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Here are the final standings fromtodays stage:
1 Tony Martin (Ger) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
2 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Trek Factory Racing
3 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team
4 Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Giant-Shimano
5 Matteo Montaguti (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale
6 José Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Movistar Team
7 Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling
8 Mikael Cherel (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
9 Brice Feillu (Fra) Bretagne - Seche Environnement
10 Tiago Machado (Por) Team Netapp-Endura
16:35. Gallopin bursts into tears as he claims the yellow jersey ahead of Nibali. The peloton are taking their time riding into Mulhouse.
16:32. Cancellara's late sprint secures second place for him, closely followed by Van Avermaet who takes 3rd place.
16:30. Tony Martin's stage win is the fifth German victory in this years tour!
16:28. Martin rides over the line and celebrates a well deserved stage win. Incredible riding from the Omega Pharma-Quickstep man!
16:27. Martin is going to win it. Despite the hard efforts of the other riders, the German has maintained a three minute lead. He's been fantastic today.
16:24. Rolland is desperate to better his GC contentions, as he, Machado, Gautier and Gallopin are all riding full speed. trying to get as much distance between themselves and the peloton as possible.
16:22. Word of encouragement come from Martin's team car. He's getting even faster! 5.5 km to go, with a gap of 8 minutes, 10 seconds and 3 minutes between the peloton and chase group respectively.
16:22. Feillu, Gallopin, Rolland, Machado and Gautier are all communicating well, taking it in turns to lead the chase group, working on their GC, whilst AG2R work for their team classification standing.
16:17. Gallopin and Cherel have been swallowed by the chasers and have done thier job for the day. Gallopin will still be focused on the GC
16:16. The peloton know they're not going to catch the chasers, resulting in a steady pace being set by Astana. They've kept the gap between them and the leader at 8 minutes and 10 seconds for much of the day.
16:14. Machado and Rolland spearhead the chasers as many other riders drop off knowing they won't win. They're not gaining any distance on Gallopin and Cherel however, who are still 3 minutes behind Martin. It looks like Omega Pharma-Quickstep will win today's stage comfortably!
16:08. Astana continue to spearhead the peloton. They will not mind losing the yellow jersey today, as it's seen as a burden in early stages. Nibali will try and regain it after the rest day, after tomorrows stage.
16:05. Cherel has now joined Gallopin in an effort to close the 3 minute gap seperating them and leader, Tony Martin. They're not waiting for anyone, as Gallopin in particular wants to gain time on current yellow jersey holder Vincenzo Nibali.
16:00. Tony Gallopin has broken from the chasers, and is closing down the gap to Tony Martin. The Lotto Belisol rider isn't riding efficiently, but is still gaining time.
15:58. Martin continues to push on, extending the gap even more. His line going down the mountain is phenomenal, and is riding incredibly smoothly.
15:56. Bardet has suffered a puncture and is now back with the peloton.
15:53. Lotto Belisol rider, Gallopin is today riding for GC, but hasn't done too much work. He is now setting the pace however to gain time on Nibali. The gaps are 8:15, and 2:50 for the peloton and the chasing group respectively.
15:48. Pinto has attacked, most likely to avoid collisions on the descent.
15:44. De Marchi and Rodriguez both recognize they're unlikely to catch the German leading the race, so they drop back into the chasers. It's looking as if Nibali is readying to lead his group down the other side of the mountain. The gap is 7 minutes and 55 seconds between Martin and the peloton.
15:43. With 38 km remaining, Martin begins to descend. It proves to be a fast pace ending to the race.
15:39. Montaguti has rejoined the chase group, as they absorb De Marchi. Commemorable effort from the Italian, but his legs have just run out. Rodriguez now pushing past him to grab even more king of the mountain points. The Katusha rider looks to push onwards in effort to close the gap.
15:35. Martin looks unstoppable today as he extends the lead from the peloton to 8:30. He's got a big descent coming up in a minute too, so he'll widen his lead even more. The flat secton with 20 km to go will be the hardest part for him, but he'll have the confidence descending to get the gap he needs.
15:32. Rodriguez battles Edet in the sprint for the points on the climb once again, and Rodriguez once again wins the points.
15:29. The gap keeps rising! Martin is now 1:45 infront of De Marchi, 3:55 ahead of Rolland and the chasers, and now 8:20 ahead of the peloton.
15:25. Tony Martin continues to power on as he takes maximum points on the second to last categorized climb. What a day it could be for him, potentially winning the polka dot jersey and stage!
15:25. More and more riders are being dropped from the peloton who are now 7 minutes 40 seconds behind Martin, with Cancellara and Montaguti being a couple of the most noticable.
