Racing | Tour De France | Stage 15

We'll leave it there at the end of stage 15. Tomorrow (Tuesday) is a rest day in the Tour, so we'll be back on Wednesday with the final Pyrenean stage of this race. It's actually harder than today's, a mammoth 218km between Orthez and the col d'Aubisque. This Tour isn't over yet.

That was another very good day of racing. Vinokourov is really one of the best in the business, and although his yellow jersey hopes are completely gone, he can still provide some fireworks. Watch out for him in next Saturday's time trial as well.

And as for the GC riders, we can see that Rasmussen and Contador are almost equal on the climbs, but both of them are a cut above the rest. Rasmussen's yellow looks fairly secure now, although there are still two decisive stages to come in this year's Tour.

Provisional reuslts

1 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz ¦ Astana) 05:34:28
2 Kim Kirchen (Lux ¦ T-Mobile Team) 00:00:51
3 Haimar Zubeldia (Spa ¦ Euskaltel) 00:00:51
4 Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (Spa ¦ Saunier Duval) 00:00:58
5 Juan Manuel Garate (Spa ¦ Quick Step) 00:02:14

General classification after stage 15

1 Michael Rasmussen (Den ¦ Rabobank) 69:52:14
2 Alberto Contador (Spa ¦ Discovery) 00:02:23
3 Cadel Evans (Aus ¦ Predictor - Lotto) 00:04:00
4 Levi Leipheimer (USA ¦ Discovery) 00:05:25
5 Andréas Klöden (Ger ¦ Astana) 00:05:34

Contador is still trying to get ride of Rasmussen, and failing. He just has to ride to put time into Evans and co. They cross the line together at 5'33, with Contador leading the yellow jersey. Evans leads his group in at 54 seconds. Not a good day for the Aussie. Kloeden, Sastre and Kash were also in that group.

Alexandre Viokourov crosses the line in Loudenvielle Le Louron, very happy with his victory in stage 15!! That was impressive after his painful performance yesterday.~

Zubeldia has been caught by Kirchen. The Luxembourger easily wins the sprint ahead of the Basque. Cobo is fourth, at 57 seconds.

Vino goes under 1km to go and will enjoy the final part of this stage, slightly downhill.

Zubeldia has attacked for second place...

Rasmussen, Hincapie and Contador are descending together.

The road goes uphill at 2km to go, but that won't stop Alexandre Vinokourov. You can never ever write this guy off. He got in every single breakaway today, and now you can see why.

Vinokourov flies towards 2km to go, entering Loudenvielle Le Louron, glasses perched on his helmet. He's on track for his second stage win!

Vinokourov is en route to the stage win, however. He has opened his lead up to 46 seconds over Kirchen, Cobo and Zubeldia. He knows this descent very well, and is taking a few risks.

Contador runs into a barrage of cars and riders and over the top, Rasmussen is with him. Hincapie and Ivanov are both there. They went over 5'28 behind Vinokourov. Now Evans, Leipheimer, Boogerd, Valverde, Sastre, Kloden, Kash cross the summit at 6'06.

Finally, Ramsussen is able to catch Alberto Contador. They're nearly at the summit, and Rasmussen takes over in front, slowing, daring Contador to attack again. And he obliges...

The two GC riders sit side by side, and Contador hammers it once more. This really hurts Rasmussen....

Rasmussen slowly claws his way back to the young Discovery rider.

Contador attacks again! Really hard. Rasmussen has to struggle to get his wheel. Contador is strong today. What a brilliant climber he is.

Contador attacks in the yellow jersey group, forcing Rasmussen to react. The two are together again. Rasmussen looks back to see where the rest are. They're at 10 seconds.

Vino gave it everything to get to the top. Then he pauses to zip up his jersey, put on his shades, and starts the descent. Zubeldia and Kirchen(!) come over next at 28 seconds.

Vinokourov crests the summit of the Col de Peyresourde, opening up his advantage over Zubeldia all the time. Cobo is third on the road, then Kirchen, then Arroyo. Then various bits of the early break, and the yellow jersey gorup at 6'13.

Zubeldia is having a good ride too, and trails the fiery Kazakh by 33 seconds as the crowds thicken towards the top of this final climb.

Arvesen and Schleck are together, trailing the yellow jersey group by about 30 seconds.

Meanwhile up front, Vino is chased by a mad Australian fan.

Alexandre Vinokourov gets out of the saddle for a bit, punching his way towards the top of the climb. Zubeldia has left Cobo behind, suffering.

Menchov is now finished in the yellow jersey bunch. He changes to his low gear and rides up at his own pace.

