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Tour de France - *Auray - Saint-Brieuc

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  1. 17:00 - Thanks for joining us today. Be sure to return for all the action tomorrow - 209km stage three from St Malo to Nantes.

  2. 0km - Alejandro Valverde finished safely to conserve his yellow jersey.

  3. 0km - Kirchen came with super speed to take second and Ciolek took third. Hunter got fourth and the evergreen Zabel stole fifth. Freire and Casper were also in the mix.

  4. 0km - Cancellara looked to have pulled off another trademark coup, but he didn't have the legs to stay out and the big Norweigan looked composed and under control as he powered home to take the stage!

  5. 0km - Now the sprinters go... Hushovd and Kirchen go! AND HUSHOVD DOES IT!!!

  6. 0.2km - Pozzato is on Cancellara's wheel... Schumacher in pursuit!

  7. 0.5km - Cancellara goes!! CRASH AT THE BACK!!! Cancellara has built up a lead... will he do it?

  8. 1km - Chavanel comes under the flamme rouge... one click to go, but he only has a handful of seconds...

  9. 1.5km - Valverde is moving to the front, of all people! Chavanel has six seconds...

  10. 2km - Chavanel has just 10 seconds as Le Lay is swept up by the peloton. Voeckler and Moreau will be next...

  11. 2.5km - Chavanel looks to be suffering... QuickStep are giving it some real beef on the front... Voeckler comes to the front... NOW CHAVANEL GOES!! Voeckler tries to join him, but cannot do it. Moreau and Le Lay have thrown in the towel...

  12. 3km - Moreau doing the work on this rise... all three others are still there... the lead is 23 seconds... this is heart-in-mouth stuff!

  13. 4km - The sea is in sight... it's going to be touch and go... the lead is 28" so the four might hold on... that said, there's a hill ahead and surely that will be the end of their efforts? Surely?!

  14. 5km - Just 30" the gap now.

  15. 6km - Liquigas are doing work on the front now too... Voeckler looks in serious pain... Le Lay is working so hard, eyeing a win in his home region.

  16. 7km - Kanstantsin Siutsou of team Colombia punctures...

  17. 8km - Time check: 37". The sun has actually just come out. But how much longer will it shine on the four escapees? If Thor Hushovd has anything to say - not much longer.

  18. 10km - Under the ten-to-go banner the four go... the rain is holding off... QuickStep and Credit Agricole are preparing themselves... lurking with intent is also CSC's Fabian Cancellara.

  19. 11km - The four Frenchman are giving it their best shot. They have 50" over the peloton so while it's not infeasable for them to stay out, it is still unlikely.

  20. 13km - It's all hustle and bustle on the front of the peloton, with the teams of all the big sprinters jostling for positions. The lead has crept to under a minute... 56" at the latest check.

  21. 14km - Time gaps: 1'03" back to the peloton and 2'52" back to Soler and Bertogliati.

  22. 15km - The gap has frozen at one minute... Nobody has gone for Robbie McEwen today, the Australian seemingly lacking form.

  23. 18km - Soler and Bertogliani have joined forces and are fighting to get back into the peloton, but they are over a minute and a half off the pace and so the nightmare will continue.

  24. 19km - The lead is exactly a minute now. The four Musketeers won't last much longer...

  25. 20km - EUROSPORT EXPERT PREDICTIONS: Sean Kelly thinks Oscar Freire, Emma Davies says Thor Hushovd, David Duffield is punting on Riccardo Ricco, David Harman is going for Gert Steegmans and Stephen Roche initially put his money on mark Cavendish, before swiftly changing to go for Steegmans.

  26. 22km - The lead is down to 1'06".

  27. 23km - QuickStep and FdJ are the two teams driving the peloton.

  28. 24km - Juan Mauricio Soler has been distanced by the peloton. The Barloworld rider injured his wrist yesterday and is now finding it impossible to keep up with the fierce pace. He has no team-mates to nurse him back and so it will be more time lost for the Colombian tonight in Saint Brieuc.

  29. 25km - CRASH: Rubens Bertogliati of Saunier Duval hits the deck when approaching a roundabout in the town of Mississipi… He cuts his elbow but is back on his bike.

  30. 26km - Voeckler is finding it hard to keep up with the others - no surprise given the fact he's been out in front both today and yesterday.

  31. 27km - There's a Christophe Le Mevel fan out there: the Credit Agricole rider's name is painted across a bridge three times.

  32. 28km - Music to Alejandro Valverde's ears: Rafa Nadal has taken the first set off Roger Federer in this year's Wimbledon, the Spaniard leading the Swiss 1-0 in the final.

  33. 30km - Chavanel is giving it a bit of a dig now, realising that if they don't do something fast, then it will all be over for the four leaders. The gap is 1'30" with 30 clicks to go on a day hitherto devoid of real drama. The sun is out again.

