The Latest: Tejay van Garderen in trouble on Stage 17

PRA LOUP, France (AP) — The Latest from the Tour de France (all times local):

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2:40 p.m.

A clearly hurting Tejay van Garderen, the American leader of the BMC team, is sick and at risk of losing his podium spot on Stage 17 of the Tour de France.

Van Garderen started Wednesday’s stage in third place overall, 3 minutes, 32 seconds behind race leader Chris Froome. But he has been dropped by Froome and the main pack on the first of five climbs in the first day in the Alps and his team has just said on French television’s live coverage that he is ill.

Drips of sweat rolling down his nose, Van Garderen was shown shaking his head as he rides.

-By John Leicester in Barcelonnette, France.

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1:30 p.m.

The biggest difficulty on Stage 17 and the Tour’s first day in the Alps isn’t uphill, but downhill.

A 16-kilometer (10-mile) descent from the Allos mountain pass into a valley before the final climb to the Pra Loup ski station is treacherous because of its bends and uneven road surface.

Eddy Seigneur, sporting director of the IAM team, told the race organizers’ website before the start on Wednesday in Digne-Les-Bains that the downhill is “extremely dangerous,” and “the key of the stage.”

-By John Leicester in Barcelonnette, France.

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1:05 p.m.

The Tour de France pack is off and running on the first of four grueling days in the Alps with Chris Froome looking to protect his yellow jersey from his biggest rivals.

Wednesday’s Stage 17 takes the peloton over four climbs to an uphill finish over the 161-kilometer (100-mile) romp from Digne-les-Bains to the Pra Loup ski station.

On the second and final rest day on Tuesday, several top riders pointed to the harrowing descent from the Allos pass — Wednesday’s toughest climb — as the main hazard in the stage.

Race aficionados are expecting defending champion Vincenzo Nibali, one of the best downhill riders, to try to reduce his deficit of 7 minutes, 49 seconds. The Italian lies eighth.