Vino sits on the tip of his saddle, opening up a 21 seconds gap now over Zubeldia and Cobo. Zubeldia is riding for his GC position, and he could move up a fair way today, into the top 10.

Vinokourov, knees bandaged, jersey fully open and flapping in the breeze, pounds his way towards the summit of the col de Peyresourde. One 12km descent to tackle, and the stage win is his. It won't help his GC chances, but it will salvage some pride for both him and Kazakhstan railways (insert Borat quote here).

Vinokourov is now alone, 15 seconds ahead of Zubeldia and Cobo. They're not out of it yet. There's still a desent.

Menchov sets the pace in the yellow jersey group, 6'31 behind Vino. No-one is game to attack Rasmussen. Popovych has been caught and dropped.

This has really destroyed the break. Arroyo is done. Kirchen is toast. Zubeldia and Cobo are limiting their losses.

Now Zubeldia attacks the lead group! Cobo marks him, and goes right past. He looks back, and sees a certain Kazakhstani rider there. Vino continues to ride hard. Arrr.

Kirchen is yo-yoing off the back of the lead group, which is less than 5km from the summit of the Peyresourde.

Vino continues riding hard, then Cobo takes over. It's fairly obvious as to what Vino's intentions are today. If Kirchen can hang on, he is probably the best spritner here.

Nothing much is happening in the yellow jersey group.

Vino is in a feisty mood. He accelerates, putting Kim Kirchen out the back. Kirchen is able to return once the pace eases off. The T-Mobile man grabs a bottle from the team car.

Up front, Zubeldia has tacked onto the Vino group.

Popovych attacks the peloton. Maybe setting up a Discovery move for Contador and Leipheimer.

Rasmussen is in deep discussion with his teammates at the foot of the Peyresourde. They can afford to ride defensively. Moreau comes back to them - this group is about 25 riders.

Vino drops Cobo by attacking on the right hand side, then catches Kirchen and Arroyo. He tries to drop them immediately, but they get his wheel. Cobo is able to come back, just.

Now Cobo lifts the pace in the chase group, taking just Vinokourov with him. Zubeldia tries to hold them. They get closer to Kirchen and Arroyo. I am thinking Vinokourov has his eye on his stage. Just a guess.

Menchov has now rejoined the Rasmussen/Boogerd group, which sits 7'04 behind the leaders. They're not coming back. Will any of the other GC riders try to attack Rasmussen on this climb?

Make that the front two. Johan Tschopp has been chopped from the break. Oh dear.

Kirchen sets a hard tempo, but now Vino decides it's time! He puts the power down, taking Cobo, Garate and Zubeldia with him. They go straight past Tschopp and can see Kirchen and Arroyo just ahead.

Bernhard Kohl (Gerolsteiner) is also with the Vino group, which numbers six riders. He is now trying to bridge to the front three.

Tschopp leads the trio onto the bottom of the climb. There's nearly an accident in the chase group as Cobo finds himself wedged against the barriers. But he saves it, and is back with them. 25 seconds separates the two front groups.

The chasing five have closed it down to 27 seconds, just as the leaders reach the foot of the Peyresourde.

The yellow jersey bunch is fairly happy with keeping the gap at 6'43. Zubeldia and Kirchen could take back five or six minutes today, but not enough to threaten Rasmussen.

Tschopp, Kirchen and Arroyo push the pace through Mayregne, while Cobo, Zubeldia, Vino, Turpin and Garate chase them at 38 seconds. Menchov has been called back to help the yellow jersey, it looks like.

Just one more climb to come, the cat. 1 col de Peyresourde. Most of the riders will know this one well, whereas the Port de Bales was a brand new one. The Peyresourde averages 7.8% for 9.7km. Then it's a 12km descent to the finish. The stage winner will surely come from one of the leading eight riders.

The contast in conditions on the descent is quite amazing. There was thick mist for the last 6-7km of the climb, but now it's as clear as anything. It was like going through a wall. And the roads are so good too. They're almost Swiss standard.

The first chasers: Menchov, Turpin, Garate, Vinokourov, Zubeldia and Cobo. They're 40 seconds behind the front three.

Navarro loses contact with the yellow jersey group just near the top. Boogerd leads them over the summit, 6'44 behind the front three.

The three leaders - Arroyo, Kirchen and Tschopp - have regrouped and are flying on the narrow roads on the other side of the Port de Bales. The road has been resurfaced recently, and makes a nice change from most Pyrenean roads.

Popovych is able to rejoin the yellow jersey group, but he has to work for it.

It's only misty right at the top of the descent, then suddenly they're out in the sunshine again. Menchov is waiting for his team car.

