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Almeida and Jorgenson are on the front now, helping their ledaers.
Jorgenson attacks! Pogačar closes it.
Seven riders back together at the front now, with 4km to go.
Vingegaard comes through to take a turn, but the chasers are just a few metres behind.
Vingegaard isn’t working with Pogačar.
KOM: Rampe Saint-Hilaire (cat 4)
Pogačar drops Vingegaard, but the Dane is fighting back.
These two are just on another level. It’s Evenepoel who is chasing behind, Van der Poel can’t match it.
Vingegaard is on his wheel. Van der Poel is not quite going with them.
And Pogačar goes!
Almeida comes up now and Pogačar hops onto his wheel.
Narváez is leading out Pogačar on the climb.
Lipowitz is dropping at the back of the peloton.
Barguil is moving up the peloton with Oscar Onley on his wheel.
Evenepoel, Vingegaard, Pogačar and Van der Poel are all in the first 10 riders.
CLimb
Evenepoel has to close a gap to Pogačar at the foot of the next climb.
Big effort from Campenaerts here. Vingegaard is on his wheel, Van Aert is at the back of the Visma train.
Visma are pushing hard on the descent.
10km to go
Just one 800m climb left, and then the kick up to the line.
Four Visma riders now lead the bunch: Campenarts, Vingegaard, Jorgenson and Van Aert in that order.
Visma are bringing Vingegaard forward and taking control with Campenaerts.
Onto the descent. Van der Poel has just slid back a little.
KOM: Côte de la Grand’Mare (cat 4)
Vingegaard is on Pogačar’s wheel, with his Visma teammates a little further back.
Ben O’Connor is dropped out the back of the bunch. Bad GC start for him so far after a crash on stage 1.
Feels like an attack is coming… but when?
Pogačar is second wheel, just behind Wellens, with 600m to go on this climb.
Vingegaard and Roglič are right up front with UAE and Alpecin.
Ben Healy struggling at the back. Not a day for him. Alaphilippe pops as well.
Kaden Groves is putting in an amazing shift for Alpecin here. He’s not just a sprinter, that’s for sure.
Climb
UAE and Alpecin are fighting for control at the front of the bunch.
This run-in is super technical. So many narrow parts and badly-placed road furniture.
5km until the next climb.
UAE are piling on the pace now, lining out the peloton.
KOM: Côte de Bonsecours (Cat 4)
Benoot is moving up the bunch for Visma-Lease a Bike.
Martinez is immediately sliding back, but he’s had a much better day than the last few today.
Alpecin are leading things up this climb, with Van der Poel right up front, though Pogačar is glued to his wheel.
Climb
20km to go
And Martinez is caught by the Alpecin-led peloton.
Potential stage contender Ben Healy is chasing back on.
A bit of a descent is allowing riders to come back after that crash.
Paret-Peintre looks like he may be out of the race as he sits by the side of the road in tears.
A lot of riders held up there too, when the peloton is at full speed.
Harold Tejada, Valentin Paret-Peintre and Mick van Dijke all down.
Crash
25km to go
Pogačar is on the wheel of Wellens in the group, as Uno-X move to the front.
Don’t look back Lenny!
The Bahrain Victorious car to Lenny Martinez
Martinez is still holding onto 15 seconds, after a really strong climb.
Alaphilippe is still struggling to make contact with the bunch.
KOM: Côte de Belbeuf (cat 3)
Martinez is really going all out.
Martinez is pushing on alone on this climb, ahead of Abrahamsen, who is about to be caught.
This is short but steep and narrow.
Climb
Gachignard is caught.
Alaphilippe and Dainese are fighting back through the convoy.
Just 20 seconds for the break, the peloton have them in view.
Intermediate sprint: Saint-Adrien
Gap is down to 30 seconds.
Alaphilippe is back riding, but already nearly a minute back. Bad moment to need a new wheel!
Puncture for Alaphilippe – teammate Dainese is stopping with him.
And the gap just dips below a minute, with 33km to go.
Intermediate sprint coming up.
The gap keeps going down a bit, and then stabilising. Obviously the peloton have kept them close all day but they can’t take the catch for granted now. Some teams are going to have to put a dig in to bring the leaders back.