  34. 33km - QuickStep have moved to the front too, eyeing a possible move for Gert Steegmans.

  35. 35km - The riders are crossing a heavily wooded area with trees as far as the eyes can see. The four Frenchmen have 1'35" now and so there days out in front are numbered.

  36. 39km - There are five FdJ riders on the front of the peloton, with Philippe Gilbert in the green jersey sitting a bit further back behind a cluster of Caisse d'Epargne riders.

  37. 40km - A reminder of those four Frenchmen out in front: Sylvain Chavanel (Cofidis), Thomas Voeckler (Bouygues Telecom), David Le Lay and Christophe Moreau (both Agritubel). Time check: 2'05".

  38. 46km - Euskaltel are doing some work near the front of the peloton, which rides at 2'32". FdJ still doing the dogs work.

  39. 52km - Eurosport commentator and former cycling guru Sean Kelly thinks that green jersey Gilbert has his eyes set on doing just this: trading green in for yellow...

  40. 53km - Francaise des Jeux have really upped the tempo on the front of the peloton, allowing Caisse d'Epargne to take a secondary role. There may be no time bonuses, but the slim one second lead held by Valverde in the GC means that the yellow is a possibility for anyone provided they open up a little gap in the final sprint...

  41. 55km - The lead is 2'35". These four Frenchman stand next to no chance staying out in front... to put it frankly.

  42. 56km - Andy Schleck receives attention on his bike...

  43. 58km - Moreau and Le Lay catch the other two Frenchmen. Now there are four... with the peloton riding at 2'55".

  44. 59km - Back on the front of the peloton, Francaise des Jeux have joined Caisse d'Epargne. They are 3'09" behind the two leaders. FdJ obviously are thinking of a sprint finish for Sylvain Chavanel's younger brother Sebastian... either that or they think Gilbert has a chance.

  45. 59km - Le Lay and Moreau have practically caught the two leaders. As a four, they stand a better chance at staying out in front until the end.

  46. 60km - INTERMEDIATE SPRINT AT CORLAY: 1. Chavanel 6pts, 2. Voeckler 4pts, 3. Le Lay 2pts.

  47. 61km - Voeckler changes his wheel as the rain starts to lash down once again. In his absence, Chavanel takes the points at the sprint at Corlay.

  48. 63km - Agributel's Le Lay and Moreau are clawing the two leaders back: they are just 1'40" behind now. The time back to the peloton is 3'40". If the two groups join, there will be four Frenchman out in front, with one local Breton boy clearly eyeing glory in Saint Brieuc.

  49. 65km - This morning Voeckler was tied with Bjorn Schroder (Milram) on 8pts atop the mountains standings. He now has 19, with Chavanel in second on 11. Schroder has only managed to add one solitary point to his tally and so sits on 9pts in third.

  50. 67km - CONFIRMATION OF THE 4TH CAT COTE DE SAINT-MAYEUX: 1. Voeckler 3pts, 2. Chavanel 2pts, 3. Moreau 1pt.

  51. 68km - And at the final climb, Voeckler takes it ahead of Chavanel before tucking into a power gel from his musette. Le Lay and Moreau are still riding just ahead of the chasing peloton. Moreau takes the points.

  52. 69km - With just one more climb today - coming right up - Voeckler is assured to retain the polka dot jersey.

  53. 69km - CONFIRMATION OF THE MUR DE BRETAGNE: 1. Chavanel 6pts, 2. Voeckler 4pts, 3. Moreau 2pts.

  54. 70km - Two Agributel riders break clear about 200m from the summit. One of them is team leader Christophe Moreau, who takes the final points for third place. The other rider is local boy David Le Lay.

  55. 71km - Caisse d'Epargne lead the peloton's charge up the Mur de Bretagne, with several of their riders - including the yellow jerse Valverde - rather dangerously putting on their rain jackets in close proximity to the crowd... At the back, many riders are struggling with the incline...

  56. 72km - Surprisingly, at the summit Voeckler does not contest the 'sprint' and allows Chavanel to take the points. Maybe the small Frenchman was just too tired...

  57. 73km - The crowds lining the Mur de Bretagne are out in their hoards. Outstanding support from these Bretons - good on them. Chavenel is setting the pace, with Voeckler holding his wheel. Both are in and out of their seats in the dancing position. The narrow passage is ok for them, but will prove tricky for the peloton. There will certainly be some jostling for positions on the front once they start the climb...

  58. 74km - The rain starts to fall again... the lead is down to 3'22" with the third category Mur de Bretagne coming right up.

