Welcome to live coverage of stage 18 of the Tour de France, a 222.5km trek from Blagnac near Toulouse to Brive-la-Gaillarde - a chance for the sprinters to return to the fold to test their legs before the Champs Elysees on Sunday.

Tour de France

Stage 18 | Flat | Men | 20.07.2012

Completed

BlagnacBrive-la-Gaillarde

Live

Live Updates

ByThe Editorial Team

Updated 20/07/2012 at 15:14 GMT

All
Highlights

16:00

Thanks for joining us - be sure to tune in tomorrow for the ITT.

0km

Yellow jersey Bradley Wiggins finished safely to retain the race lead. No change in the standings.

0km

That's a second win on the Tour this year for Cav, a fourth for Sky and a fifth for Britain.

0km

Result: 1. Cavendish, 2. Goss, 3. Sagan, 4. Sanchez, 5. Roche. But there was only ever going to be one winner - Cav won by several bike lengths after an extraordinary surge of pace at the end.

0km

A perfect finish for Mark Cavendish there - he came through with such speed to take an easy win. Matt Goss finished second.

0km

Roche has led it out! Sanchez follows... BUT CAVENDISH POWERS ROUND ON HIS OWN TO TAKE THE WIN!

0.5km

Wiggins peels off. Into the last corner now...

1km

Wiggins leads out Boasson Hagen and Cavendish. Hansen drives from the line for the leaders.

1.5km

There's a hard left turn - 90 degrees. No one comes down. And then a hard right. Roche still leads Kloden. The six are still there - just.

2km

The yellow jersey is right there on the front. Wiggins wants to keep out of trouble. Garmin are there for Farrar. The roads are slick with this drizzle.

2.5km

Roche is setting the pace with Sanchez and Kloden on his wheel.

3km

Still no uniform effort from the peloton - although Cavendish is there with Boasson Hagan in the Sky train.

3.5km

The Liquigas rider with Kiryienka is Daniel Oss.

4km

Hansen attacks on the front! But the others have his wheel. The gap is still 10 seconds.

4.5km

The gap is 10 seconds as three riders ping off the front of the peloton - Kiryienka and Gerrans and a Liquigas rider.

5km

Now Sanchez rides on the front of the leading six. Roche is there too, taking a long turn.

6km

The rain is beginning to fall now. The chasing trio have almost caught the leaders.

7km

Luca Paolini is on the front now, trying desperately to save Katusha's torrid Tour. They only have 12 seconds though... Liquigas now on the front of the chase.

8km

Vasili Kiryienka on the front of the peloton for Movistar.

9km

Vino is trying to get the others to help out on the descent - they know the chasers are closing in. Luis Leon Sanchez has joined Kloden and Roche in pursuit.

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