Cycling’s a simple game. You ride for six hours, over 150 miles and in the end, Mark Cavendish wins. That he did so in a furious sprint, and by the smallest margin in living memory, seems oddly appropriate at the end of such a strange, drawn-out stage. The Grand Départ has undeniably belonged to him.
Thanks for joining me, and for your many excellent tweets and emails.I’m sorry I couldn’t use more. Bye!
Cavendish is back on the podium, and now leads the race for the green jersey. Peter Sagan stays in yellow, ahead of Alaphilippe and Valverde, after that bunch finish. No retirements today, so every rider who began the Grand Départ has finished it.
Cavendish speaks!
“I thought I’d won when I crossed the line, but I couldn’t be sure... I thought André [Greipel] would go because he didn’t win the other day. He got a real second wind, which surprised me”
Cavendish swats aside suggestions that Greipel lost by celebrating too soon. “He just went too early... it was an uphill finish.” It won’t be lost on him that the finish was supposed to favour Greipel.
Race result
- Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data)
- André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal)
- Bryan Coquard (Direct Energie)
- Peter Sagan (Tinkoff)
- Edward Theuns (Trek-Segafredo)
Marcel Kittel was seventh.
Only Eddy Merckx has won more Tour de France stages than Mark Cavendish. 28 stage victories for the Manx missile; he’s now joint second in the all-time standings alongside Bernard Hinault.
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Mark Cavendish wins stage three!
It’s official! Cavendish has won his second stage out of three. He’s delighted, but Greipel will be absolutely sick. He lost position, fought back on his own, but was outgunned despite a comfortable lead a few metres out.
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Greipel punched the air, but it looks from the first replays that Cavendish, lunging at the last, has won by an inch!
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Photo finish!
Cavendish and Sagan are either side of Greipel... Cavendish darts to the German’s left, and the pair are neck-and-neck on the line. It’s a photo finish between Cavendish and Greipel. Mercy me.
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Boasson Hagen, then Mark Renshaw, get ready to tee up Cavendish – but Lotto-Soudal has regrouped, and Greipel goes early...
1km to go! The route dips downhill, before turning uphill after the flamme rouge. Etixx are leading the way, but Dimension Data are well-placed. A slip from an Orica rider has stretched, but not split, the bunch.
2km: Tony Martin gets his Etixx troops in order, now tucked in behind Dimension Data, yet to launch their train. A team in red have worked their way through – it’s not Katusha, or Lotto-Soudal: it’s Cofidis. Greipel has had to battle towards the front himself.
3km to go! Greipel, who had it all his own way last year, is poorly placed. Are Lotto-Soudal suffering from so much time at the front? Bryan Coquard is right in the mix, his Direct Energie team taking up the initiative.
5km to go! Etixx QuickStep, the strongest lead-out train in the game, move to the front, taking over from Cannondale. Dimension Data are, as on stage one, in a sweet spot just off the front, with Cavendish at third wheel.
Despite riding 200km out in front, Armindo Fonseca doesn’t get the combativity award. They’ve given it to Voeckler; harsh, but fair in its own way.
Angers is visible in the distance, everyone is back together, and there’s 7km to go. Five hours later, let’s have a race, shall we?
It’s all over for Fonseca and Voeckler. Here’s Peter Connor with the most obscure effort of the day:
“Fonseca and Voeckler: the company that bid too high to get the mercenary contract in the film ‘The Wild Geese’.”
A couple of lumps in the road for the leaders; they barely make a dent in the stage profile, but will still hurt after their exertions today.
They go under the 10km mark, with the peloton breathing down their necks, led by Orica Bike Exchange and Lotto-Jumbo NL, two teams I’ve had no cause to discuss in the opening three days.
After chugging along at 35km/h, the pack are now winding around bends at 55km/h, with 12km or so to go. Voeckler still fighting, but it’s a matter of time.
The gap is down to just 20 seconds; it might be time to bid Fonseca and Voeckler farewell.
“Fonseca and Voeckler, a sublime prog house duo much favoured by Sasha and Digweed back in the day” says Chris Collinson. Who can forget their remix of Guru Josh’s Infinity?
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We’re gearing up for a bunch sprint in 16km, and it could impact the green jersey race: Peter Sagan has 98 points, Mark Cavendish 73, Marcel Kittel 65. 50 points up for grabs at the finish line, of course.
20km to go, and the pack accelerate, perhaps because the leaders have dipped out of sight. The gap is around 40 seconds again, and Fonseca & Voeckler are doing their best to match the peloton’s pace.
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The peloton, still moving at the same 45-50km/h pace as the leaders, roll through La Meignanne, the final town before we reach Angers.
“Fonseca and Voeckler: one for head of UKIP, the other to present Top Gear (if Boris Johnson doesn’t get the job)” suggests Andrew Benton. Johnson, Gove and Farage are a trio with a worrying amount of Top Gear potential.