The peloton is quite strung out at the back, though riders are coming back on the flat.
Asgreen is doing quite a lot of work in the break.
About 13km to the next climb, so a bit of a lull, but a real key moment for positioning.
Pogačar and Vingegaard are both in the first 25 riders or so, next to each other a few rows from the front.
Super tense in the bunch. They’re all fighting for position up front.
The break are trying their best to stay away here, and they are strong.
The peloton have just crested the top of the climb too.
KOM: Côte Jacques Anquetil (cat 4)
Felix Gall is having an issue in the peloton – he’s here for GC so not a good time to have a problem.
Martinez slows a bit and Asgreen is back with him and Abrahamsen, Gachignard too.
Lenny Martinez is on the attack on the climb.
Fast pace up this climb and riders are being dropped already.
The soft landing probably helped some riders there.
Crash
Climb
A few riders are chasing back on after that crash.
Matteo Vercher went down first and heaviest, but he’s back riding already.
Crash
8km to go to the first climb.
The teams lining up in colour order is a thing of beauty.
60km to go
Here’s a quick reminder of the climbs we have coming up:
Gap is already down to 1:20.
It’s Alpecin, Cofidis and EF at the front of the bunch.
Not that I don’t have much to say about this stage, but just realised we have riders 33, 55 and 222 in this break. So that’s something.
The gap is just starting to come down.
Van Aert spoke to TNT before the race. He’s said he is hoping to be there in the finale, and to find some better legs – so he is after more on this stage than just looking after Vingegaard.
75km to go
Around 25km to go until we start the climbs.
Today’s average speed is 45 kph.
The break are working hard and riding well together, in a good through-and-off formation, but I’m not sure they have any chance of staying away, no matter how strong they are.
This man was impressive on stage 2. Could he go for it again today?
EF Education-EasyPost have just moved up towards the front of the bunch.
Riders are grabbing musettes from the side of the road and having some food.
Lunch time in the peloton!
100km to go
The peloton is pretty strung out. It’s definitely not easy work to keep this strong break within two minutes.
We’re going over a bit of an uncategorised climb at the moment.
Silvan Dillier is still on the front. Obviously.
Lenny Martinez is putting in a little dig over a rise – well, a bridge that rises. But he doesn’t go anywhere.
Mathieu van der Poel is just chasing back onto the bunch after being at the car.
The peloton just went through the beautiful town of Gerberoy.
But this is how Jeannière finished the stage yesterday, so you can see why he’s at the car.
Émilien Jeannière is at the medical car. It’s annoying some of the other riders out the back of the bunch that he’s just being towed past them…
It’s a glamorous life on Tour.
Riders are stopping to wee again. It’s very chill today.
It really is impressive what Silvan DIllier is doing here. Just controlling the break, on his own, for kilometres on end. No rotation needed for the Swiss man.
120km to go
Here’s the polka-dot king.
Quick stop for Tim Wellens, but he’s back riding now.
Alpecin-Deceuninck are all about Van der Poel today.
A reminder that Jonas Abrahamsen, who is in the break, only broke his collarbone a few weeks ago. Mad recovery.
Here’s a reminder of today’s profile:
Still a good 80km to go until the first climb today. It’s very much going to be a day of two halves; this calm and then a really fierce finale.
Some food, drink nd a chat for Asgreen as he goes back to the car. It’s Tom Southam on DS duty for EF Education-EasyPost.
Asgreen calls for the car.
Today’s now-traditional start line selfie (ft. a rogue Matej Mohorič)
Here you go, architecture fans. This is the colossal cathedral in Amiens, the Notre Dame d’Amiens. It’s as big as two Notre Dames de Paris.
It’s Visma-Lease a Bike who are lined up behind Alpecin.
Alpecin-Deceuninck are really giving the leaders nothing today. The gap is not even two minutes right now.
There’s 2,000m of climbing on this stage, with five climbs in the last 50km.
A rider to watch today?
It’s about 18 degrees in France at the moment, but beautifully sunny.
Tour de France or vintage Windows screensaver?
Possibly not a lot is going to happen for the next 50km or so, as the break is set and everyone will be looking at the climb-packed finale.
