Tour De France - Stage 15 Live!

1.05pm Here's hoping the field descend the Col d'Aspet more successfully than poor Raymond Poulidor in 1973: on that occasion, the man known as the Eternal Second (a bit like Sergio Garci­a, really), collided with a police motorbike, breaking his nose. He rode out the stage but ultimately retired, too injured to continue. In the meantime, following on from a debate I had with friends at the weekend, what is the one rule you would change in cycling? Let everyone take drugs? Force the riders to climb more mountains?

1pm The lead group are making impressive headway up the Col d'Aspet and now have a 9m 25sec advantage on the peloton, from which Thor Hushovd has just been shown falling away from in the foothills.

12.56pm "After yesterday's cracking of Cadel Evans (and what a cracking Tour stage yesterday was!), I expect more will go the same way after the second sprint," writes Garry Hensey. "It'll be interesting, considering the morning spate of attacks, who'll be there at the end of today." Well, things should start to get interesting soon, Garry: the leaders are approaching the Category Two Portet d'Aspet, with the Category One Col de Mente beginning immediately after the descent from the Aspet. Certainly, Rasmussen looked fantastic yesterday, but I think he'll want to snatch some more time on his leading rivals both today and on Wednesday's killer stage finishing up at the Col d'Aubisque.

12.52pm The breakaway in full: Zubeldia, Kirchen, Denis Menchov, David Arroyo, Vinokourov, Juan Manuel Garate, Juan Jose Cobo, George Hincapie, Patxi Vila Errandonea, Christian Vandevelde, Patrice Halgand, Ludovic Turpin, Inigo Landaluze, Christian Knees, Bernhard Kohl, - Ruben Perez, Serguei Ivanov, Laurent Lefevre, Kurt-Asle Arvesen, Michael Albasini, Benoet Vaugrenard, Daniele Bennati, Daniel Navarro and Johann Tschopp. Phew!

The story so far ... Today's 196km of mountain misery contains two Category Two climbs, two Category One climbs and another of the vicious hors categorie climbs at Port de Bales. Not that it put off perennial breakaway member Sylvain Chavanel, who launched an attack within 300metres of the start of racing, although that was soon snuffed out. However, climbing up the Col de Port, another break pulled clear and now, it comprises a whopping 25 riders, none of whom currently call the top 10 of the overall standings home. Among their number, though, are the increasingly up-and-down Alexandr Vinokourov (30th, 34min 12sec adrift), Luxembourg's Kim Kirchen (14th, 13min 16sec) and Haimar Zubeldia, the highest-ranked rider in the group at 13th, 12min 15sec off yellow. Now, with 102km to go in today's stage, they lie exactly 9min ahead.

Preamble Good afternoon everyone and welcome to the latest episode of Pain in the Pyrenees. And following last week's discussion about bizarre bike accidents, here's a sobering tale from the weekend in Canada.

General classification after stage 14:

1. Rasmussen (RAB) 64h 12min 15sec

2. Contador (DSC) +02min 23sec

3. Evans (PRL) +03min 04sec

4. Leipheimer (DSC) +04min 29sec

5. Kloden (AST) +04min 38sec

6. Sastre (CSC) +05min 50sec

7. Kashechkin (AST) +06min 58sec

8. Astarloza (EUS) 08min 25sec

9. Valverde (GCE) +09min 45sec

10. Popovych (DSC) +10min 55sec

Who's wearing what?


Yellow jersey: Michael Rasmussen (Rabobank)

Green jersey: Tom Boonen (Quick Step)

Polka dot jersey: Juan Mauricio Soler (Rabobank)

White jersey: Alberto Contador (Discovery Channel)