Paolo Savoldelli has won an exciting finish to Wednesday's 17th stage - the longest day of the Tour de France.

The Italian was in a group of four in the final kilometre but had enough to overhaul Kurt-Asle Arvesen who led down the home straight in Revel.

A further four riders came in within a minute with two more groups coming in within four minutes of the winner.

Race leader Lance Armstrong is safely in the peloton more than 22 minutes back alongside all the Tour's big guns.

Click refresh for latest updates (all times BST):

1634: The rest of the field come in in dribs and drabs before the main peloton finishies more than 24 minutes down.

1633: The leading group finish with a sprint, Lance Armstrong and his Discovery cohorts knowing they could overhal T-Mobile in the team standings. Cadel Evans leads the second bunch home but to far back to stop Alexandre Vinokourov climbing above him and Floyd Landis into seventh.

1631: There is one kilometre to go and Cadel Evans is leading the charge, cutting the advantage to 13 seconds.

1628: George Hincapie is also in attendance and the group have stolen a lead of 20 seconds over Floyd Landis and the chasing group. Alexandre Vinokourov turns up the pace knowing 10 seconds would see him climb above Floyd Landis and Cadel Evans.

1626: Lance Armstrong is joined by trusted team-mate Yaroslav Popovych who leads the group of 10 or so big name riders over the Cote de St-Ferreol. Floyd Landis and Cadel Evans are not involved.

1625: Jan Ullrich leads the peloton on the Cote de St-Ferreol and has Lance Armstrong on his shoulder. Not only is the German unable to break the race leader, but Mickael Rasmussen, third overall and a place ahead of Ullrich, is on the other shoulder.

1622:There is a crash involving David Arroyo and Matthew White as the peloton ups the tempo on the slopes of the Cote de St-Ferreol.

1615: The rest of the initial group of 17 escapees roll in four minutes and 11 seconds back.

1614: Samuel Dumoulin pf A2R has the legs to win the sprint among the second group of five, three minutes and 15 seconds back.

1611: Giro d'Italia winner Paolo Savoldelli overhauls Kurt-Asle Arvesen on the run in taking victory ahead of the Norwegian on the line. Simon Gerrens comes home third ahead of Sebastian Hinault.

1609: Paolo Savoldelli is growing infuriated by Sebastian Hinault's lack of help and sits up to allow Kurt-Asle Arvesen and Simon Gerrens to catch up. Kurt-Asle Arvesen attacks again with one kilometre to go.

1605: Paolo Savoldelli finally persuades Sebastian Hinault to do some work on the descent. Kurt-Asle Arvesen and Simon Gerrens are the duo leading the chase.

1603: Paolo Savoldelli and Sebastian Hinault go over the top of the Cote de St-Ferreol with a seven-second lead.

1602: Sebastian Hinault sweeps past Bram Tankink. Paolo Savoldelli makes him look pedestrian when he chooses to go, rocketing by the Frenchman, although Hinault manages to get back on his wheel.

1600: Bram Tankink attacks at the head of the race as they start the climb of the third category Cote de St-Ferreol. The other seven bide their time, looking for someone to lead the chase before Sebastian Hinault goes.

1558: Despite T-Mobile's best efforts at the front of the peloton they are making no inroads into gap, which has now increased to more than 25 minutes.

1552: The leaders pass under the 15km hoardings. They have a lead of two minutes and 28 seconds and are working well together.

1550: T-Mobile hit the gas and the front of the peloton in an effort to cut the sizeable gap on the road. It is the most organisation seen at the front of the main field all day but they remain more than 24 minutes back.

1547: A level crossing comes down but the whole of the peloton just get through, Janek Tombak ducking under the closing gate and getting across in the nick of time. A host of team cars don't.

1544: The peloton are going backwards - okay, not literally, but they are slipping further and further adrift and now lie more than 24 minutes behind the leaders.

1540: The group of eight have 23km left to the finishing line in Revel. They continue to stretch their advantage and are now one minute and 30 seconds clear. The peloton are slipping back again, more than 23 minutes and 40 seconds in arrears.

1533: The leading eight now have an advantage of one minute and 10 seconds over their former co-escapees. The peloton are more than 22 minutes down the road.

1520: Oscar Sevilla, Paolo Savoldelli, Kurt-Asle Arvesen, Sebastian Hinault, Simon Gerrens, Andriy Grivko, Daniel Righo and Bram Tankink are in the leading group. They have are well clear of the pursuing nine and have opened up a 40-second advantage.

1513: The leading group of 17 is now strung out and split in two. Paolo Savoldelli led the chase to catch Andriy Grivko and eight riders now have a 10-second lead.

1510: When does a break become an escape? Andriy Grivko has jumped eight seconds clear of the leading group and is causing chaos amongst those behind him.

1506: The leaders have 50km to go and Rabobank rider Erik Decker jumps off the front of the leading group. Bram Tankink moves to join him. The escape is short-lived before Andriy Grivko goes it alone.

1504: Is this the start of the reeling in process? Admittedly, the peloton will not overhaul the gap but Credit Agricole have hit the front and the time has dropped under 24 minutes.

1456: The leaders are cruising through the countryside of south-west France and are now more than 24 minutes in front. T-Mobile will need to start thinking about closing the gap otherwise they could lose their lead over Discovery in the team standings.

1445: The relaxed atmosphere pervading in the peloton can be summed up by the fact that Lance Armstrong leads them over the Cote de Capans, with Stuart O'Grady in close attendance.

