonjour (Simon).

13.12 - Huge Effort Up Front By Rous

Rous is holding onto the stage lead on his own. His lead to the 12-man chase is 1'12". The peloton is 5'50" behind the French rider from the Bonjour team.

13.10 - Special Tires For French Fete

The Michelin company who make tires for the Francaise des Jeux, Bonjour, AG2R and Vini Caldirola teams has made special red, white & blue tires for the Bastille Day stage today.

13.08 - Bartoli Retires From Tour de France

The leader of the Mapei team, Michele Bartoli, has withdrawn from the Tour de France. The Italian champion stepped off his bike at the feedzone today (99km).

13.05 - 12-Man Chase Not Closing Gap To Rous

Rous is holding onto his advantage on the chasing group of 12. The 12-man chase is 1'02" behind the stage leader. The peloton is at 4'50" from Rous' solo effort.

13.01 - Rous Increased Lead On Peloton

The US Postal team is leading the peloton. They are 4'50" behind Didier Rous' lead. The 12-man chase is still 58" behind the stage leader.

12.57 - 58" Lead For Rous

The chasing pack of 12 - Andreu, Garcia-Acosta, N. Jalabert, McEwen, Herve, Elli, Agnolutto, Morin, Trentin, Simon, Wauters & Heulot - is 58" behind the solo stage leader, Rous.

12.54 - Second Hour Average Speed

The average speed for the 2nd hour of racing is 44.1kh. The total average for the first two hours is 45.05kph.

12.53 - Rous 1'00" Clear of Chase & 4'10" Ahead of Peloton

The stage leader, Didier Rous (Bonjour) is maintaining his lead over the 12-man chase (still at 1'00"). The peloton is 4'10" behind the stage leader.

12.52 - Felix Levitian Joins The Tour Today

The long-time Director of the Tour de France, Felix Levitian, has joined the Tour for today's 13th stage. Tonight he'll be presented with a medal by the association, 'Les Amis du Tour de France' (the Friends of the Tour de France) for his services to the Tour.

12.46 - 12-Man Chase Still 1'00" Behind Rous

Rous is still at the head of affairs all alone. He is 1'00" ahead of the 12-man chase.

12.42 - Rous 1'05" To 11 & 2'40" To Peloton

After 84km, Rous leads the 11-man chase by 1'05" and the peloton by 2'40".

12.41 - 12-Rider Chase

The 12 riders in pursuit of Rous are: Andreu (US Postal), Garcia-Acosta (Banesto), N. Jalabert (ONCE), McEwen (Farm Frites), Herve (Polti), Elli (Telekom), Agnolutto (AG2R), Morin (CA), Trentin (Vini Caldirola), Simon (Bonjour), Wauters (Rabobank) & Heulot (FDJ). They are 1'05" behind Rous.

12.39 - Trentin Joins 11-Man Chase

Guido Trentin (Vini Caldirola) has joined the 11-man chase group. (The names & teams will follow.)

12.37 - Rous Leads Chase 55"

Rous leads the 11-man chase by 55" and a counter-attack by Guido Trentin by 1'05". The peloton is 1'45" behind Rous' lead.

12.35 - McEwen & Herve Join Chase Group

The chase group has been joined by Robbie McEwen (Farm Frites) and Pascal Herve (Polti). There are now 11 riders in pursuit of Didier Rous.

12.33 - A New Chase Group

Rous leads a group of nine - Andreu, Garcia-Acosta, Wauters, N. Jalabert, Elli, Agnolutto, Heulot, Morin & Simon - by 55". The peloton is behind the chasing group by 20".

12.31 - McEwen Back In Bunch

McEwen's attack was shortlived. He is back in the bunch. Rous is at the front of the stage by 1'00". He is followed by Nicolas Jalabert and Agnolutto. They are 13" ahead of the peloton.

12.25 - Agnolutto & McEwen Try Again

Agnolutto and McEwen have attacked the peloton. They are pursuit of the stage leader, Rous.

12.24 - Rous 8" Ahead of Jalabert & 50" To Peloton

Rous leads Nicolas Jalabert by 8" and the peloton by 50".