Popovych is able to rejoin the yellow jersey group.

The crowds are as thick as the fog at the top of the Port de Bales. The two leaders crest the summit, enshrouded in mist. Kirchen takes the points ahead Arroyo, then Tschopp, who blew in the last 500m. Zubeldia is leading the next group over at 44 seconds.

Arroyo is coming back to Tschopp and Kirchen quite quickly, even though he can't see them.

Navarro, one of the early breakaways, is caught by the Rasmussen group, which sits 6'39 behind the two leaders.

Cobo continues to set the pace in the group that is 45 seconds behind Kirchen and Tschopp. The two leaders can barely see 100m in front of them. But once they get to the top of this climb, it's actually clear for a bit.

Arroyo is chasing them on his own, having left that group behind. He's at 25 seconds.

6'51 behind the leader, Kashechkin is slowly being reeled in by the yellow jersey group, which is dropping Popovych. It still has Boogerd, Rasmussen, Evans, Mayo, Leipheimer, Contador, Kloeden, Sastre and Soler in it.

Vino's group has accelerated again, dropping Turpin and Garate. Cobo is setting the tempo, along with Arroyo. But then the tempo slows, allowing the two dropped riders to return.

It's now very foggy and cool as Kim Kirchen starts to ride away from Tschopp towards the summit of the Port de Bales. The Luxembourger has 20 metres as Tschopp sprints to regain his wheel.

Kirchen is nearing the back wheel of Johann Tschopp - 20 seconds separates the two. Then Vino's group is at 33 seconds. This descent is going to be interesting.
,Br>Kirchen has finally closed the gap.

Kim Kirchen is riding well, trying to close the gap to Tschopp on is own. He's also well placed on GC, at 13'16. He could get back into the top 10 today.

Vinokourov decides to up the pace a bit, with Cobo, Arroyo, Menchov and Zubeldia able to match him. Turpin and Garate are also there.

Back with the GC riders, and Michael Boogerd is doing well to limit Kashechkin's advantage to 16 seconds. Rasmussen doesn't look too concerned.

Tschopp is 4km from the summit of the Port de Bales, and he looks pretty good. The mist is starting to close in, while the rest of the chasing group hovers at 36 seconds.

Zubeldia signals for his team car and gets a bidon. He's not panicking with all the action ahead of him. It's still Tschopp leading by 36 seconds, then Kirchen then the rest of the chase group. Garate is the next victim of a mechanical. He drops his chain, has to stop and remount it.

The peloton has thinned down to about 15 riders, with Boogerd leading Rasmussen, Leipheimer, Contador, Popovych, Evans, Kloeden, Sastre. They are hauling in Kash.

Kirchen attacks the rest of the chasing break, and that prompts everyone else to follow.

Tschopp continues his lonely ride up this narrow mountain road. It's misty up ahead of him. Garate and Gadret have joined the Vino/Kirchen/Menchov group chasing Herr Tschopp.

Kash looks back to see where the bunch is. He's 6'58 down on GC, so Rasmussen doesn't have to panic.

Pereiro and Moreau are dropped from the bunch.

Tschopp keeps it going, as the eight riders behind him don't panic and start to work together. Vino, Arroyo, Kirchen, Menchov, Cobo, Zubeldia (don't forget he's at 12'15 on GC), Landaluze and Kohl are the chasers.

Meanwhile, Kash has a small lead over the remnants of the peloton, where Michael Boogerd is setting tempo for Rasmussen. The bunch is 8'08 behind the leader.

Now Kashechkin attacks the peloton, as this Astana-led assault on this stage continues. The peloton starts to fragment.

The once huge breakaway is falling apart on the Port de Bales. Vino, Ivanov, Cobo and Zubeldia bridge the gap up to Arroyo, Landaluze, Menchov, Kohl and Tschopp. As soon as Ivanov closes the gap, he pulls off and almost stops, pedalling in very big squares. Still, he's done his work for today.

Now Tshcopp attacks the new break.

Menchov can definitely climb, and will make it tough for the rest to come back. Halgand, Hincapie, Bennati, Arvesen are all having trouble following. Guess who's up the front of the chase group? Vino and Ivanov.

Menchov and Arroyo are working pretty hard, really taking advantage of the flatter spots of this climb.

Ivanov drops off the back of the leading group, maybe to help Vino and Navarro to come up to it.

Another 11km of climbing on the Port de Bales, and the gradient steepens quite nastily. The six leaders have just 24 seconds on the original break. The peloton is now 8'30 back, and not really making much of an impression.

