Welcome to live coverage of stage 11 of the Tour de France - a short but beastly 148km ride from Albertville to La Toussuire that features four climbs including the fearsome Madeleine and Croix de Fer climbs, and the summit finish at La Toussuire.

Robert Gesink, who was part of the initial group today, is now off the back of the peloton, pedalling squares. It hasn't been his Tour.

Ivan Basso is in this group: the Italian has finished on a Grand Tour podium on four occasions - the same amount as Cadel Evans. One rider has more career podiums to his name... Can you name him?

Group in full: Horner (RNT), Kern, Malacarne, Rolland (EUC), Scarponi, Marzano (LAM), Basso, Koren (LIQ), D.Martin (GRS), Kadri, Riblon (ALM), Feillu (SAU), Hoogerland (VCD), Trofimov (KAT), Kruijswijk, ten Dam (RAB), Valverde, Kyryienka (MOV), C.Sorensen (STB), Kessiakoff, Keserlovski, Vinokourov (AST), P.Velits, Leipheimer (OPQ), Moinard (BMC) and Weening (ARG). The gap is 1:40 with Team Sky controlling the yellow jersey group.

We now have 26 riders out in front with 1:25 over the peloton. A full run-through coming up. The bast placed rider in the group is Scarponi, who is 7:14 down on Wiggins in the GC and so not a current threat.

Four riders have almost joined the 22-man leading group: Leipheimer, Ten Dam, Moinard and Marzano.

Liquigas pair Koren and Basso now on the front of the break, followed by the three Europcar riders in this huge group: Malacarne, Kern and Rolland. With the likes of Valverde, Scarponi and Vinokourov, this is a very experienced group with a mixture of real grizzled veterans and young promising talent. Nice to see Feillu there after his tricky opening week. The Frenchman has been unlucky since winning his first and only Tour stage a few years back.

Italian Davide Malacarne leads the breakaway up this slightly flatter section of the climb. American Levi Leipheimer has attacked from the main pack in pursuit of the leading group.

We have 20 riders now in the leading group: Scarponi, Rolland, Basso, Horner, Valverde, C Sorensen, P Velits, Kiserlovski, Vinokourov, Kruijswijk, Malacarne, Riblon, Trofimov, Martin, Hoogerland, Weening, Kirienka, Kern, Koren, Kadri, Feillu. They have 45 seconds on the pack.

Team Sky are controlling thing back with the yellow jersey group, led by Edvald Boasson Hagen.

Pierre Rolland spoke to Eurosport this morning: "It depends on what the other teams do. If it's war from the very beginning, you can't tell. You have to manage it yourself. The Madeleine is tough. It will take about an hour, but you don't want to give it your all from the very beginning because there is still so many more climbs afterwards. I don't think the GC riders will have a go on the first climb. I have to manage my efforts well."

Brice Feillu, who had a torrid early week, is in pursuit of the leaders alongside Vasil Kiryienka and Kessiakof. Chris Horner is in the leading group now. They have 1:10 over the peloton. Back with the pack, Europcar now have a dig through Pierre Rolland and Cyril Gautier. It's each man for himself at the moment.

There's a small group that has formed on the front now: Koren, Martin, Riblon, Hoogerland, CA Sorensen and Kiserlovski. Plus a couple of others. Scarponi and Valverde in pursuit. Off the back of the bunch, there's already a huge grupetto including the polka dot jersey, Thomas Voeckler.

There are riders everywhere. Luis Leon Sanchez and Alejandro Valverde have attacked from the main pack, as has Michele Scarponi.

Leading group in full: Basso, CA Sorensen, Kiserlovski, Vinokourov, Grivko, Kruisjwijk, Burghardt, Gesink, Gilbert, Martin, Hoogerland, De Weert, Pineau, Albasini, de Kort, N Sorensen, Kadri, Dumoulin, Gretsch, Iglinski and Feillu. But it's breaking up quickly, the the yellow jersey group is just 20-odd seconds back.

Yesterday's winner, Thomas Voeckler, is already off the back of the pack. The Frenchman leads the polka dot jersey standings with 28 points, with Sweden's Frederik Kessiakoff (Astana) and Michele Scarponi (Lampre) both in second on 21.

Italy's Ivan Basso (Liquigas) and France's Brice Feillu (Saur-Sojasun) are two riders who have jumped clear of the peloton in pursuit of the leading group, which only has 35 seconds on the back.

RadioShack actually do have a man in this group - Yaroslav Popovych - but after his effort yesterday, it's not likely he can produce much. Some of the names in the group: Vinokourov, Grivko, Kruijswijk, Burghardt, Gesink, Gilbert, Martin, Hoogerland, Dumoulin...

The riders are onto the HC Col de la Madeleine - (2 000 m) 25.3 kilometre-long climb at 6.2%. RadioShack are leading the chase in the peloton - they have no riders in this large break.

The Gesink group now have 40 seconds over the peloton. Apparently there still are 31 riders in this group - which is impressive because it looked to be doomed earlier. Full details coming up.

The first climb of the day starts after just 15km of flat - so we're almost there. After that, it's pretty much all uphill and downhill to the finish.

The escape looks pretty doomed. It got as big as 30 riders, but it only ever had a handful of seconds over the pack, and most of the riders have now been reeled in.