Time to sign off; I’ll leave you with a summary of today’s stage, and Jeremy Whittle’s report from Voiron will be live on our site shortly.

Here’s what lies in wait on Thursday …

Stage 18: Voiron to Orcières-Merlette, 185.2km

South to a famous location in Tour history: it is 55 years since Luis Ocaña put Eddy Merckx to the sword on these roads and 37 since Laurent Fignon and Greg LeMond duelled here. Chances are this stage’s winner will emerge from a break, as the stage is not tough enough to concern Pogacar. There are two serious climbs early on, but the final ascent to Orcières is more nagging than steep. The win will go to a climber who is an astute tactician, like Ireland’s Ben Healy.

Adam Yates has finished the stage 26 minutes and 36 seconds behind. The British rider struggled all day with a stomach bug – is that a concern for his UAE Team Emirates colleagues, including Pogacar?

Team director Matxin Fernández says the problem started yesterday afternoon, but Yates slept well last night. He denies that Isaac Del Toro, or any other riders on the team, are struggling with similar issues.

Jasper Philipsen: “I had to wait until stage 17 to win … it’s one for the team who kept believing in me. I wasn’t myself [early in the Tour], I couldn’t find the right feeling. This one is for them, they kept fighting back and delivered me to the finish line.”

Philipsen adds that he felt a lot of anger at abuse he received on social media earlier in the race, and had to process a lot. “I couldn’t keep fighting my emotions.”

Jasper Stuyven is asked if he could have done any more today, or did he ride it to perfection. “Almost perfection,” he replies – not unreasonably. “I think it would have been deserved if I won … I believed in it until maybe a minute before they got me back.”

Mathieu van der Poel speaks, after leading Philipsen to victory. “I think it was a very hard day all day, and I just tried to be in the front. Everything came together, and having riders in both groups really helped with the outcome. It’ll be hard to pull more points back (in the mountains) but just a stage win is nice.”

Mads Pedersen could only make it home in eighth place, which means that Philipsen closes the gap to just seven points in the green jersey battle.

1. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) 452 pts
2. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier) 445 pts
3. Biniam Girmay (NSN) 361 pts

Ridiculous stuff from Van der Poel, taking total control of events in the last couple of kilometres. The entire day was about stifling breakaways, and nobody did it better than the Flying Dutchman. A mention also to British rider Lewis Askey, who came home in fourth place.

1km to go: Josh Tarling goes for broke at the 1km mark, but Van der Poel reels him in. Through a series of tight turns, Van der Poel keeps control of the pace, and then leads out Philipsen perfectly …

2km to go: After towing Philipsen along for a few miles, Van der Poel jumps out to contain a counter-attack, with the leading group trimmed to about 35 riders. It looks like a bunch sprint finish …

4km to go: It’s not going to happen for Stuyven, who runs out of steam on an uphill stretch. Are we gearing up for the sprint trains to take charge, or can anyone else make a late break?

5km to go: Stuyven’s gap is down to an ominous 10 seconds, but he’ll be helped by some tactical pacing from the Lidl-Trek and Alpecin teams, who don’t want to pull things along at this stage.

6km to go: Stuyven is 34, and has never won a Tour de France stage. There may not be many better chances, but the 40-man group behind him are closing, second by second …

8km to go: Stuyven leads by 30 seconds now; the gap is coming down, but is it happening fast enough? It’s going to be a close call …

10km to go: Alpecin-Premier have five riders in the chasing group, so plenty of manpower for Philipsen. The peloton are rolling along, seven minutes behind, while the unwell Adam Yates is a further 11 minutes back, and praying for the finish line.

12km to go: That 2021 triumph in San Remo was Stuyven’s last race victory, so he’s certainly due one. He’s using the last downhill stretch to briefly rest his legs; the gap is creeping down to 35 seconds.

15km to go: Stuyven continues to motor on, and now leads by 40 seconds. The other five riders have joined the chasers behind them, forming a 40-man group with designs on reeling Stuyven in.