Menchov completes his bridging attempt, and now there are six in front: Arroyo, Landaluze, Kohl, Tschopp, Ivanov and Menchov. Vino and co. might wait until the climb gets harder before doing something.

The peloton is starting to thin down properly, as Tom Boonen goes off the back in the company of quite a few others. Pieter Weening, Grischa Niermann and Bram De Groot (Rabobank) are all dropped.

Menchov is 10 seconds from the five leaders. The Russian is not having to work too hard to close this gap. The rest of the break have picked up speed, and are at 50 seconds.

Niermann leads the peloton as it reaches the foot of the climb. Cardenas is dropped from the bunch. He's not riding quite as well as his compatriot, Soler.

Menchov is 30 seconds behind the front five: Arroyo, Landaluze, Tschopp, Ivanov and Kohl. The rest of the break is at 1'12, with the bunch at 8'24. They're still riding fast (hell, they always ride fast), but are now in the small chainring.

They're flying now, but the climb will start to steepen very soon. Then we might see some action from the rest of that break. Menchov is trying to get across to the five leaders.

Rasmussen still has six teammates with him as the bunch nears the foot of the Port de Bales, 8'08 behind the leaders. The front five are steaming along on a flatter section of the climb.

This is a massive climb, taking them up 1200m to a height of 1755m. The top is shrouded in fog.

The five leaders increase their advantage to 54 seconds as they start the climb.

Crash in the peloton, but it doesn't look too serious. Paulinho and Bichot were involved. They're back in the bunch now.

The break has split! Arroyo, Landaluze, Kohl, Tschopp and Ivanov have attacked the rest, and have 45 seconds on their previous companions. They're just about in Mauleon-Barousse, at the foot of the climb.

The leaders have already started climbing, although they're not quite on the Port de Bales. Not real change in the situation behind. Raboban is still driving the bunch, 8'10 behind the break.

Just a reminder of the 25 riders in the break: Haimar Zubeldia (best on GC at 12'15), Inigo Landaluze, Ruben Perez (Eusktaltel), David Arroyo, Nicolas Portal (Caisse d'Epargne), Kurt-Asle Arvesen, Christian Vandevelde (CSC), Kim Kirchen (T-Mobile), Denis Menchov (Rabobank), Ludovic Turpin (Ag2r), Daniele Bennati, Patxi Vila (Lampre), Patrice Halgand (Credit Agricole), George Hincapie (Discovery), Laurent Lefevre, Johan Tschopp (Bouygues), Michael Albasini (Liquigas), Benoit Vaugrenard (FDJ), Juan Manuel Garate (Quick.Step), Christian Knees (Milram), Alexandre Vinokourov, Sergei Ivanov, Daniel Navarro (Astana) and Juan Jose Cobo (Saunier Duval), Bernhard Kohl (Gerolsteiner).

The breakaways are working well together. Kohl, Navarro, Perez, Knees, Kirchen, Hincapie, Landaluze all roll through for their turns. Vino and Zubeldia have done a little work today, but will be saving their powder for later. Vino is obviously motivated to win today, but will he have his good legs back? The TT was great, yesterday was a disaster, so today may be good again. Still, there are a number of other riders in this break who are capable of winning in Loudenvielle Le Louron.

Niermann and Flecha are doing the work in the bunch as Boogerd and Rasmussen sit in their slipstreams. The gap is not really coming down, it's still 8'18. Rabo has Menchov in the front group, and the Russian has not been contributing much.

The front group has another 11km before the foot of the day's main climb, the Port de Bales. It measures 19.2km and averages 6.2%. We should see a bit of action here, if anyone has anything left in their legs.

Many of the riders are using the opportunity to go back to their team cars for food and drink now.

In Marignac, Bennati wins the sprint ahead of Arvesen and Vaugrenard. Easy.

Flecha takes a wide line around a corner, not quite the ideal one. But he keeps on as the head of the peloton.

The break is nearing the day's second sprint at Marignac, looking a little tired after that climb/descent.

The bunch tackles the hairpinned descent of the col de Mente, still 8'26 behind the break. Flecha is at the front again, having survived that climb.

One week ago, this very stage was ridden as the 'Etape du Tour', with around 7000 amateur riders testing themselves against the mountains of the Pyrenees. The fastest time was done by Nicolas Fritsch, an ex-pro who rode for Francaise des Jeux and Saunier Duval. The 29 year old completed the course in 6:21:41, an average speed of 30.8km/h. The Tour riders will be about 45 minutes quicker than that.

The peloton is treating the Mente with a lot of respect, but only because of what is to come. The Port de Bales and Col de Peyresourde will provide a nasty sting in the tail of this Pyrenean stage.

