606: DEBATE Your thoughts on stage 12

Stage 12: Montpellier to Castres (178.5km)

By Andy Nicolson

1624: And Boonen's power wins it from Zabel and Hunter!

1623: Boonen's there... Hunter's there... Zabel's there...

1622: The game's up for the escapees - they can see the bunch bearing down on them.

1620: "Boonen is my (obvious) bet for the stage winner."
DeGuzman on the 606 website

1622: Has the peloton left it too late? Txurruka seems to have found a second wind at the front...

1620: "Come on Amets!"
Lowlandbrit on the 606 website

1618: Forty seconds left and under 6km to go. Quickstep are moving to the front to lead out Boonen...

1610: Some riders, including Bradley Wiggins, are beginning to drop off the back of the peloton. Either the pace is very high or they're saving their energy for tomorrow's time trial. The gap is just over a minute with 13.5km to go.

1605: A straw poll around the office throws up the names of Boonen, Pozzato, Sebastien Chavanel and Daniele Bennati as potential winners. I wonder if Julian Dean can get up towards the front in the last kilometre, it might be another victory for Thor Hushovd...

1600: "Boonen will be very happy indeed, the finish should be perfect for him."
Lowlandbrit on the 606 website

1555: Barring a miracle for Txurruka and Fedrigo, it's going to be a sprint finish. Now's the time for your predictions - who'll power to victory today?

1550: Francaise des Jeux, the subject of much criticism in France for their poor showing this year, have a couple of riders at the front with the Lampre boys. Three minutes is all that separates them from the escapees.

1545: Tick, tick, tick... the gap, now 3'30", is dropping all the time. Txurruka and Fedrigo's moment in the spotlight is almost over.

1540: Lampre are setting the pace with CSC in close attendance. The peloton is beginning to get stretched out as it barrels through the forest on the descent, nibbling away the lead, now under four minutes.

1530: Yaroslav Popovych was third across the summit, closely followed by David de la Fuente, Thomas Dekker and Juan Mauricio Soler. That puts Soler nine points behind Rasmussen in the king of the mountains competition.

The results were:
1. Amets Txurruka - 20 points
2. Pierrick Fedrigo - 18 points
3. Yaroslav Popovych - 16 points
4. David De La Fuente - 14 points
5. Thomas Dekker - 12 points
6. Mauricio Soler - 10 points

1525: Txurruka and Fedrigo are over the top in that order and begin the 48km descent to Castres, 5'20" ahead of the peloton which has stayed together despite the buffeting wind. Who'll sneak off the front of the bunch to get the third-place climbing points?

1505: The bunch is at the foot of the climb and Charlie Wegelius is leading the Liquigas chase. But the intrepid pair seem to be maintaining a five-minute gap, so the pace of the peloton can't be very high - something that the sprinters will be grateful for.

1500: The front pair are at the foot of the second-category climb of the day and have seen their lead halved from its peak to just six minutes - its going to be a big ask for them to stay away for much longer.

1450: The tearaway twosome are getting ever nearer the Mountain of the Giant. The only problem for them is that the Liquigas-driven peloton is getting ever closer to them - the gap's now just over seven minutes.

1440: Interesting question from DeGuzman on 606 - are Liquigas putting the effort in because Filippo Pozzato fancies his chances today?

Or could it be for the more mundane reason that their sponsor wants some exposure payback for their cash?

1435: "Astana just wanted Kloeden ahead of Moreau - Kloeden looks very good for the race now."
stwl2006 on the 606 website

1430: The efforts of the Liquigas riders are beginning to pay off - they've eaten a minute into the gap.

1420: The Liquigas boys are controlling the front of the peloton but don't seem to be making a dent in the break, which is over 11 minutes. They are, however, contending with quite a strong headwind.

1415: "Txurruka! Thank goodness for talented cyclists with extravagent names!"
Lowlandbrit on the 606 website

1410: The gap's stretching all the time - it's over 10 minutes now with Burghardt around midway between the tete de la course and the peloton, which is ambling along the river Orb.

1400: Our tearaway twosome are over the top of the third climb, the Col du Buis. They're 8'35" ahead of the bunch, who are around two minutes behind Marcus Burghardt, the sole poursuivant.