17km to go: We’re approaching the town of Rives, before a zig-zag run to the finish line. Voiron has hosted the Tour before, but also the end of a La Vuelta stage last year. It wasn’t a happy day for Philipsen, beaten to the line by British rider Ben Turner.

20km to go: Stuyven powers past the 20km marker, with nothing but open, flat road ahead. The Belgian is known as a Classics specialist, winning Milan-San Remo in 2021 and finishing third at Paris-Roubaix this year – so he should have the stamina here.

22km to go: Stuyven has eked out a 25-second gap over his five rivals, who now face a choice of whether to hunt him down now, or rejoin the larger group behind them and push for a bunch sprint finish.

25km to go: This has been absolute chess on wheels today, and the final stretch should be fascinating. The leading six riders have a minute’s gap over the chasers. Stuyven tries to get away straight after the intermediate sprint – can he make it count?

27km to go: Here comes the intermediate sprint – which surely Pedersen will win. Planckaert – a teammate of Philipsen – is his only concern, but is held off comfortably. Another 25 points in the green jersey race, while Philipsen has to settle for nine.

32km to go: The leading breakaway group are being helped by a tail wind as they continue heading west. Poor Adam Yates is now nine minutes off the peloton, but has been joined by teammate Tim Wellens – I’m not sure why Team Emirates didn’t do that sooner.

36km to go: We’ve just passed through the village of Charavines and along the shores of Lac de Paladru. Never mind the crystal blue waters, what about the time gaps? The leading six have a 1min 20sec lead over the hefty chasing pack.

40km to go: The intermediate groups have merged into one, 37-man chasing machine – with Van der Poel, Kooij and Philipsen all present. Michael Matthews, another breakaway specialist, is also in that group.

The leading group:
Ben Healy (EF-Easypost)
Jasper Stuyven (Soudal)
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Felix Engelhardt (Jayco)
Edward Planckaert (Alpecin)
Michal Kwiatkowski (Ineos)

47km to go: The leading six have carved out a 50-second lead over a chasing group of 26 riders, with two smaller bunches of six riders each just behind. The peloton is drifting, and has absorbed the Girmay grupetto – it’s now more than four minutes behind.

55km to go: Mads Pedersen is leading the charge, taking Healy, Stuyven, Engelhardt, Planckaert and Kwiatkowski with him. There are 24 chasers strung out between them and Philipsen’s group, which is a minute behind.

57km to go: Adam Yates is still labouring, and has drifted 30 seconds behind Girmay’s group, and a minute behind a slowish peloton. Further up the road, there’s a split in the leading group …

60km to go: With the intermediate sprint ahead at Colombe, the likes of Kooij and Philipsen are also trying to join the leading pack. It could end up with 45 riders, with 45 in the maillot jaune group and 61 in Girmay’s group, around a minute further back.

62km to go: Mads Pedersen, who was cut off from the peloton earlier on, has now launched himself up the road in pursuit of the leaders – whose gap to the main bunch is down to 30 seconds.

64km to go: The group featuring Girmay has also made up a little bit of time – they’re now 2min 25sec behind the leaders. Further back, Anders Johannessen – who was in the day’s first attempted break – is now seven minutes behind.

67km to go: Healy, Jorgenson and Le Berre have joined the main group, but the gap is closing to the peloton. Adam Yates is struggling – barely moving forward and holding his chest – but he tells the Emirates team car he’s OK to continue.

70km to go: We’re heading into Le Pont-de-Beauvoisin, where a left turn at a roundabout will take the riders over the Guiers river, out of Savoie and into the Isère department.

75km to go: The gap between the leading group and main bunch is now a solid 1min 20secs, with the three chasers still closer to the peloton.

78km: Decathlon have eased off the gas at the front of the peloton, but DS Luke Rowe insists the aim is still to bring everyone back together, and try to set up Olav Kooij for a sprint victory.

80km to go: Three riders have made a move to join the leading breakaway, which is now about a minute clear of the peloton. Ben Healy is one of them, and he’s joined by Matteo Jorgensen and Mathis le Berre.

