The route

Six stages remain, with the race still to head through the Alps before a time trial in Marseille on the penultimate day and the traditional finale on the Champs-Elysees.

The climbing starts immediately after the rest day, with stage 16 heading up from Le Puy-en-Velay to the Cote de Boussoulet. It’s only a third-category climb, but depending how the stage is raced it could determine whether the stage is won by a sprinter of from the breakaway.

Yellow jersey – general classification

Chris Froome is back in yellow, but Team Sky’s three-time winner and defending champion has not had it easy – far from it, in fact.

Having already lost the maillot jaune on the steep Peyragudes climb on stage 12, Froome’s rivals will no doubt be preparing to ruthlessly attack the race leader in the Alps.

Italian champion Fabio Aru – the only non-Brit to wear yellow in this year’s race – is second at 18 seconds, but with key domestiques Dario Cataldo and Jakob Fuglsang crashing out, he has regularly found himself isolated on the key climbs.

It is why he is not in yellow anymore, and where third-placed Romain Bardet (Ag2r-La Mondiale) holds the advantage.

Bardet’s Ag2r-La Mondiale team-mates did an excellent job of putting pressure on Froome, and driving a great pace over the climbs, in the Central Massif, and you can expect to see plenty of them again in the Alps.

Cannondale-Drapac’s Rigoberto Uran, meanwhile, has been the surprise turn of the Tour so far, rediscovering the form that earned him podium places at the 2013 and 2014 Giros.

His stage win, despite being unable to change gear, in Chambery marked him as a contender, and he has followed that by being ever-present in the GC group, driving the pace at time and playing very much an active role in proceedings.

Uran also has the better time trial of the three nearest challengers to Froome overall at the moment – the former Colombian time trial champion wore pink for several days at the 2014 Giro d’Italia on the back of his stage win against the clock.

Dan Martin, meanwhile, is 1’12” behind overall, having lost 1’15” in the crash with Richie Porte (BMC Racing) that marred stage nine of this year’s race.

Despite lacking a strong climbing team around him – QuickStep Floors have been set up for Marcel Kittel’s sprint ambitions – he too has rode an active race, and has been eking back seconds bit by bit over his rivals.

White jersey – youth classification

Sat seventh overall, Simon Yates (Orica-Scott) took over the white jersey on stage five and the Bury-born rider, twin brother of last year’s best young rider Adam Yates, has been extending his lead pretty much ever since.

His advantage in the youth classification over Louis Meintjes (UAE Team Emirates) is now 3’07”, with no other rider within ten minutes of the 24-year-old Brit.

Pierre Latour (Ag2r-La Mondiale), Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-hansgrohe), Guillaume Martin (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) and stage winner Lilian Calmejane (Direct Energie) have all shown plenty of potential themselves, but the battle for the white jersey is very much a two-horse race.

And Yates boasts a comfortable lead, featuring regularly in the GC group and putting in plenty of attacks of his own.

Encouragingly, experienced domestique Roman Kreuziger was also up near the front on stage 15 too – Yates should defend his lead now, but the assistance of his team-mate could see him target a top-five place overall too.

Tour de France 2017: youth classification after stage 15

1) Simon Yates (GBR) – Orica-Scott – 64.42.23hrs
2) Louis Meintjes (RSA) – UAE Team Emirates +3.07
3) Pierre Latour (FRA) – Ag2r-La Mondiale +11.39
4) Emanuel Buchmann (GER) – Bora-hansgrohe +17.35
5) Guillaume Martin (FRA) – Wanty-Groupe Gobert +25.26

RCUK prediction: 1) Yates, 2) Meintjes, 3) Buchmann

Green jersey – points classification

Since Peter Sagan’s disqualification on stage four meant the Slovakian world champion would not be winning the green jersey for a record-equalling sixth consecutive time, it was hoped the competition might be a little more open than usual.

Then Marcel Kittel (QuickStep Floors) came along, cleaned up the sprint stages to take his tally of stage wins to five so far in this year’s race, and it looked like we were in for another one-horse race – albeit in different circumstances to normal.

Michael Matthews (Team Sunweb) has made things interesting, however, riding a Sagan-esque race to take victory on stage 14 and mop up points from the breakaway on the harder stages’ intermediate sprints.

It means there are now just 79 points between Matthews and Kittel, with a maximum of 290 still up for grabs.

Kittel is going to take some beating on the Champs-Elysees given his sprinting form, so you can expect him to claim 50 there, and he remains very much favourite as a result.

The key, therefore, will be if Matthews can get in the breakaways between now and Paris, and who will claim intermediate sprint points.

Stage 16 is a hilly one, and if Kittel’s off the pace on the early climb there is a chance to reclaim plenty of points – 20 at the intermediate sprint at 121.5km and 30 at the finish – while stage 17’s intermediate sprint comes after the category-two Col d’Ornon.

There’s potential for Matthews to close the gap right down, and if he does so – remembering Kittel’s mechanical misfortune on the Champs-Elysees last year – anything can happen on that final day.

Tour de France 2017: points classification after stage 15

1) Marcel Kittel (GER) – QuickStep Floors – 373 points
2) Michael Matthews (AUS) – Team Sunweb – 294
3) Andre Greipel (GER) – Lotto-Soudal – 187
4) Alexander Kristoff (NOR) – Katusha-Alpecin – 158
5) Sonny Colbrelli (ITA) – Bahrain-Merida – 128

RCUK prediction: 1) Kittel, 2) Matthews, 3) Greipel

Stage 18, with the hors categorie finish on the Col d’Izoard offering 40 points, could also see Barguil’s lead cut.

That said, with Barguil in superb form, you would not bet against him scooping those points himself.

His nearest challengers could actually end up being the GC men, with Mikel Landa – who was King of the Mountains at the Giro d’Italia – on 33 points, and set to be at the sharp end on the Col du Galibier and Col d’Izoard as he protects Froome’s and his own GC hopes.

With no mountain stage on the final Saturday of this year’s race this time out, there’s no need for Barguil to pace his effort through the Alps next week – the Frenchman simply has to secure the jersey on those two mountainous stages and then finish what has been a superb race for him.

Tour de France 2017: mountains classification after stage 15

1) Warren Barguil (FRA) – Team Sunweb – 116 points
2) Primoz Roglic (SVN) – LottoNL-Jumbo – 38
3) Thomas de Gendt (BEL) – Lotto-Soudal – 36
4) Mikel Landa (ESP) – Team Sky – 33
5) Alexis Vuillermoz (FRA) – Ag2r-La Mondiale – 28

RCUK predicition: 1) Barguil, 2) Landa, 3) De Gendt