Results at the top of the Cote du Mas-Rouet (58km):
1. Amets Txurruka - 3 points
2. Pierrick Fedrigo - 2 points
3. Marcus Burghardt - 1 point

1355: The BBC's man on the ground, Phil Sheehan, has the inside line on Astana's pace-setting yesterday on 606:

"Essentially they were trying to catch some of the other GC boys napping."
Phil S on the 606 website

1350: I'm advised that the pronunciation is something like 'churruka'. Regardless, he and Fedrigo are now 6'41" away from the bunch as the sun comes out.

1335: A number of riders in the peloton decide to water the verges, allowing the escapees to stretch their lead to 1'25"; clearly these two are not regarded as a threat.

Just as well - have you any idea how to pronounce 'Txurruka'?

1330: Txurruka and Fedrigo have extended their gap to 40" as they go over the second climb. Garate came over third at the front of the peloton.

Results at the top of the Cote du Mas-Rouet (58km):
1. Amets Txurruka - 3 points
2. Pierrick Fedrigo - 2 points
3. Juan Manuel Garate - 1 point

1325: There's some good Millar chat developing on 606 - both redders73 and dummy_half seem to fancy him to give it a pop today. What do you think?

1315: They're approaching the second climb, the Cote du Mas-Rouet, and, as The Farm sang, it's all together now.

Which of course means it's time for another breakaway attempt; Amets Txurruka and Pierrick Fedrigo dash off and open up a 25" gap.

1305: It's pretty fast again today - the average speed for the first hour is 43.4km/h.

1250: Talking of escapes, DeGuzman, Millar's off again at the 32km mark. He's joined by Allesandro Ballan, Laurent Lefevre, Moises Duenas Nevado, Staf Scheirlinckx, Manuel Beltran and Matteo Tosatto.

1245: "Expect fireworks on that category 2 col 45 km before the end, if there isn't an escape group away."
DeGuzman on the 606 website

1240: David Millar's again keeping his face - and that of Saunier Duval - in the public eye, taking second place in the climb over the Cote de Cantagal:
1. Philippe Gilbert - 3 points
2. David Millar - 2 points
3. Staf Sheirlinckx - 1 point

1235: The thunder rumbles over west London and the Tour reaches the first climb of the day, the fourth-category Cote de Cantagal, a mere bump at just 171m.

1225: As the breakaway is sucked in by the peloton, riders from T-Mobile and Barloworld attempt an escape.

But are quickly hauled back; the early indications are that breakaways are going to be closely policed today.

"The category 2 climb could split the field, I could see Astana cranking it up again."
opplock on the 606 website

1220: Alberto Ongarato, who crashed after 7km, got back on his bike but has since abandoned. That leaves 167 riders in the Tour after Calzati and Anton abandoned during the 11th stage and Zabriskie finished outside the time limit.

1205: There's already an eight-man breakaway. Axel Merckx, Inaki Isasi, Fabian Wegmann, Sylvain Chavanel, Juan Manuel Garate, Bert Grabsch, Daniel Navarro and Felix Cardenas have a lead of 20 seconds at the 3km mark.

Garate is the best-placed in the general classification, in 28th, 13'29" behind Rasmussen.

1140: Tom Boonen still heads the sprinters green jersey competition, but is now only 11 points clear of Robbie Hunter - who won yesterday's stage - and 16 points clear of Erik Zabel.

1130: Tour leader Michael Rasmussen, who was yesterday dropped from Denmark's national team after receiving several warnings from the International Cycling Union and anti-doping authorities, will start the stage, race director Christian Prudhomme said today.

Rasmussen had failed to give details of his whereabouts when training in May and June. But the Dane has not been suspended by his national federation, which did not inform the Tour authorities of its decision until yesterday.

Rasmussen passed two dope tests - on 5 July and 17 July - hence is allowed to continue in the Tour.

1125: Plus ca change for another day in the Tour - it's grey, wet and windy in the UK, and hot, hot, hot in the south of France as the riders tackle a relatively flat stage from Montpellier to Castres.