The descent is a little technical, but not that steep. Alexandre Botcharov has taken off the front of the peloton but only to greet his fans. He lives in this area.

The bunch can now see the top of the climb, zigzagging in front of them. The sun comes out again as Lefevre and Garate take the descent in the lead. Halgand was third over the climb, ahead of Bennati, Kohl and Cobo.

They reach the top of the climb and this time it's Garate who sprints for the mountain points, getting them ahead of Lefevere. The bunch is still 8'30 back, but also quite large.

I think this break can stay away all the way to the finish. There, I've doomed it.

The leaders get to within 1km from the summit of the Mente. Daniele Bennati is doing a turn, which gives you an idea of how hard the pace isn't.

Weening is still on the front of the peloton, as Valverde drops back for his team car. He gets some food, drops most of it, and rides back to the bunch. The gap creeps up to 8'26...

Riders start to go out the back of the bunch again. It's a constant struggle today, with so many climbs.

The increased pace in the break has upped the gap to 7'55 as Weening now works in the bunch, which is making its way up the lower part of the climb. Rasmussen looks quite comfortable, as he still has four teammates with him. Flecha is right at the back of the bunch, trying to hang on for the next bit.

Arvesen and Kirchen are the last riders in the break, which has lined out on the Col de Mente. It is a steepish climb, but nothing compared to the monster that is the Port de Bales. That's next.

Arroyo stops and gets his first bike back from the team car. He's happy again and has no trouble rejoining the breakaway.

The pace isn't super high in the break as Landaluze and Ivanov work on the front. It's still painful, of course.

Rabobank seem to have things under control in the peloton, with Niermann, Flecha, Dekker and Rasmussen in the front rank. Kloden, Evans, Contador, Leipheimer and the rest of the GC riders are not far behind. 7'45 separates the breakaways from the bunch.

Perez leads the breakaway, working for his team captain Haimar Zubeldia, the best placed rider in the break. It's now getting a little overcast, and we may get rain in the final part of this stage.

The break has just started the col de Mente. Ivanov is back with the rest of them. They have 8'00 lead over the bunch.

Iglinsky dives down the descent, through the caravan, flashing past those nasty rows of concrete blocks. He should rejoin the peloton. He reaches the Casartelli monunment and passes Ralf Grabsch (Milram), who has had a wheel change.

Maxim Iglinskiy crashes just before a hairpin on the descent, but he's unhurt and on his way again after a bike change. No panic.

Ivanov is a good descender, and has opened up a bit of a gap. The col de Mente starts straight after the foot of this descent. It's a cat. 1 climb, 7km long and averaging 8.1%. Is this the start of an Astana set move?

The peloton crosses the summit of the Portet d'Aspet 7'55 behind the break.

Ivanov leads the break down the Portet d'Aspet as Arroyo has problems with his chain. Arroyo has to stop and jump on a new bike, just past the Casartelli monument. The Caisse d'Epargne mechanic fixes the chain and puts the bike back on the roof of the car.

In the peloton, Flecha is working quite hard on the climb, with Niermann and Rasmussen in tow. Quick.Step's big men Rosseler and Steegmans are dropped.

I was mistaken about the concrete blocks. They are still there on the descent.

At the top of the Portet d'Aspet, it's Lefevre sprinting to take the points from Halgand and Garate. The 25 man break has survived the climb intact, but has lost a little of its lead. It's now down to 8'40.

Vandevelde also asks for his team car, signaling impatiently. But there's a Lampre vehicle in the way.

The peloton, on the lower slopes of the climb, loses the Norwegian Thor Hushovd. The big man hasn't had the easiest of times in the last 10 days.

Up front, Vino signals for his team car near the top of the climb. He grabs a bidon, but declines the offer of a second bottle. Today will be a good test of his recovery powers.

Perez is climbing well - too well, in fact. He has to ease off his pace as the rest of the break can't quite match it. In the peloton, Nicolas Portal gets some adjustment to his saddle. Yeah, that'll do.

Vinokourov is now doing turns in the break, looking ice-cool in his fluoro yellow shades.

The leaders set a steady tempo on the climb, with Menchov still right at the back. They have increased their gap even further, to 9'20. Another three minutes and Zubeldia will be in the virtual yellow jersey.

At the back of the peloton, Rasmussen and mountains jersey wearer Soler exchange a few brief words.

The leaders are just about to start the Portet d'Aspet. We might see a few riders being shelled on this climb, which is 5.7 km long but fairly steep at 6.9% average. The descent, thankfully, has been made safer by the removal of most of the concrete blocks on the side of the road.

