Oscar Pereiro spends his first day in the yellow jersey with an 89-second gap ahead of American Floyd Landis

And former yellow jersey winner Landis takes to the Montelimar start line with Pereiro in the scorching 32C heat

As the first venture into the Alps commences, Italy's Damiano Cunego and Spain's Ruben Lobato form a breakaway

Discovery rider George Hincapie and Iker Camano are among a group being pursued by the main peloton

After a tough chase Belgium's Rik Verbrugghe moves ahead of Cunego with the peloton gradually closing the gap

The main pack are given plenty of encouragement in the sweltering conditions as they continue their pursuit

With 37km to go, three of the leading riders crash which sends Kessler and Verbrugghe hurtling over the barrier

Amazingly, Kessler manages to recover from the horrific crash unscathed and slowly continues the stage

There are 156 riders left after David Canada has to pull out - Mario Aerts, Commesso and Fedrigo sprint ahead

However, Commesso accelerates and is soon leading with Fedrigo sticking close to his wheel in the treacherous heat

The pair race to the finish line in Gap, and Fedrigo manages to outsprint the Italian for a French stage win

But there are no changes at the top of the overall standings, as Oscar Pereiro retains his leader's yellow jersey