  59. 75km - CRASH!! And it's Duclos-Lassalle mark two... poor Nicolas Jalabert hits the deck after Frank Schleck's ham-fisted attempt to take his musette from his CSC team helper comes a cropper: he swings the bag round into Jalabert's face and the Frenchman hits the deck. Schleck almost goes down, turns round, emits a huge 'Phew!' and shouts his apologies...

  60. 77km - Chav and Tommy pass through the feeding zone at Saint-Jean with a 3'40" lead over the peloton. Now guys, don't do a Duclos-Lassalle and get your musette trapped in the spokes...

  61. 80km - The duo are on a long, straight, flat road that stretches right towards he horizon, which is capped by grey, dank thunder clouds. The wind is getting stronger and the heavens are bound to open soon. Better them than me... the lead had dropped to under four minutes now. It's not long until Chavanel and Voeckler will hit the wall - the Mur de Bretagne, that is. But maybe the metaphorical wall too...

  62. 83km - This break doesn't look like it will last the distance: it is now down to 4'12".

  63. 84km - Cancellara is not happy with the tinkering done on his wheel and decides to stop and change it completely.

  64. 85km - Fabian Cancellara is receiving some attention on his back wheel by his team car. The Swiss crono specialist - deprived of a prologue in which to shine - is certainly the favourite for Tuesday's 29km time trial.

  65. 86km - CONFIRMATION OF THE SPRINT AT PONTIVY: 1. Chavanel 6pts, 2. Voeckler 4pts, 3. Gilbert 2pts.

  66. 87km - Francaise des Jeux lead out green jersey Philippe Gilbert to take the final two points at the intermediate sprint. Pretty routine in the end despite the presence of both Hushovd and Hunter.

  67. 89km - The lead is really dropping now, despite the fact that no one is doing much dog work on the front of the bunch. It now stands at 4'50" as the peloton cross the river and into Pontivy.

  68. 91km - The duo speed over a bridge and into the riverside town of Pontivy. It's the location of the second intermediate sprint which is uncontested, Chavanel taking maximum points ahead of his compatriot Voeckler. The locals are out in their thousands - and luckily for them, the rain has stopped falling.

  69. 94km - The lead drops to 5'49" after both Chavanel and Voeckler take time out to talk to their respective team cars. The two seem to getting on better now after that slight incident on the first climb of the day when Chavanel seemed to bait Voeckler by taking the points. In hindsight, Voeckler will realise that Chavanel's burst of pace was what led to their break - and so it may be water under the bridge now.

  70. 95km - Back in the peloton, the lanterne rouge Aleksandr Kuschynski punctures and has to change a wheel. That puts him right at the back - the same position he was in yesterday when crossing the line (last).

  71. 97km - This is certainly a good move for the two men out in front. Voeckler looks certain to keep hold of his polka dot jersey today, while Chavanel, were the two come down to a sprint finish, is odds on for the stage. It just remains to be seen if they tire over the Mur de Bretagne and then get reeled in by the bunch. The lead is not growing at the moment, and has actually come down to six minutes.

  72. 98km - Will these two riders stay out ahead? One thing is certain: Caisse d'Epargne will not chase them down. Valverde may have yellow, but he will not be overly keen to keep a hold of it. On the contrary, losing it will take a lot of pressure of his team's shoulders. One of the teams of the sprinters may do there best, given that the opportunities for the fast men this year are few and far between. But tomorrow's finish at Nantes is much better suited to a bunch sprint. I think Rabobank, QuickStep and Lotto will, at some point, try and reel them in though. We will see.

  73. 100km - The rain is starting to lash down! The lead is 6'25".

  74. 105km - Average speed for the first hour of the stage: 44.8 km/h

  75. 106km - The lead is up to 5'50".

  76. 107km - Juan Mauricio Soler is riding with his right wrist heavily bandaged following the aggravation of the injury sustained in the Giro. He's towards the back of the bunch and keeping clear of any trouble.

  77. 108km - The two riders power through a small town under the fierce-looking grey rain clouds of Bretagne... Tommy Clear-Water (Voeckler) signals for his Bouygues team car, which comes to his side and gives him some liquids and advice.

  78. 112km - Voeckler and Chavanel chat to each other as the latter munches on a snack. The French duo have built up a lead of 4'45" after almost 50km of racing.

  79. 117km - CONFIRMATION OF THE 4TH CAT COTE DE KERGROIX: 1. Voeckler 6pts, 2. Chavanel 4pts, 3. David Arroyo 2pts.

  80. 119km - The third-place for the sprint is uncontested as one Caisse d'Epargne riders takes the two points. Yellow jersey Alejandro Valverde's team are spearheading the peloton, controlling things as the duo ride ahead.

  81. 120km - McEwen is still working his way back into the peloton... The Silence Lotto sprinter will hope to break his, erm, silence today with victory in Saint Brieuc. That said, tomorrow's finish in Nantes has McEwen written all over it.