The gap is 8'47 at the foot of the climb.

As the bunch goes through the feed zone, the pace slows, allowing the gap to go up to 8'31. One of the Liquigas riders asks for two feed bags. He grabs the first, and looks for another one. Rabobank's workhorse Bram de Groot unpacks his quickly, then tosses it over to the side of the ride.

The breakaways hit Orgibet with 8'10 lead over the peloton, which is not quite at the feed zone. The leaders again:

Haimar Zubeldia (best on GC at 12'15), Inigo Landaluze, Ruben Perez (Eusktaltel), David Arroyo (Caisse d'Epargne), Kurt-Asle Arvesen, Christian Vandevelde (CSC), Denis Menchov (Rabobank), Ludovic Turpin (Ag2r), Daniele Bennati, Patxi Vila (Lampre), Patrice Halgand (Credit Agricole), George Hincapie (Discovery), Laurent Lefevre, Johan Tschopp (Bouygues), Michael Albasini (Liquigas), Benoit Vaugrenard (FDJ), Juan Manuel Garate (Quick.Step), Christian Knees (Milram), Alexandre Vinokourov, Sergei Ivanov, Daniel Navarro (Astana) and Juan Jose Cobo (Saunier Duval), Bernhard Kohl (Gerolsteiner).

The average speed in the first two hours has been quite high, considering the headwind. It's 41.6km/h after the second hour was done at 45.7km/h.

Behind Rabobank in the peloton are a couple of Bouygues riders, with two Milrams then a host of Caisse d'Epargnes in tow. I'm not exactly sure what they're doing there. Maybe serving as spoilers for the chase. Michael Rasmussen is in about 15th wheel, his yellow jersey clearly visible.

Interesting that Saunier Duval is still allowed to ride in yellow jerseys. In past years, teams like ONCE were made to wear pink in the Tour de France.

Weening, Flecha and De Groot are working their orange behinds off to keep the break within a reasonable sort of time gap. It's up to 8'15 now as the leaders reach the feed zone in Aucazein.

They're starting to climb, gradually, on the approach to the Portet d'Aspet. The skies are mostly blue and it's 20° - ideal conditions for riding. Well, there is a 20km/h headwind, but you can't have everything.

The gap nudges the eight minute mark, despite the fact that Rabobank has lined the peloton out in pursuit of the 24 man break. Rabobank has a plan B with Menchov up front, but the Russian is still six minutes behind Zubeldia and five behind Kirchen on the general classification.

The gap grows to 7'34 and there's not much that Rabobank can do to stop it. There are enough riders in the front break to keep the pace on. Notably, Vinokourov and Menchov are sitting on. This could be an interesting finish.

The first sprint did go to Bennati ahead of Ivanov, with Bernhard Kohl picking up third place.

Bram de Groot, Juan Antonio Flecha and Pieter Weening are the men leading the peloton, trying to limit the damage to this big break. Rasmussen might be feeling a bit nervous as the gap goes up to 6'50, but none of his closest rivals are in the break.

The average speed for the first hour was 37.5km/h (that included an 11.4 km climb!)

The break is in Saint Girons, and no-one is particularly interested in the sprint. Until Bennati and Ivanov attack...

Flecha is the Rabo man doing the pace setting at the moment. He was dropped on the first climb, but was able to rejoin once the bunch eased up. He's not taking it easy either, keeping the gap at 6'11.

Three Rabobanks are leading the bunch 6'03 behind the big break. That's not a dangerous gap for Rasmussen at the moment. Zubeldia, who is in front, is at 12'15 on GC. It's unlikely that Rabobank will allow things to get out of hand, though.

Vino is sitting last wheel in the break, saving his legs for the climbs to come. The next one on the menu is the col de Portet d'Aspet. They do it in the same direction as in the 1995 Tour, when Fabio Casartelli crashed and died on the descent.

There are enough men up front to share the pace making, ensuring that this break builds on its lead. Landaluze and Kohl roll through. They're 10km from the first sprint in Saint Girons.

The break comes together at km 55, with the bunch sitting 5'08 behind. We can expect some splits up front as this group is too large to cooperate properly. Ivanov and Navarro (Astana) are riding hard, giving Vinokourov a rest on the back.

Ivanov and Perez are hammering to close the gap to Kohl and Tschopp. They will soon enough. This will mean 25 riders in the lead. The peloton is not bothered now, sitting 4'20 behind!

