Tour de France 2018 – stage 17 LIVE: Geraint Thomas takes major step towards Tour de France crown as Nairo Quintana wins stage 17

Follow all the action from a potentially decisive day of racing in the Pyrenees as Thomas leads the peloton into three gruelling climbs from a gridded start

Tour De France 2018 Highlights

This might just be the day the decides whether Geraint Thomas, Chris Froome or someone else wins this compelling Tour de France.

It is a unique – the purists might say gimmicky – stage 17 which begins with a gridded start of the first 20 riders and immediately embarks on the first of three brutal climbs, finishing with a 16km slog up the steep Col du Portet, making its debut in the Tour de France. It is only 65km, but promises to be an explosive couple of hours.

Thomas remains in pole position to win his first Tour de France, 1min 39sec ahead of his Team Sky team-mate Froome, who is running out of time to make the decisive attack which could bring his fifth yellow jersey. Should they falter or squabble, the Dutchman Tom Dumoulin is only 11 seconds behind Froome and in position to benefit.

Click stage 17 to refresh the live tracker:

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[25 July 2018 16:13 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

8km to go

Dan Martin remains in between the yellow-jersey group of nine riders, and the leading duo. Can Martin bridge the gap and win this race? What an effort from the Irishman.

[25 July 2018 16:19 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

6km to go

Quintana finally shakes off an exhuasted, wheezing Majka and now there are only two left who can surely win this stage: Dan Martin in pursuit of the race leader Nairo Quintana.

[25 July 2018 16:30 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

2km to go

Nairo Quinrana remains out in front and Martin is tiring. The yellow-jersey group almost shake off Froome but he manages to cling on!

[25 July 2018 16:35 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

1km to go

Quintana is clear and he is going to claim the stage... And Froome has now been dropped! Dumoulin, Thomas and Roglic have gone away from the four-time champion.

[25 July 2018 16:38 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

Nairo Quintana wins stage 17!

A brilliant ride from the Colombian climber, catching Kangert, shedding Majka and holding off Martin's pursuit to clinch his first stage win of this Tour, and reduce his deficit to the leaders. Martin comes in second and here comes Thomas in third, leaving Dumoulin and Roglic back by a few seconds, with Froome further down the road!

[25 July 2018 16:39 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

Another huge statement by Geraint Thomas, and there can surely be no doubt about his ability to last the course of a three-week grand tour now. It's his to lose.

[25 July 2018 18:02 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

Here's our report from a telling stage: