Hello and welcome to live coverage of stage 17 of the Tour de France - what could well be a decisive 184.5km Swiss schlep from Bern to Finhaut-Emosson where the riders will tackle only the second summit finish of the race. A rude awakening after yesterday's rest day...

Ruben Plaza (Orica-BikeExchange) is the latest rider to try and break clear - but it's not working out for the veteran Spaniard. It's a lovely day in the Swiss Alps with not a cloud in the deep blue sky...

Bozic and Barguil - who were involved in that earlier crash that ended Gorka Izaguirre's Tour - have managed to return to the peloton. Another Movistar rider was also involved - Imanol Erviti - and he's back too.

Numerous riders have tried to break clear including one from LottoNL-Jumbo as well as Ramunas Navardauskas (Cannondale) and Jérôme Cousin (Cofidis). So far, nothing has stuck.

Gorka Izaguirre (Movistar) has withdrawn from the race with what looks like to be a broken collarbone. Terrible start for the Spaniard and his Movistar team after the rest day. Movistar are also leading the team classification and so that may affect that going forward...

There was a crash shortly after the start today with Borut Bozic (Cofidis), Warren Barguil (Giant Alpecin) and Gorka Izaguirre (Movistar) all involved.

Another reminder that Rafal Majka (Tinkoff) is in the polka dot jersey and has three more days to trouser enough points to win the KOM competition for a second time. The Pole has 127 points with nearest rival Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal) on 90 points. There are a huge 64 points up for grabs today in what will be a key day for the polka dot pretenders...

A reminder that we have two riders in red bibs today after Etixx-QuickStep duo Julian Alaphilippe and Tony Martin were both involved in the break that animated Monday's stage 16.

The remaining 181 riders have rolled out of Bern to get this stage under way. Expect fireworks from the start...

Stage 17 INFO: The second rest day is followed by a mountainous stage in Switzerland backloaded with a two leg-sapping ascents. After two Cat.3 climbs the riders pass the UCI headquarters at Aigle before tackling the Col de la Forclaz (13km at 7.9%) – last used in the Tour in the late 70s – and then continuing up to the spectacular Émosson dam, whose still waters should reflect Mont-Blanc on the horizon. It's the Tour's first call on a challenging climb (10.4km at 8.4%) where Alberto Contador distanced a bloodied Chris Froome during a 2014 Dauphiné stage won by Lieuwe Westra. A final double-digit ramp should see the battle for yellow intensify.

The big bit of rest day news is that Mark Cavendish - winner of four stages thus far - has withdrawn from the race to focus on getting in shape for the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he'll be performing on the track for Team GB. The Dimension Data rider was tempted by a shot at a fifth win on the Champs Elysees but before then he'd have to face four days in the Alps, so his decision is understandable.

Race leader Chris Froome (Team Sky) was present alongside his rivals in a reduced peloton of 33 riders which made it to the top of a punchy cobbled climb in the Swiss capital ahead of a thrilling sprint between the peloton's fast men. The yellow jersey retained his 1:47 lead over Dutchman Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) ahead of the race's second rest day. Another Briton, Adam Yates of Orica-BikeExchange, completes the current podium 2:45 adrift of Froome, while Movistar duo Nairo Quintana and Valverde complete the top five ahead of the final Alpine chapter of the 103rd edition of the race.

Before the rest day, Slovakian world champion Peter Sagan narrowly beat Norway's Alexander Kristoff in Bern to win his third stage of the race in a dramatic finish to an otherwise sedate stage 16 into Switzerland.