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The first of two back-to-back finishes on the legendary Alpe d’Huez. On paper, the less appealing of the two, although it is the only one that uses the all 21 of the iconic hairpin bends of the so-called Dutch Mountain.

A short 128km stage packs in 3,500m of climbing with the road edging uphill from the gun with the Cat. 2 Col Bayard (4.7km at 7.2%). This is followed straight away by the Cat. 1 Col du Noyer (7.2km at 8.5%) before a long flat section comes to a head with the intermediate sprint at Le Perier.

The business end kicks off with the Cat. 2 Col d’Ornon (5.4km at 6.4%) before the peloton plunges down to Le Bourg d’Oisans ahead of the infamous 13.8km climb of Alpe d’Huez, where spectators will line the side of a road that ramps up at an average gradient of 8.1% over 21 switchbacks, each of which dedicated to a rider – or riders – who have previously triumphed at the top.

This will be the day that the riders will somehow carve their way through the flares and a sea of orange as they glide around Switchback 7 and the striking Notre-Dame des Neiges church, otherwise known as Dutch Corner.

It has been four years since the Tour last ventured up to Alpe d’Huez on a day Tom Pidcock put on a descending masterclass off the Galibier before winning from a breakaway that also included the four-time champion Chris Froome. Four years before that, Geraint Thomas picked up a memorable win in the yellow jersey – something Pogacar could emulate today. Over to you, Remco and Paul...

The four-time winner is sitting pretty at the top of the pack just three days from Paris, but the illness seeping through his UAE team has added an element of jeopardy into proceedings. Can anyone take advantage or is it still a battle for second place?

With just 20 seconds separating third and fourth, we also have a mammoth battle on our hands for the final podium spot and the white jersey between our debutants from Mexico and France…

Meanwhile, Carapaz's win yesterday saw him rise back into the top 10 - albeit a whopping 21 minutes in arrears...

1. Tadej Pogacar 56:14'18"
2. Remco Evenepoel +4'32
3. Isaac Del Toro +6'51
4. Paul Seixas +7'11
5. Juan Ayuso +9'22
6. Mattias Skjelmose +10'14
7. Lenny Martinez +12'50
8. Tom Pidcock +12'58
9. Jordan Jegat +14’04
10. Richard Carapaz +21:00

Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz won Stage 18 at Orcieres-Merlette yesterday from a select six-man breakaway on a day Valentin Paret-Peintre came close to the polka dot jersey and Mads Pedersen pulled off a green jersey coup.

With Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and his yellow jersey rivals keeping their powder dry ahead of the Alpe d’Huez double header, Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) rode clear of Mauro Schmid (Jayco-AlUla), Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step) on the fifth and final climb of a tough 185km stage in the Alps to pick up his first win on the Tour de France since 2024.

After taking maximum King of the Mountain points over the first four climbs of the day, Paret-Peintre came up one point short of taking over the polka dot jersey outright from Pogacar, his fourth place in the stage also dashing the hopes of the host nation still searching for an elusive win.

But there was joy for Denmark’s Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) who put his disappointment from Stage 16 behind him to strengthen his grip on the green jersey.

Part of an early breakaway that formed after the first climb of the day, Pedersen was the cornerstone of a solid 14-man move that stayed out over the next two climbs. The Dane then took maximum points in the intermediate sprint – a whopping 129km from the start – to move 32 points clear of his nearest rival, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech).

Bonjour le Tour! Hello and welcome to live coverage of Stage 19 of the Tour de France – the first of two historic back-to-back finishes on the legendary Alpe d’Huez.

It’s make or break time for Tadej Pogacar’s rivals, with the four-time champion on the cusp of a record-equalling fifth Tour triumph, but his UAE Team Emirates-XRG feeling the pinch as sickness sweeps through the ranks.

Brandon McNulty withdrew yesterday and both Adam Yates and Tim Wellens have battled to avoid the time cut for the last two days. Pogacar and his Mexican team-mate Isaac del Toro – currently third on GC – will have it all to do today, even if they’re not apparently suffering with the same stomach bug.

Today is the traditional climb up Alpe d’Huez before tomorrow’s alternative approach via the Col de Sarenne. It’s going to be a glorious double-header for fans, so let’s hope it lives up to the hype and billing.