While the breakaway group struggle to work together, we’re treated to some lovely drone shots from the Grottes de St-Christophe, a series of narrow gorges with turquoise streams running through them. I want to go to there.

90km to go: Will this breakaway hold? The gap is stuck at around 40 seconds. If this is going to be a sprinters’ day after all, that’s good news for Olav Kooij, Jasper Philipsen, Mads Pedersen and Soren Wærenskjold, who are in the main group. Girmay, Max Kanter and Pascal Ackermann are among those adrift.

Away from today’s stage, Jonas Vingegaard has undergone successful surgery on his fractured collarbone in Denmark. The two-times former Tour winner was injured in a crash on Sunday, forcing him to withdraw from the race.

Visma-Lease a Bike’s sports director Marc ⁠Reef told TV2 Sport: “It went ‌well. They did what they had to. It wasn’t the most complicated operation ​you can have.”

Breakaway riders:
Egan Bernal and Josh Tarling (both Ineos), Pablo Castrillo and Einer Rubio (both Movistar), Guillaume Martin Guyonnet and Clément Braz Afonso (both FDJ), Tiesj Benoot (Decathlon), Jai Hindley (Red Bull), Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), Alex Baudin (EF), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin), Jasper Stuyven (Soudal), Rick Pluimers (Tudor), Matej Mohoric (Bahrain), Felix Engelhardt (Jayco), Per Strand Hagenes (Visma).

97km to go: As the route heads south-west, deeper into the Chartreuse, the 16-man leading group are holding steady with a 45-second gap to the pack.

Biniam Girmay, who looked to be a contender for today’s stage, has lost ground and is stuck in the autobus some two minutes behind the peloton.

100km to go: Fourteen other riders followed Tarling and Simmons’ lead, and this large group has a lead of around 40 seconds over the main bunch.

102km to go: Jake Tarling attacks, and Quinn Simmons goes with the Ineos rider. That marks a big change, with Pogacar and the other GC leading men dropping back and reconnecting the peloton.

106km to go: The riders who were dropped over those two climbs have gathered at the back, and currently sit nearly four minutes off the leaders. A chasing group of four has emerged – Johannessen, Quinn, Verona and Balderstone – trying to join the leaders.

110km to go: With the day’s four climbs conquered, the pack head back through Chambery, a few miles south of where they started. The leading group (including Pogacar, Evenepoel, Seixas and Ayuso) have a 40-second lead over the second bunch, which includes Pedersen, Pidcock, Del Toro and Adam Yates.

Luke Rowe, DS for the Decathlon team, fears there are too many subplots in play for a breakaway to stick – some teams are working for their sprinter, others are worried about the team race, or protecting top-10 GC spots.

115km to go: On the day’s final climb, the Cat. 4 Côte de St-Jean d’Arvey, nine riders in the front group try to move further clear, but it looks unlikely to stick. There’s now a 40-second gap to the group containing Mads Pedersen.

118km to go: A leading group of around 40 riders – including Pogacar – has formed, with the second part of the peloton around 25 seconds behind.

125km to go: Over the top of the Col des Près, just over 1,000m above sea level, and both breakaway groups have been slowly reeled in. There is now a split in the peloton, with a tiring Pedersen among those at risk of being left behind.

Halfway up the Col des Près, the margins are still fine – the chasers are about 50 metres behind the leading group, with the peloton a similar distance behind.

127km to go: The Alpecin team are pulling at the front of the peloton, trying to keep the breakaway in range. Others sense the moment is now, and try to bridge the gap – including green jersey wearer Mads Pedersen.

128km to go: We move on to the Col des Prés, a 3.5km, 6.8% climb. The leading group now numbers 22 riders, and has a 22-second advantage, which is convenient.

Fred Wright has made it back to the peloton. Callum Bowler reminds me that Wright is the current British road race champion. “His jersey is Fred Wright and blue” honks Callum.