15:23. Martin has extended his gap to 55 seconds and 2 minues and 55 seconds ahead of Marchi and the chasers respectively.
15:19. As the heavens open and the rain pours down, Nibali will be thinking whether he should lead his teammates down, as he is more than talented when going down.
15:17. Martin, in a small amount of time that he was descending has increased his gap from the chasers to 2 minutes and 45 seconds. He's really showing off his ability whilst going down!
15:14. Kadri, Kristoff, Boom, Trentin, Reza, three of which were in the chase group for the majority of the stage have also been dropped. De Marchi is now 45 seconds behind Martin who is currently desscending. He'll have to be careful however, as the rain has begun to fall.
15:13. Andre Greipel who hasbeen riding brilliantly today has finally been dropped from the peloton who trail by 7 minutes and 6 seconds.
15:07. Sky's Gerraint Thomas is involved in a minor crash. A few riders down, but they all get straight back on.
15:06. The German now has a solid gap up at the front, yet he's still got a long way to go. He's going to have to be extremely strong to maintain it, but once it gets to the descent, he may extend the lead even further. 15 km to the top, 57 km to go.
15:05. Martin (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) has attacked! De Marchi steps up his pace, but cannot catch him! He seems to be proving a point, showing the italian that he will attack, and he's still a danger to the stage.
15:00 As the leading two hit the climb, the gaps are 2:35 and 6:45. Both groups have reduced the gap seperating them, yet it would be a massive shame if the escapees were to be caught. Fantastic riding by them today.
14:57. Lars Boom, who has tried to bridge the chasers all day, but has failed has finally been swallowed by the peloton. An admirable effort put in by him today, but could prove deadly in stage 10.
14:55. Martin takes maximum points in the intermediate sprint, shortly followed by De Marchi. In a few moments time, the duo will hit Le Markstein (10.8km, 5.4%), a torturous category 1 climb.
14:53. The peloton is now almost 7 minutes behind the leaders, whilst the chasers are almost 3 minutes behind with 63 km to go.
14:48. The escapees are 5km from the intermediate sprint. It will be closely contested between Martin and De Marchi.
14:45. The group at the back, including Kittel are around 2 minutes behind the peloton. Greipel however has remained in the peloton, despite many believing he'd be dropped.
14:41. Reza of Europcar has been caught by the peloton after leading out his teammates for the majority of the race.
14:41. Astana still lead the peloton, with Sky and Saxo Tinkoff remaining nearby. It's looking unlikely that either team will attack today, as the gap between them and the leaders is extended to 6 minutes 7 seconds.
14:38. Quemeneur and Pichot set the pace for Europcar, as it looks like Reza has dropped back. Edet, who was aiming to close down the chasers has been caught by the peloton.
14:32. Gallopin leads Nibali by 33 seconds. Astana won't have too many worries about giving the yellow jersey away to him, as he doesn't serve a long term threat. The peloton is now 5 minutes and 56 seconds behind the leading duo, whilst the chasers are also dropping time. They are 1 minute 55 behind with 75km's to go.
14:30. Kadri has caught the back of the peloton but still looks tired. He won't be challenging for any more points today, and may even lose his jersey.
14:27. Edet has continued to attack whilst Rodriguez dropped back to the peloton. He may be aiming for the chasers or maybe even to join the two leaders. He might be looking for a late break.
14:25. Rodriguez takes third place ikn the points section, Edet fourth. The Cofidis rider will be content with the one point, after a admirable performance in the mountains in this years tour thus far.
14:23. Kadri, the polka dot jersey holder is dropped. He's looking shattered out there. The two leaders still have a comfortable lead, as Marchi takes 5 points from the mountain stage. He stated after winning the mountains jersey in the dauphine that that would be his main focus in the tour.
14:19. Blel Kadri is riding at the back of the peloton up a small descent, doesn't look like he's looking to win more points today as he looks to be suffering from yesterdays commendable efforts. The peloton is now 5 minutes behind the leading duo, whilst the chasers, despite their best efforts are 1:45 behind.
14:15. Martin and Marchi are now riding up our 4th categorized climb today. It's a 4.1 km long category 2 climb. It may prove a challenge for many of the chasers, whilst others can use it to their advantage.
14:09. Orica Greenedge rider, Albasini has been forced to stop due to a puncture. The duo up top keep extending their gap, as they lead the chasers by 1:35 and the peloton by 4:35. The accomplished climbers in the chase group are expected to attack on this upcoming climb.
14:04. Martin (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) is leading the group of two at the front, with Marchi (Cannondale) struggling to keep up with him; Martin, a time trial specialist is riding like a machine! The group chasing are around 1 minute behind.
13:57. Reza of Europcar is spuring on the group, as he leads them out up another ascent. Two more Europcar riders are alongside him, with another 2 further back in the group.
13:55. Marcel Kittel's group is reportedly 5 minutes worse than the leaders. Marchi and Martin are riding brilliantly at the front, and have extended their lead to 50 seconds ahead of the chasers. The peloton is now 3 minutes and 16 seconds behind.
13:52. Alongside Astana is BMC and AG2R. Yesterday's stage winner and mountains classification leader, Kadri can be identified in his polka dot jersey. Astana look content at the front leading a steady pace however, and are containing any other attacks looking to join the break.
13:50. The peloton, 2 minutes 30 behind, are spearheaded by Astana who are protecting GC leader Vincenzo Nibali. Team Sky are ready to take over if needs be.
13:46. Boom has now been caught. Europcar have 4 riders in the group, showing that they're determined to put Bernaudeau's words into practice.
13:43. Boom has broken away from the large group, and is 20 seconds behind the front two.
13:42. The 27 man chase group is now only 35 seconds behind Marchi and Martin. They'll be expected to catch them within the next couple of kilometers.
13:40. The two chasing groups have merged whilst descending. The gap between them and the leaders remains around 1 minute.
13:32. As the large group of chasers descend rapidly down one of today's mountais, the gap has been extended to 2 minutes and 9 seconds. Rolland of Europcar is speaheading the first chasing group, hoping to catch the two riders. Team Europcar's manager, Bernaudeau confidently stated earlier that today will be their stage.
13:30. Today's 170km stage is almost made for a break-away, and around 25 riders have taken that opportunity. The gap between the two leaders and the peloton stands at 2 minutes and 3 seconds.
13:23. 123 km to go, 45 done. Marchi of Cannondale and Martin of Omega Pharma-Quickstep are the leading duo, breaking away from the peloton early. Apilak, Montaguti, Van Avermaet, Navarro, Machado, Rolland, Quemeneur and Edet are the group pursuing the two spearheading the stage. Another group of Chavanel, Dumoulin, Rodriguez, Cancellara, Rodriguez, Gallopin, Feillu and Boom chase the chasers.
13:20. The last time the Tour visited today's end point, Mulhouse, was in 2005. Michael Rasmussen won the stage while Jens Voigt rode himself into yellow. Rasmussen was uncontested in a stage very similar to todays-full of mountains and plenty of points to be won.
13:15. We're only a few minutes away from today's stage. Stay with us for live updates and coverage.
12:05. An uphill intermediate sprint will take place between climbs 3 and 4 of the day, giving riders with enough energy chance to better their points classification standing.
12:00. The peloton will traverse across 2 more categorized climbs in the Cote des Cinq Chateaux (category 3, 4.5km, 6.1%) and the Cote de Gueberschwihr (category 2, 4.1km, 7.9%) before reaching Le Markstein (10.8km, 5.4%), a torturous category 1 climb.
11:50. Right from the off, the riders will be ascending up a category 2 climb in Col de la Schlucht (8.6km, 4.5%). The riders will then reach the peak at around 1200m and descend to around 600 meters, taking them to the foot of the second climb, and third highest of the day, Col du Wettstein (category 3, 7.7km, 4.1%).
11:45. The stage today is a typical one for the Vosges, going either up or down almost all day. The stage includes climbs like Col de la Schlucht and Grand Ballon that are some of the most well-known ascents in this small mountain range.
11:35. A 20km flat conclusion to the stage will be greeted with open arms by the riders today, but the usual sprint contenders in Kittel (Giant0-Shimano), Greipel (Lotto belisol), Coquard (Team Europcar) and Kristoff (Team Katusha) are all likely to lose more time as they look to be dropped reasonably early on in the climbs. However current points leader, Peter Sagan of Cannondale will be looking to keep up with the peloton in effort to keep his lead.
11:25. Despite tired legs being innevitable, Kadri, who is the current Polka dot jersey holder, will be hoping to pick up more points on today's mountainous stage in order to preserve his lead at the top of the mountains classification
11:15. Today's 170km ride from Gérardmer – Mulhouse hosts six grueling categorized climbs, finally giving us a first look at some of the higher mountains in this year's race.
11:10. Kadri's victory yesterday was the first of a home rider in this year's competition, and was achieved by dropping his breakaway group with 25 kilometers remaining. The French rider held off the yellow jersey group over 2 final climbs. Vavel's report for yesterday's stage can be found on the home page.
11:05. AG2R rider Blel Kadri claimed yesterday's stage, whilst current yellow jersey holder, Vincenzo Nibali retains the recognized yellow jersey with a third placed finish.
11:00. Goodmorning all, Ollie here, and welcome to VAVEL's live event for Stage 9 of Le Tour De France.