12.23 - Rous Now Lone Leader

Nicolas Jalabert is returning to the peloton. Didier Rous is now the lone leader at the front of the race.

12.20 - Two Leaders Push Their Lead

Nicolas Jalabert (ONCE) and Didier Rous (Bonjour) are 45" clear of the peloton.

12.19 - Rous & N. Jalabert Now 40" Clear

McEwen's chase is over. The break by Nicolas Jalabert and Didier Rous is now 40" clear of the peloton.

12.17 - Rous & Nicolas Jalabert Lead McEwen & Peloton

Rous and Nicolas Jalabert have attacked the peloton. They are 20" clear of a chase by McEwen who is just ahead of the peloton.

12.07 - Break Over...

Robin, Odriozola and Conti are now back in the peloton.

12.05 - The 4 Lead By 8"

The four riders up front are just 8" clear of the peloton.

12.05 - Leading Three Joined By Lotz

Robin, Conti and Odriozola were 10" ahead of the peloton. They have been joined by a chase by Marc Lotz (Rabobank).

12.04 - First Visit To Draguignan

Today's stage is the first time the Tour has visited the town of Draguignan.

12.03 - Jalabert's Chase Over

Jalabert, Baranowski and Moncoutie have been caught by the peloton. There are now three stage leaders - Robin, Odriozola and Conti.

12.02 - Three Riders Chasing Three Leaders

Laurent Jalabert, Baranowski and Moncoutie are in pursuit of the three leaders.

12.01 - French Winners on July 14...

There have been 12 French Tour stage winners of their national holiday for July 14. They are: Idee (1949), Robic ('53), Vivier ('54), Hassenforder ('56), Bourles ('57), Anquetil ('61 & '64), Delisle ('69), Thevenet ('75), Barteau ('89), Jalabert ('95) and Brochard ('97).

11.56 - 3 Lead By 10"

Conti (Vini Caldirola), Robin (Bonjour) and Odriozola (Banesto) are now 10" clear of the peloton.

11.56 - 50km Raced

The leading three have passed the 50km mark of today's 185.5km stage.

11.55 - Lead Down To 8"... Nardello Returns to Peloton

The leaders are 8" clear of the peloton. Nardello has returned to the peloton. There are now three leaders.

11.50 - Telekom Lead Chase

The peloton is being led by the Telekom team. There are four leaders: Nardello (Mapei), Robin (Bonjour), Conti (Vini Caldirola) and Odriozola (Banesto).

11.50 - Lead Now 15"

The four leaders have an advantage of 15" on the peloton.

11.50 - Climbing Points...

The results of the cat-4 Cote de Saint-Hilaire are: 1. Robin (Bonjour) 5pts 2. Conti (Vini Caldirola) 3pts 3. Odriozola (Banesto) 1pt.

11.49 - 4 Leaders Now

Jean-Cyril Robin broke free just before the first climb. He was joined by Odriozola, Conti & Nardello. They are now at the front of the stage.

11.44 - Escape Over

The three escapees are back in the peloton. They were caught at the 43km mark.

11.43 - Leading Three Almost Caught

The lead of Den Bakker, Hoj and Agnolutto is just 8 seconds.

11.41 - Details of Cote de Saint-Hilaire

The first climb today - the Cote de Saint-Hilaire - is 4.1km long with an average gradient of 4.3 per cent.

11.40 - Leaders On First Climb

The 3 leaders are on the rise to the category-four Cote de Saint-Hilaire. They have a lead of 22".

11.39 - 3 Lead By 15"

The break of Agnolutto, Hoj and Den Bakker is now 15" clear of the fast-chasing peloton.

11.37 - 24" Lead At 39km Mark...

The 3 leaders are 24" clear at the 39km mark.

11.36 - Garcia-Acosta Caught

Garcia-Acosta has been caught by the peloton. There are now three leaders - Hoj, Agnolutto and Den Bakker.

11.34 - The Situation Now

Den Bakker, Hoj and Agnolutto lead Garcia-Acosta by 11". The peloton is 28" behind the three leaders.

11.33 - Garcia-Acosta Chasing

Banesto's flat-stage attacker, Vincente Garcia-Acosta, is in pursuit of the three stage leaders.

