GAP, France (AP) – The Latest from the Tour de France (all times local):
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12:40 p.m.
Tour de France riders have started the second of four punishing days in the Alps with race leader Chris Froome keeping close watch on his main rivals for the yellow jersey.
The 186.5-kilometer trek from Gap to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne in Stage 18 takes the peloton over a whopping seven climbs – most mid-sized except for the Glandon pass, one of the hardest in pro cycling.