Voeckler is tiring a touch at the front of the race; if it weren’t for his move, today’s stage may have never finished. The long, straight roads on this stretch of the race mean the peloton can see their prey on the horizon.
@niallmcveigh: Voeckler and Fonseca: enormous prams for the offspring of the nouveau riche.
— Plashing Vole (@PlashingVole) July 4, 2016
We’re heading into the Loire Valley now, leaving the far north of France behind. The peloton are within 30 seconds now, led by Team Sky and Lotto-Soudal, and rolling at a tempo best enjoyed with a slice of Euro-flavoured techno:
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The peloton negotiate a final bump in the landscape before a pan-flat run into Angers. Just a 40-second gap for our leaders now.
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A lighter Robbie McEwen antidote from today’s commentary. He won a cow after taking a stage in 2004. As he noted, it wouldn’t “fit in my suitcase”, so he sold it. To Bernard Hinault.
A reminder that Angers saw a sprint finish back in 2004; Tom Boonen won his first-ever stage, with Tommy Voeckler in yellow. Robbie McEwen, triple points champion at the Tour, broke two vertebrae in his back in a crash 1km for the line; he still won the green jersey.
Intermediate sprint result:
1. Armindo Fonseca, 20 pts
2. Thomas Voeckler, 17 pts
At 40 seconds:
3. Marcel Kittel, 15 pts
4. Alexander Kristoff, 13 pts
5. Peter Sagan, 11 pts
6. Mark Cavendish, 10 pts
7. André Greipel, 9 pts
8. Michael Matthews, 8 pts
9. Bryan Coquard, 7 pts
10. Fabio Sabatini, 6 pts
11. Max Richeze, 5 pts
12. Thomas De Gendt, 4 pts
13. Tony Martin, 3 pts
14. Imanol Erviti, 2 pts
15. José Herrada, 1 pt
The leaders have less than a minute on the chasing pack now, heading into Nyoiseau, village of vowels. We’re at the lowest point of the day’s profile, and there’s not much variation i n the final 40km.
After Fonseca and Voeckler take the first two places, there’s another tepid sprint for the extra points. Marcel Kittel, Alexander Kristoff and Mark Cavendish were all to the fore, then found themselves in a group a few seconds ahead of the pack. Cav thought about riding on, then came to his senses.
Still a good hour of racing left, with the pace well below what was expected. Voeckler and Fonseca head through the intermediate sprint at Bouillé-Menard, but the peloton are closing in. Time for a few more of these, then:
Chris Brown thinks a Frenchman will win the Tour very soon – but he’s not backing Thibaut Pinot or Romain Bardet:
“Julian Alaphilippe WILL win this event within the next 5 years, barring injury. There, I’ve said it. There has been a lack of interest in the Tour due to lack of French success, but its definitely again on the rise thanks to him.”
This is Alaphilippe’s first Grand Tour, but he won the Tour of California this year. He saw a landmark victory transformed into a morale-sapping defeat by Sagan yesterday, though.
Tommy Voeckler is busting a gut at the head of the race, but the gap is almost down to two minutes, with just under 60km to go.
The peloton cruise through Renazé, a town on the border with Maine-et-Loire, the department where today’s race ends. It has a slate museum, if you’re ever passing through.
“Fonseca and Voeckler are a couple of bitter retired chefs, touring France eating at the best restaurants but decrying the lack of passion in modern day cuisine” says Paul Cutting.
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While plenty of teams are together at the front, Dimension Data are taking a different tack, with Daniel Teklehaimanot moving to the front, and Steve Cummings dropping right to the back. If you’re wondering about Alberto Contador, he’s still chugging along in support of Sagan, with his right arm bandaged up:
Ned Boutling has been having a lengthy chat with Sir Dave Brailsford on ITV’s coverage. Brailsford kept his cards so close to his chest he barely said anything, but admitted he’s always looking for new additions to Team Sky, and that there’s less need to control the peloton this year with a strong line-up of climbers.
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The sprinters’ teams are powering the pack along now; Ettix QuickStep, Lotto-Soudal and Peter Sagan’s Tinkoff all up front as the gap comes down to 2min 40sec. Since this race started, Nigel Farage has resigned and Chris Evans has quit Top Gear. Keep going, guys, etc and so on.
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“Fonseca and Voeckler - a pair of Panamanian Fund Managers?” offers Stephen March, in the least libellous of several emails I’ve had referencing Mossack Fonseca.
The peloton aren’t messing around any more, upping the pace to 52km/h and slashing the leading duo’s gap to 3min 30sec. Voeckler and Fonseca have 75km to go, with the day’s intermediate sprint coming up.
As well as the stage, Voeckler has also revived ‘name that breakaway’. Fonseca and Voeckler – a 70s TV cop duo that refuse to play by the rules? You can do better than that.