11.32 - 3 Attack Peloton

Den Bakker (Rabobank), Agnolutto (AG2R), Hoj (FDJ) are now on the attack.

11.30 - All Together at 33km

Wauters' escape is over. He was caught at the 33km mark.

11.29 - Wauters Leads By 13"

The lone rider at the front of the stage, Wauters, is 13" clear of the peloton. Banesto lead the bunch's chase.

11.28 - Results of Robion Sprint

12H29 - Zabel Now With 199 Points The green jersey of Erik Zabel collected the four points for 2nd at the Robion sprint. His tally in the sprint competition is now 199 points.

11.28 - Results of Robion Sprint

At the Robion sprint (at 30km), the results are: 1. Marc Wauters (Rabobank) 6pts 2. Erik Zabel (Telekom) 4pts - at 18" 3. Nico Mattan (Cofidis) 2pts.

11.27 - Wauters 15" Clear

Wauters' lead is 15" as he passes the first intermediate sprint at 30km.

11.26 - One Leader Now

Three of the four escapees have returned to the peloton. Wauters (Rabobank) is the only rider ahead of the grouped peloton. He is 1km from the first sprint.

11.21 - Approaching First Intermediate Sprint

The five riders still have a lead of 10" as they approach the intermediate sprint at Robion (30km).

11.20 - Five Leaders Now...

Wauters has caught the front group. There are now five up front: Wauters (Rabobank), Heulot (FDJ), Baranowski (Banesto), Klier (Farm Frites) & Johansen (MCJ). They have a lead of 10".

11.15 - All Together at 21km

The four escapees have been caught. The peloton is all together at the 21st kilometer.

11.13 - 4 Clear At 18km Mark

Rodriguez, Fagnini, Kasputis and Meier have broken free of the fast-moving peloton at the 18th kilometer.

11.11 - 3 Riders Break Free Briefly

Thierry Marichal (Lotto), Marc Lotz (Rabobank) and Frederic Guesdon (FDJ) broke free for a short escape. The peloton reeled them in quickly, and they are now all together.

11.07 - 13km Raced

The peloton is all together at the 13km mark.

11.06 - Five Full Teams Left In The Race

There are now just 5 of the 20 teams with their full contingent of nine riders. They are: US Postal, Banesto, Rabobank, Telekom and Lotto.

11.03 - Still All Together

The peloton is still all together as they make the descent of a small rise near the 10km mark.

10.58 - At 6km Mark

The peloton is moving quickly early today. They are all together at the 6km mark.

10.57 - All Together Again

A chase by the Rabobank team at the front of the peloton has caught the early escape attempt by Lelli, Fagnin & Heulot.

10.56 - Fagnini & Lelli Joined By Heulot

Stephane Heulot (FDJ) has joined the two early attackers.

10.55 - First Attack

The first attack has come from Telekom's Gian Mateo Fagnini and Cofidis' Massimiliano Lelli. They attacked at the 2.5km mark.

10.54 - Fast Start Already

The peloton is riding the early kilometers at a rapid pace.

10.53 - 150 Riders Still In The Tour

There were nine retirements during yesterday's 12th stage. This morning the winner of stage nine, Paolo Bettini (Mapei) didn't take the start. He was ill during the stage yesterday, but still finished the climb to Mont Ventoux. There are now 150 riders still in the race.

10.49 - Racing

The official start of the 13th stage was at 10.50am.

10.49 - Riders On The Approach To Official Start

The 13th stage of the Tour de France will begin soon. The riders are currently in the 6.8km neutral zone.

10.44 - Two Intermediate Sprints

The two intermediate sprints for the 13th stage are at the 30 kilometer mark (at Robion) and with 31.5km to go the finish (at Aups). Erik Zabel leads the sprint classification by 93 points. The second-placed rider is Vini Caldirola's Romans Vainsteins.

10.41 - Three Category-Four Climbs in 13th Stage

The 13th stage features three lower-ranked climbs. The category-four rises are the Cote de Saint-Hilaire (at 44.5km), the Cote de Cardache (107.5km) and the Cote de l'Esparrus (169.5km).