  82. 122km - Voeckler and Chavanel have forgotten the bad blood: Over the second category Cote de Kergroix, Voeckler takes the points ahead of his compatriot, who had stolen the maximum points on the final climb just as the two broke away from the peloton.

  83. 123km - Robbie McEwen punctures and has to change his bike.

  84. 125km - The two leaders have over three minutes now over the peloton.

  85. 128km - Have you read Eurosport's daily TdF blog? Copy this link into your browser for the latest musings about Herve Duclos-Lassalle's broken wrist, Chris Boardman, bad meals and colonic irrigation: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/06072008/58/tour-de-france-blazin-saddles-tdf-blog.html

  86. 132km - Time check: 50secs.

  87. 134km - CONFIRMATION OF THE SPRINT AT CAMORS: 1. Sy.Chavanel (Cofidis) 6 pts, 2. Voeckler (Bouygues) 4 pts, 3. Hunter (Barloworld) 2 pts.

  88. 135km - CONFIRMATION OF FIRST 4TH CAT LA COTE DE BIEUZY: 1. Sy.Chavanel (Cofidis) 3 pts, 2. Voeckler (Bouygues) 2 pts, 3. Schröder (Milram) 1 pt.

  89. 136km - Right up after the first climb of the day is the first intermediate sprint at Camors. Chavanel takes it ahead of Voeckler, with Barloworld's Robbie Hunter picking up the final two points when the peloton crosses the line about 40 seconds back. Green jersey Phillipe Gilbert tried to get in the mix, but the South African was having nothing of it.

  90. 138km - Chavanel and Voeckler - despite that mini spat over the points - are now combining well and have opened up a gap. the peloton has sat up so this one looks like it will last a bit - good news for Bouygues as Voeckler will go on to pick up points over today's low category climbs.

  91. 142km - At the Cote de Brieuzy-Lanvaux, Chavanel angers compatriot Voeckler by taking the points ahead of him, with Schroder taking third. That means that Voeckler is now the genuine king of the mountains - last night he only picked up the polka dot jersey by virtue of placing three spots higher than the German Schroder at the finish line.

  92. 144km - Back to today's action, the three riders have been caught up by the peloton, which is being driven by Bouygues who are looking to propel Tommy Voeckler ahead so he can take some mountain points in this forth cat climb and preserve his polka dot jersey.

  93. 145km - Yesterday's stage was blemished by a few crashes along the route. Herve Duclos-Lassalle (Cofidis) became the first rider to abandon after breaking his write when falling at the lunch zone. Lotto's Johan Vansummeren rode into the Colombia team car and cut his knee. While reigning polka dot jerset Juan Mauricio Soler has a suspected broken scaphoid after a nasty tumble 9km from the end. The Barloworld rider from Colombia carries on racing today despite the pain.

  94. 150km - Only three of those riders are still out ahead. They are Sylvain Chavanel (Cofidis), Fabian Wegmann (Gerolsteiner) and Murillo Fischer (Liquigas). The gap is only about 30 seconds. Such is the up-and-down rolling nature of these long, straight Breton roads, the trio sometimes can look back and not see the precipitous peloton - only for the bunch to suddenly appear from a fold in the road.

  95. 152km - The initial break consisted of the following riders: Voigt (CSC), Txurruka (Euskaltel), Gutierrez (Caisse d'Epargne), Eisel (Columbia), Fischer (Liquigas), Wegmann (Gerolsteiner), Gomez (Saunier Duval), Sy.Chavanel (Cofidis), Pate (Garmin).

  96. 153km - It looks like this early break will not succeed... Wegmann, Chavenel and Fischer have jumped off ahead; Pate is trying to join them, but the other five riders - including Voigt - are close to be taken back into the peloton.

  97. 155km - A few other names up there: Eisel, Gutierrez, Wegmann also there... full list coming up... these 12 or so riders have 25" over the peloton.

  98. 159km - Sylvain Chavanel has managed to join the group... full list of names coming up.

  99. 161km - About ten riders are trying to go off of the front early on, but the peloton does seem to be pursuing this group aggressively (as opposed to yesterday when the eight-man break-away was allowed to get away at the very start of the stage). Germans Jens Voigt and Fabian Wegmann are the two notable men in today's early escape attempt.

  100. 164km - The official start is given at 13:12 local time (12:12 BST) and they're off!!

  101. 12:03 - It's going to be a bumpy, windy, rainy day out there.

  102. 11:59 - And the virtual start has just been given!!

  103. ----- - Welcome to LIVE text comments and timing of today's 164 kilometre second stage from Auray to Saint-Brieuc. Full coverage of the Tour de France starts from 12:15 BST.