The chasers: David Arroyo (Caisse d'Epargne), Kurt-Asle Arvesen, Christian Vandevelde (CSC), Denis Menchov (Rabobank), Ludovic Turpin (Ag2r), Haimar Zubeldia, Inigo Landaluze, Ruben Perez (Eusktaltel), Daniele Bennati, Patxi Vila (Lampre), Patrice Halgand (Credit Agricole), George Hincapie (Discovery), Laurent Lefevre (Bouygues), Michael Albasini (Liquigas), Benoit Vaugrenard (FDJ), Juan Manuel Garate (Quick.Step), Christian Knees (Milram), Alexandre Vinokourov, Sergei Ivanov, Daniel Navarro (Astana) and Juan Jose Cobo (Saunier Duval).

Zubeldia is the best placed on GC at 12'15 on GC. Kirchen is also quite well placed at 13'15.

Kohl and Tschopp aren't hanging around, making good use of the steady downhill along the Vallee du Couserans. The group behind is quite large: 23 riders. They're just 20 seconds behind the break, while the bunch is at 1'30.

This chasing group looks to be composed mostly of the riders in the earlier break. Vino, Verdugo, Voigt, Menchov, Hincapie, Albasini, Bennati are all in it - about 10 riders in total. The peloton is 1'12 behind Kohl and Tschopp, while the chase group looks to be halfway between the two groups.

Tschopp and Kohl are the men in front, still trying to get a breakaway going. They speed through Biert with 55 seconds over a chasing group with Vinokourov, Menchov, Hincapie and Voigt in it.

The Euskaltel rider who crashed into Le Mevel was Inaki Isasi. He went down pretty hard on his shoulder, but has remounted and should rejoin the peloton. Not sure about Le Mevel though. Ah - he has abandoned.

The peloton has recaptured the 11 man break. Well, most of them. Lefevre and Kohl continue through Massat.

Cyril Dessel (Ag2r) has abandoned.

A crash on a bend! A Credit Agricole rider - Le Mevel - slides out, then an Euskaltel rider goes straight over the top of him. Ouch, ouch. Le Mevel might have done hisd collarbone.

This descent is not too steep, which will help the peloton come back. Six seconds separates the Menchov group from the bunch.

A Caisse d'Epargne and a Euskaltel rider are leading the peloton on the descent, pegging the gap back to just 8 seconds. This looks like coming back together.

The break is definitely not established as it heads down the descent of the col de Port. The gap's been reduced to 21 seconds as the peloton flies down.

The leaders: David Arroyo (Caisse d'Epargne), Denis Menchov (Rabobank), John Gadret and Stephane Goubert (AG2r), Gorka Verdugo (Eusktaltel), Bernhard Kohl (Gerolsteiner), Johan Tschopp (Bouygues), Manuel Beltran (Liquigas), Juan Manuel Garate (Quick.Step), Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) and Juan Jose Cobo (Saunier Duval).

The best placed rider in the break is Menchov at 18'57, so Rabobank can actually afford to let this one go.

The front group solidifies near the top of the climb as Garate pours on the pace with Tschopp and Verdugo in tow. They cross the summit in that order. Then Cobo leads the rest of that group over. The peloton crosses at 28 seconds - this break is definitely not away.

Verdugo is being caught by the first of the chasers: Juan Manuel Garate (Quick.Step) and Johan Tschopp (Bouygues). Others in this group are Arroyo, Menchov, Gadret, Goubert, Kohl, Beltran, Vinokourov and Cobo.

Verdugo is 2.5km from the summit of the col de Port. A couple of hairpins, but it's mostly straightforward. Vinokourov drives the chasing group 9 seconds behind. The bunch is a little further back.

The chase group has 10 riders in it, while the peloton still numbers around 100 men.

Hushovd is already out the back of the bunch, no surprises there. He's with Auge, Jalabert, Camano and a few others.

Verdugo has just 10 seconds over the next bunch on the road, which now has Vinokourov in it.

Arroyo, Voigt, Kohl, Le Mevel, Tschopp, Navarro, Beltran, Mayo, Lefevre, Cobo, Menchov and several more are 20 seconds behind the leader Verdugo. The peloton is another 10 seconds back. George Hincapie drives off the front of the bunch.

Back in the peloton, only Michael Boogerd is leading Rasmussen. The Rabos rode well yesterday, but they might be paying for it now.

Up front, Verdugo has opened up 12 seconds over Kohl, Mayo, Gadret and half a dozen others. Menchov and Voigt are up there, as is Juan Jose Cobo.

Verdugo gaps Kohl as he continues to ride a hard tempo up this first climb. A couple more riders are coming up behind.