132km to go: A group of around 20 riders have formed a breakaway – but will need to work together to make it stick. Egan Bernal, Mathieu van der Poel, Jasper Stuyven and Matej Mohoric are among the names involved.

135km to go: There is about 10km to go until we reach the day’s biggest climb – the cat 3 Col des Prés – and the highest point of today’s stage. Surely if a breakaway is going to stick, it needs to happen soon.

138km to go: The latest breakaway, which was also joined by Ben Healy, didn’t build any momentum and is swallowed up at the summit of Côte de Rossillon, a climb that barely stood out from the rest of this long uphill slog to start the stage. Richard Carapaz claims the solitary King o’ the Mountains point.

140km to go: Switzerland’s Marc Hirschi has a puncture and needs a new bike; Pidcock is back in the pack but Fred Wright still has a gap to close.

142km to go: Approaching the day’s second Category 4 climb, three new contenders have made a move – Tejada, Izagirre and Walker – but are still being kept well within range.

Another early crash, with Britain’s Tom Pidcock and Fred Wright among the riders to go down. Both appear OK to continue, and are working to rejoin the peloton.

152km to go: No real drop-off after the summit, with the road still climbing gently. Veistroffer, part of the early breakaway, is now lagging behind the pack.

155km to go: Approaching the top of the first climb, Vauqelin is absorbed by the pack again. Valentin Paret-Peintre in the polka-dot jersey takes the single KOM point – he’s still 26 behind Pogacar in the standings.

156km to go: Abrahamsen has been joined by a group of keen chasers, a hair’s breadth ahead of the peloton. Someone has to try and make a move, and Kévin Vauqelin (Ineos) is first to go. “We’re all in today,” Ineos sport director Daryl Impey tells him over the radio.

158km to go: The route is heading east now, leaving behind the regular Tour stop of Aix-les-Bains and winding towards the Bauges mountains. Those two stragglers have caught up, and now Abrahamsen is out in front alone.

162km to go: Astana rider Davide Ballerini has suffered a crash and is working to catch up. Ahead of him, Florian Vermeersch (Emirates) is making up ground after a puncture.

The peloton is passing Lac du Bourget, which looks an absolutely lovely place to spend a Wednesday afternoon. The route will then loop to cover all four climbs before passing back through Chambéry.

“Where’s Thomas De Gendt when you need him?” asks Jem Lee of today’s breakaway potential. Indeed, it’s a stage that will have your Voigts, Voecklers and Chavanels watching on wistfully.

171km to go: Two men have made an early move – Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X) and Baptiste Veistroffer (Lotto) – but they’re struggling to carve out much more than a 10-second gap so far.

Stage 17 is under way! The riders are making their way out of Chambery towards the day’s first climb, the category four Côte de Bassa.

The row over late-night doping tests rumbles on at this year’s Tour, after Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar were visited at 2am and 5am respectively on Sunday. Vingegaard crashed out on the next stage, with Pogacar calling the test times “inhuman”.

All of the remaining riders on the Tour underwent an anti-doping blood test on Monday’s rest day, the International Testing Agency (ITA) have confirmed. All of the tests were carried out during the usual 6am-11pm window, per reports.

Here are the current leaders in the other jersey battles …

🟢 Points
1) Mads Pedersen 🇩🇰 Lidl-Trek 417pts
2) Jasper Philipsen 🇧🇪 Alpecin-Premier 386pts
3) Biniam Girmay 🇪🇷 NSN Cycling 361pts

🔴 King of the Mountains
1) Tadej Pogacar 🇸🇮 UAE Team Emirates 70pts
2) Valentin Paret-Peintre 🇫🇷 Soudal Quick-Step 45pts
3) Richard Carapaz 🇪🇨 EF Education-Easypost 39pts

⚪️ Youth
1) Isaac del Toro 🇲🇽 UAE Team Emirates 56h 21m 9s
2) Paul Seixas 🇫🇷 Decathlon CMA CGM +20s
3) Juan Ayuso 🇪🇸 Lidl-Trek +2m 31s