The peloton is currently going at 53 kph. Oof!
This is a really strong four-rider group. Alpecin are doing the right thing by keeping it close, because these are the kind of riders who could spring a surprise if you give them too much leeway.
Asgreen joins the leaders.
Asgreen is nearly there.
Bryan Coquard has stopped to have his seatstay adjusted, and take a natural break at the same time. Multitasking I guess.
All the special jerseys at the start this morning.
Asgreen is now 42 seconds behind the leaders, who are 2:09 ahead of the bunch.
Dilier did about 200km on the front during Milan-San Remo earlier this year. Could be a similar day for him today – Alpecin obviously have the yellow to defend, but they also want to win the stage in Rouen with Van der Poel.
Asgreen is still plugging away to make this junction.
Asgreen is about halfway between the leaders and the bunch.
And the riders are just pulling over for a natural break – when the yellow jersey goes, everyone goes.
Alpecin-Deceuninck, led by Silvan Dillier, have just moved to the front and taken control which signals that the break is probably set, and they’re going to keep the gap under control.
The peloton seems fairly happy with this situation. They’re not trying to shut down Asgreen. A four-rider break is a pretty good deal on a day like today.
It’s Kasper Asgreen (EF Education-EasyPost) who is on the attack after fighting up to the front of the peloton.
Yep, another attack goes.
Breakaway formed
Gachignard makes the junction, and the gap is a minute.
170km to go
Here we go, a rider is trying to bridge. It’s Thomas Gachignard from TotalEnergies. He’s got a 30-second gap to close on his own.
Just Martinez and Abrahamsen have gone for now, and the peloton has settled, but that doesn’t mean more riders aren’t going to try and bridge.
As soon as the flag drops, the attacks start – Lenny Martinez is indeed the first to go, followed by Jonas Abrahamsen.
Official start
We’re out of town now and the official start is minutes away.
Photo of the day so far!
Ooh Lenny Martinez is also getting to the front.
Victor Campenaerts is at the front now. He’s a good contender for the breakaway today.
Still 10 minutes or so until the flag drops and the race is underway properly.
Remco Evenepoel had a little crash yesterday, but is feeling fine this morning, he tells the TV.
After yesterday’s lack of a break, viewers and commentators will be hoping there is a move today.
A few Ineos riders are amassing at the front during the neutral here. That could be a sign that they want to be in the break, or they’re just staying out of trouble.
Neutral start
TNT Sports have just been speaking Alpecin-Deceuninck’s DS Christoph Roodhooft. He says Mathieu van der Poel reconned this stage finale two weeks ago.
We also have a new green jersey today in Jonathan Milan.
Tadej Pogačar is back in his world champion’s kit today, after sending Tim Wellens up the road yesterday to take the polka-dot jersey off him.
15 minutes until the neutral start.
The photographers are getting creative at the start.
Just under half an hour to go until the neutralised roll-out.
TDF stat
And here’s the actual start line looking all Tour-ified.
Here’s the view at the start and bus paddock this morning:
You can even watch the sign-on live, if you want:
The last time the Tour was in Amiens, for a finish in 2018, Dylan Groenewegen won the stage.
Cockpit stickers are honestly my passion. Love this one.
It was a rollercoaster three days for Jasper Philipsen – from yellow to crashing out.
If you’re waiting for the Tour to start, the Giro d’Italia Women is also on this week, so I’d recommend tuning into that – stage 3 is underway now, and they’re about to go over the highest point of the race.
The riders have just started signing on in Amiens.
Here’s a photo that sums up how chaotic yesterday was – Paul Penhoët walking to the finish after crashing on the final corner.
Some good news from this morning: Stolen Cofidis bikes recovered with help from police and Tour de France organisers
Here’s what’s on the cards today – 174.2km from Amiens to Rouen in northern France.
Today is a much punchier day, with back-to-back short but steep climbs in the finale, and a little kick up to the line in Rouen to finish things off.
I’m Matilda, Assistant Features Editor, and I’ll be taking you through what promises to be an exciting day in France, with a punchy finish on the cards.
Welcome to Cyclingnews’ live coverage of stage 4 of the Tour de France!