Plenty of riders ae suffering thanks to this early pace. Steegmans and Bert Grabsch are off the back, as is Juan Antonio Flecha.

Several more riders join Vino and Verdugo, including Voeckler. Vino sits up and rejoins the bunch, while Verdugo persists with Bernhard Kohl (Gerolsteiner).

They're still too afraid of Vino. His attack is putting Rabobank on the back foot a bit, and might hurt them later on in the stage. That in turn will help Vino's teammates Kloeden and Kash.

Vino and Verdugo are being pursued by about eight others as they continue to climb the col de Port. A Bouygues rider manages to bridge across.

Vino and Verdugo are together, having dropped danger men Menchov and Pereiro. Vino is 34'12 down on the general classification after his collapse yesterday, so he is no longer a threat to the leader Rasmussen. It shows you how much the time trial can take out of you: Evans, Kloeden and Mayo all suffered yesterday too.

A counter ttack goes from the peloton, with Casar and three others trying to get across to Pereiro, Menchov, Verdugo and Vinokourov. This is just too dangerous, and the bunch is chasing hard. Now Vino counters!

Valverde and Moreau have gone back to the peloton, but Pereiro is still in the break... The bunch is 12 seconds behind the four leaders.

Valverde is 9th on GC at 9'45, so even though Menchov is up here (at 18'57 on GC), it's unlikely that Rabobank will let this powerhouse group go. Vino and Moreau are both out of contention for the GC, but they can still ride.

Ah now they start to argue. Moreau is annoyed that so many heavy hitters are up here. Verdugo hares off up the road with Vinokourov, then they're joined by Pereiro and Menchov, with Moreau trying to get them.

A couple of others come across, including Vinokourov and Valverde! They're not going to let this group go, surely?

Verdugo is joined by Pereiro, Moreau and Menchov, making for an interesting move. At the back of the peloton, Geraint Thomas is being dropped. The Barloworld rider has done well so far for a youngster.

The leader is still Groka Verdugo (Euskaltel), who is trying to get something going on the Col de Port. A few riders are coming across to the Basque rider now.

The road starts to climb out of Tarrascon as one of the Euskaltel riders attacks. They're now starting the col de Port, an 11.4 km climb at 5.3 %. Already Dario Cioni (Predictor) is in trouble off the back of the peloton, as is Cyril Dessel (Ag2r). He was a top 10 in the Tour last year.

Allez Chavanel isn't done yet. He attacks again, and 164 riders follow him. That's not what you want when you are trying to establish a breakaway.

Chavanel, who started this attack in the first kilometre, counter attacks as the peloton starts to come back. Chavanel is swallowed, however, and it's all back together through Tarrascon.

Barloworld and Rabobank are leading the chase, as this break is a tad dangereux.

Tadej Valjavec (Lampre), Christian Vandevelde (CSC), Sylvain Chavanel, Cristian Moreni (Cofidis), Jose Ivan Gutierrez, Nicolas Poartal (Caisse d'Epargne), George Hincapie, Sergio Paulinho (Discovery) are also in this group, which leads by 20 seconds. This is a bit too big to stay clear.

David de La Fuente (Saunier Duval), Stefan Schumacher (Gerolsteiner) and Anthony Charteau (Credit Agricole) are at the head of a 20 man group that is trying to establish itself at the front of the race.

The flag drops and the peloton is lined out straight away as groups of riders attack. Staf Scheirlinckx has a mechanical and has to stop to fix it.

The climbs today: Col de Port (cat. 2, km 27.5, 11.4 km at 5.3%), Col de Portet d'Aspet (cat. 2, km 98.5, 5.7 km at 6.9%), Col de Menté (cat. 1, km 114.0, 7.0 km at 8.1%), Port de Balès (HC, km 159.5, 19.2 km at 6.2%) and Col de Peyresourde (cat. 1, km 184.5, 9.7 km at 7.8%). There are also two intermediate sprints at Saint-Girons (km 68) and Marignac (km 127).

The 165 riders leave Foix, pronounced Fwah, for the start of stage 15. It's sunny and 20° C, with a 15km/h wind blowing. We might get a bit of rain later on, but for the moment it's dry.

Good morning and welcome to today's 15th stage of the Tour de France. We're still in the Pyrenees, starting in Foix and finishing in Loudenvielle Le Louron. It's a another tough day of climbing, with the cat. 1 Col de Mente and Col de Peyresourde as well as the hors categorie Port de Bales all on the menu. It's not an uphill finish today, as the riders will drop 12km off the summit of the Peyresourde into Loudenvielle.

Join us for our live coverage of the stage, starting at 11:25 (10:25 BST).