1442: Oscar Sevilla needs just over 13 minutes to break into the top 20. If he and his co-escapees can maintain their present advantage he would climb to 17th overall.

1431: On and on they go under the burning French sunshine. With 72km to go the leaders have 21 minutes up their short lycra sleeves.

1422: Domina Vacanze rider Andriy Grivko leads the race over the Cote de Capens to pick up three more points, doubling his mountain point tally from earlier in the day.

1419: The leaders are out of the saddle climbing the fourth category Cote de Capens and have broken through the 20-minute lead barrier.

1413: The peloton are unfussed by the lead group. While they seem happy to turn over the pedals at a rolling, sedate pace, the leaders are hammering out a high tempo and taking more time out of the field. They are now 19 minutes and 21 seconds up.

1408: The leaders continue to go like the clappers and have opened up the largest lead of this year's race, topping the advantage of 18 minutes and 45 seconds George Hincapie and co enjoyed on Sunday.

1356: Lance Arsmtrong's right-hand man George Hincapie hits the front of the peloton, but it has haphazard and disorganised look to it and they seem content to let the leaders pull out yet more time. Their advantage is now 18 minutes and two seconds.

1345: The leaders are still making good time under clear blue skies and are now more than 16 minutes in front as they pick up a bit of lunch at the feeding station.

1336: Having pulled back from the front of the peloton, Discovery are back at the helm setting the pace. The escapees are closing in on a 14-minute advantage.

1310: The gap between the two groups comes down for a while but as the leaders pass the 100km mark they push it out to 12 minutes.

1252: Lance Armstrong's Discovery Channel team hit the front of the peloton as they go over the top of the Cote de Betbeze.

1242: The leaders - who are now more than nine minutes clear - go over the summit of the category four Cote de Betbeze. Andriy Grivko picks up the maximum points on offer, although those three are hardly going to propel him up the leaderboard to challenge polka dot jersey wearer Mickael Rasmussen.

1230: At the 76km mark, the peloton is now nine minutes behind the 17 escapees.

1221: At the 67km mark, the 17 escapees are now seven minutes and 40 seconds ahead of the peloton.

1200: It has just been reported that T-Mobile's Andreas Kloden quit the Tour at the 18km mark of today's stage. The German - who finished second overall in 2004 - was in 11th place overall but he crashed during Tuesday's 16th stage to Pau and suffered a small fracture of a bone in his wrist.

1157: The escape group is now in the town of Antin at the 60.5km mark and leading the race by five minutes 20 seconds.

1151: At the 55km mark, the breakaway group has stretched their advantage to four minutes and 40 seconds.

1145: The 17 escapees now lead by two minutes and 40 seconds.

1142: Confirmation of points won in the sprint: 1. Carlos Da Cruz (FDJ) 6pts
2. Allan Davis (LSW) 4pts
3. Stephane Auge (COF) 2pts

1140: The first sprint of the day (in Rabastens-de-Bigorre at the 44.5km mark) is won by Da Cruz, followed by Allan Davis and Stephane Auge.

1132: At the 41km mark, the gap between the 17 escapees and the peloton stands at one minute and five seconds.

1130: The leading group of 17 are: Rubiera, Savoldelli (both DSC), Sevilla (TMO), Arvesen (CSC), Dekker (RAB), Davis (LSW), Hinault (C.A), Cioni (LIQ), Auge (COF), Tankink (QST), Fedrigo (BTL), Righi (LAM), Da Cruz, Lovkvist (FDJ), Grivko (DOM), Dumoulin and Gerrans (A2R).

1125: Erik Dekker and Carlos Da Cruz join Arvesent and Fedrigo at the head of the race but the leading group of four are soon joined by another 13 riders. The group of 17 build up a 30 second lead over the peloton.

1115: Landis has dropped back into the peloton, leaving Fedrigo and Arvesen to lead the race by just eight seconds.

1110: Landis is really working hard and has extended his lead over the peloton to 15 seconds. Kurt-Asle Arvesent and Pierrick Fedrigo have broken away from the pack and set about catching the run-away American.

1105 Phonak's Floyd Landis is on the attack and now leads the peloton by eight seconds.

1100: CSC's Bobby Julich is first over the opening climb of the day the 348m Cote de Baleix - quickly followed by Alexandre Moos, Joseba Beloki and Alexandre Vinokourov.

1050: Saunier's Juan Manuel Garate attempts a break - but it seems the peloton are not willing to let anyone out of their sights - yet - and the pack step it up and rein him in too.

1045: There's a lot of jostling at the head of the peloton as various riders look for the right moment to mount an escape, but at 8km everyone is still together.

1035: Yuriy Krivtsov and Anthony Geslin attempt an early break at 1.5km, but the peloton quickly reels them in.

1031: The race gets underway. Lance Armstrong could receive the leader's yellow jersey for the 79th time in his career, equalling five-time Tour winner Bernard Hinault's record.

1030: There are two intermediate sprints during today's stage - the first in Rabastens-de-Bigorre (at 44.5km), the second in Gardouch (at 198km). Thor Hushovd will be among those riders looking to pick up valuable points as he seeks to tighten his grip on the green jersey.

1025: It is going to be a hot one. The weather forecast is brilliant sunshine for the entire day - with not even a hint of wind.

1020: The riders are moments away from tackling the longest stage - 239.5km - of this year's race. But, distance aside, it should be plain sailing: there are only two climbs and they are down at the category three level - mountains to you and me, but to these guys, mere molehills.