Voeckler has caught Fonseca, and is now towing the Fortuneo rider along at a fair old whip. 80km to go for the front two, and a bike race has broken out.
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85km to go, with Voeckler within 90 seconds of Fonseca now. The gap back to the peloton is six minutes; if these two can work together, the main bunch might regret being so casual.
Here’s a video of Bradley Wiggins falling off his bike.
You can always count on Tommy Voeckler to spice things up; he has a chat with team-mates before belting up the road in hot pursuit of Fonseca. It doesn’t make a lot of sense, but who says it has to?
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Fonseca crosses the border out of Brittany, on a day of racing not entirely befitting France’s cycling heartland. The region waves goodbye with some Art-Attack style giant art. I think it’s a farmer.
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Fonseca leads by 4min 30secs, but we’re starting to see a few ripples in the peloton, with Valverde and Nibali edging towards the front. There’s still 93km to reel in the plucky Fonseca, who has been out front on his own all day.
I can’t find one, but I do have this shot of a dog ‘enjoying’ the action...
Today’s finish is in Angers, a medieval city made famous by the Plantagenets. It’s also home to a historic university, and the intriguingly named Apocalypse Tapestry.
The home straight features a pan-flat run into the city centre, before the riders traverse a divot, going downhill then uphill in the final 2km. It may be better suited to Sagan, André Greipel or Bryan Coquard, who has to win one of these eventually.
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“There’s Christophe Laporte too. And Thibaut Pinot Grigio” offers Simon Thomas.
It’s been slow going from the main bunch all day – perhaps taking a collective breather after an anxious opening weekend. Richie Porte looks fed up. Fabian Cancellara is eating a Twix. Fonseca is rolling through Vitre, only averaging 33.7km/h but stretching his lead to four minutes. This guy’s even had time to stop for a haircut.
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I hadn’t seen this. He’s a cool customer, is Peter.
Fonseca’s lead is holding firm, with the peloton talking amongst themselves. His target will now be to hold on until the border with Mayenne in about 25km, where the race will leave his home region again. He’s halfway through today’s stage – 112km done, 112km to go.
The stage is flattening out a little bit, with gloomy weather overhead. Fonseca has had his lead cut to 3min 30secs. If you follow the Tour mainly for the chateaux shots, the next town up the road, Vitré, has an absolute peach.
Today’s polka-dot jersey wearer, Jasper Stuyven has shoes to match his hastily-customised top, using the magic of marker pens:
Not forgetting, er, Tawny Martin.
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I’m inclined to say so – Contador and Porte are a minute and two minutes down respectively – one close enough but clearly injured, the other fit but too far back.
Bertie and Portie could work though – where’s my bidon, you had it last, and so on – fun for the whole family.
Fonseca still five minutes clear, with the peloton moving at a sluggish 34km per hour. Just over 100km gone for the race leader.
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to cover the Tour on the road, ask Sean Ingle:
“Anyone else feel that Sagan is the Ibrahimovic of cycling?” asks Sam Williams.
“It’s not just the top knot, but the mercurial, untameable talent that lies within?”
Absolutely – there’s more than a passing resemblance, and Sagan doesn’t want for self-esteem, either. But ask yourself – would Zlatan do this?
Fonseca, now leading by just over five minutes, is on the edge of Fougères, the town where Mark Cavendish won a stage last year, and Chris Froome took over the yellow jersey, wearing it all the way to Paris.
Hat-tip also to Andrew Morse for sending this in; all your jersey questions answered in impeccable detail. They get through a lot of them, basically.
“I actually saw something this morning about this” offers Lod V, on jerseys. “Right at the end of this video, you see how they’re made just before the presentation.”
Fonseca has stretched his lead back to 6min 50sec, and will be riding solo through much of the Brittany stretch of this race. That will please the roadside fans, and sponsors Fortuneo, no end.
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“These jerseys – yellow, green, white, polka-dot – do the race organisers provide them to the winning rider and a domestique then spends the evening sewing logos and sponsors names on them, or do the teams have their own coloured jerseys already prepared?”
Well, Andrew Benton, I think the organisers must have a stash of them, as they’re ready for action straight after the finish. Although I like the idea of a cyclist doing needlework by candlelight before several days of pacing the peloton.
With 75km gone, Fonseca still leads by six minutes, but Tinkoff are getting the peloton’s act together. If you missed yesterday’s action, including that frantic finish, here are some highlights:
Angers also holds happy memories for Tommy Voeckler. The Direct Energie rider wore yellow on the last stage finish here, back in 2004. Tom Boonen won the stage after a late crash split the peloton; Voeckler stayed in yellow for ten stages, eventually losing out to Lance Armstrong .
