BBC SPORT | Special Events | Tour de France

BBC Sport Online brings you all the action from the penultimate day of the Tour de France, a 93-mile (149km) stage from Orleans to Evry.
All times BST

The early action:

Stuart O'Grady's Credit Agricole team-mate Jens Voigt, winner of stage 16, made an early break from the peloton and took the six points on offer at the first sprint of the day.

The peloton was unable to catch him and Erik Zabel had to be content with second ahead of O'Grady which cut the Australian's overnight lead at the top of the points table to nine points.

Another breakaway occured later in the day.

At one stage Laurent Roux, Guillaume Auger, Guido Trentin, Maarten den Bakker and Christophe Agnolutto enjoyed a lead of over a minute before the peloton reeled them in.

Alvaro Gonzalez de Galdeano pulled out with leg and stomach problems.

1510: The peloton have closed the gap on the leading group of five - Roux, Auger, Trentin, Den Bakker and Agnolutto - to 25 seconds.

1520: The breakaway is only 20 seconds clear and on the long, straight, flat roads, the peloton, led by the Telekom team, can see the leaders.

1524: The group of five take their foot off the gas and are swept up by the peloton just over 25 kilometres from the end of the second shortest stage of the 2001 Tour.

1526: As they did earlier in the day, Credit Agricole fire another rider off the front as they bear down on the second sprint - but he is soon caught and passed.

1529: Telekom push the pace at the front of the peloton. O'Grady stays on Zabel's wheel but is unable to pass him to claim the maximum points on offer.

Zabel (Telekom) - six points

O'Grady (Credit Agricole) - four points

Alexandre Vinokourov (Telekom) - two points
O'Grady's green points jersey lead over Zabel is now down to seven points.

1537: The peloton is strung out and speeding along - only 16 kilometres remain in the day's racing.

1541: The peloton splits as a group of 30 or so riders towards the back struggle to keep pace.

1545: The peloton is back as one group of riders as the stragglers bridge the gap back to the main group with 10 kilometres remaining.

1550: The riders are roared on by hoards of supporters at the roadside as they sweep through the towns and villages en route to the finish.

1552: With only five kilometres to go a crash splits the field.
Following an arcing right turn Rolf Sorensen comes down and causes a bottleneck of riders as those at the front of the peloton race away.
No name riders or key contenders are split or struggling at the back.

1556: The elongated line of leaders race under the two kilometres to go banner.

1558: Some Domo-Farm Frites riders are driving the pace at the front as riders jockey for position.

1559: Vinokourov takes up the challenge at the head of the field as a lead man for Zabel.
O'Grady has drifted back but regains Zabel's wheel and fights his way through for second as the German sprints across the line with his arms raised for the stage victory and 35 points.
The provisional result means that O'Grady's lead in the battle for the green jersey is down to two points.

Stage 19 - Provisional result:

Erik Zabel (Telekom)
@ three hours 12 minutes 27 seconds

Stuart O'Grady (Credit Agricole)

Romans Vainsteins (Domo-Farm Frites)

Sven Teutenberg (Festina)

Jan Svorada (Lampre)

Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo)

1600: Those riders split by the Sorensen fall roll in 41 seconds back.

1602: Sorensen comes in in last place alongside Sebastien Demarbaix two minutes and six seconds after Zabel.

1608: The result is confirmed despite some jostling by O'Grady in the final sprint.