Fonseca appears to be running rapidly out of steam, with his lead over the peloton down to six minutes. He should at least get to lead the race into his home province, as the race approaches Les Loges-Marchis. This border village is significant in Tour history: it was where Greg LeMond abandoned his final race in 1994.
The race will leave the Manche department shortly, effectively marking an end to the Grand Départ. The parochial souls who run the region’s official Tour website aren’t even acknowledging the rest of the stage.
@niallmcveigh Did Sam Bennett make the time cut and start today?
— CefnBrighidKendall (@CefnforBrighidK) July 4, 2016
He did indeed, but is the current lanterne rouge, coming in 16 minutes behind Sagan. This photo shows how fine he cut it, with the broom wagon lurking behind him. A great effort though, after a horrible crash on stage one that wasn’t his fault.
“Hey fellow Niall” says Niall Brooks. “With Sagan in yellow, this is a good chance for Cav to rack up intermediate as well as stage win points.
“If he can do that and Kittel and Greipel can keep Sagan out then the green jersey might be a bit more competitive than usual, at least until the mountains.”
This is true, and the Manx missile himself said similar yesterday: “I’ve lost too much time to take back yellow, but I’d like to wear green for a little bit. There’s a chance because the first week is a bit flatter, so it’s a while before Peter goes and gets all those 20-pointers in the intermediates in the mountains.”
It’s also typical of the Tour’s complexities that Cavendish is currently wearing green because Sagan is in yellow.
Fonseca’s advantage had been cut to 8min 4osec, but he’s now on the descent. The race is heading inland, which means far less in the way of strong winds, and the weather en route is warm and overcast.
Chris Froome, meanwhile, was happy to have avoided the setbacks that befell rivals Alberto Contador and Richie Porte:
It’s unfortunate for Alberto and Richie, but it goes with the territory in these kind of stages. That’s why we make a really big effort to ride up front, with Ian Stannard and Luke Rowe protecting me and giving me the best chance of staying out of trouble.
It was pretty full-on coming into that final stretch and the detail was pretty sketchy - you couldn’t hear a lot over the radio - but I’m pretty happy that I’ve managed to stay upright and not lose any time to the other GC contenders.
That’s why it’s so important to ride up front, that’s why it’s such a fight for position, but there are no guarantees that you can stay out of trouble.”
Some interesting comments from Sagan yesterday, as reported by Cycling Weekly. He had some strong words for his fellow riders, despite coming through the stage two melee on top:
“Everyone is riding in the group as if they don’t care about their life. Last year, it was very bad and this year, it’s very bad, but it’s the riders’ decision how they want to ride. You never know tomorrow if you can continue the race. It’s like that.”
Fonseca briefly stretched his advantage to over 11 minutes, but as he takes on a second, uncategorised climb, the peloton are back to 9min 30sec behind.
Jersey boys
Peter Sagan starts in yellow today after winning stage two in Cherbourg. He leads Julian Alaphilippe by eight seconds – the Frenchman making do with the white jersey today – and Alejandro Valverde by ten seconds.
The rest of the GC contenders are 14 seconds back, save for Vincenzo Nibali and Thibaut Pinot at 25 seconds, Alberto Contador at 1 min 2sec, and Richie Porte at 1min 59sec.
Mark Cavendish gave up the yellow jersey yesterday, but he’s in green today – even if he’s only keeping it warm for Sagan. Jasper Stuyven wears the polka-dot jersey and the red number for combativity after yesterday’s heroics. He’ll keep it as long as he finishes; Fonseca has just hoovered up the only point available today.
Today is the second-longest of the entire Tour; the longest is tomorrow, from Saumur to Limoges. As a result, we’ve started early, with the peloton saving their legs. That’s allowed an unusual solo breakaway – Fortuneo’s Armindo Fonseca has powered to a nine-minute lead. Fonseca is from Ille-et-Vilaine, the corner of Brittany the route cuts through today, which might explain his enthusiasm.
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Preamble
Hello. Welcome to the third stage of the 2016 Tour de France, and the final leg of the Grand Départ. We’re leaving behind the windswept wonders of the Manche department as the peloton races towards the Pyrénées.
Today sees the first of four increasingly bumpy stages that will carry the race across the entire country. It begins in Granville, which got a taste of Tour action on the opening stage, before cutting 200km due south all the way to Angers, nestling in the Loire Valley.
There’s nothing transitional about today’s stage – it’s pan-flat virtually all the way, and represents a chance for Mark Cavendish to add to his 27 stage wins, for Peter Sagan to get a grip on the yellow jersey, or for their vanquished rivals to strike back. There will be absolutely no fun for the sprinters later on, so they should enjoy it while they can.
Finally, this is the Tour, so no stage would be complete without doomed breakaways, over-exuberant spectators, lingering aerial shots of castles and of course, weird outdoor art. There’s plenty to look forward to, so stick around.
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