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12:32:28 - Welcome To The Live Coverage Of Stage Three

The third stage of the 2009 Tour de France is scheduled to begin at 12.40pm. There is a brief neutral zone before the riders arrive at the start of the start proper. This is expected to be at around 1.00pm. The conditions are hot again with bright sun shining on the race today. The temperature is expected to climb to the high 30s (degrees Celsius) as the peloton makes its way from Marseille to La Grande-Motte.

Live coverage of the stage on LeTour.fr will commence shortly.

12:35:02 - 9.5km Neutral Zone

The temperature at the start is already over 30 degrees Celsius. The peloton is currently rolling along in the 9.5km neutral zone after departing the harbor in Marseille.

12:45:13 - Prize Classifications – Part 01: Yellow Jersey

There was no change in the top order of the general classification after the second stage. Fabian Cancellara (SAX) continues to lead the overall rankings with an advantage of 18” over Contador (AST) and 19” over Wiggins (GRM). Two former podium finishers in the Tour are in fourth and fifth on GC: Andreas Kloden (AST) – at 22” and Cadel Evans (SIL) at 23”.

12:49:37 - Prize Classifications – Part 02: Green Jersey

As the second stage was categorized as a flat route, the maximum points on offer for the green jersey competition were applied. This means that the winner in Brignoles, Mark Cavendish (THR), also inherited the lead in the points classification. He collected 35 points with his victory and now has five more than the runner-up Tyler Farrar (GRM) and nine more than Roman Feillu (AGR). The 2005 green jersey winner Thor Hushovd (CTT) is ranked fourth with 24 points while the former leader of the “sprinters’ category”, Fabian Cancellara (SAX) is now ranked 11th with 15points.

“The green jersey has been a big target for me," said Cavendish after his win yesterday. "I’m wearing it now and… well, okay, I’ve been a pro for three years but this is all I’ve wanted since turning pro. For sure I want to keep it; I’ve made a good debut at the Tour and I want to hold onto the jersey."

12:52:26 - Prize Classifications – Part 03: Polka-Dot Jersey

Alberto Contador (AST) spent just one day in the spotted jersey as leader of the climbing classification. Tony Martin (THR), who was ranked second after the opening time trial, won the first hill sprint in stage two and put himself in contention for the polka-dot jersey. But then the escape group formed and Jussi Veikkanen (FDJ)seized the opportunity to put himself on the podium by day’s end. He won the three cat-four hill climbs and earned nine points to become the first Finnish rider to wear the polka-dot jersey at the Tour de France. Cyril Dessel (ALM) was also in the break yesterday and he’s now ranked third with five points while Contador is four with three points.

12:54:37 - Prize Classifications – Part 01: White Jersey

There’s no change to the rankings in the youth classification after stage two. Roman Kreuziger (LIQ) is making a bid to wear the white jersey from start to finish. He was second in the under-25 category last year and now he leads Tony Martin (THR) by one second. The Czech’s team-mate Vicenzo Nibali is third, five-seconds behind.

12:58:13 - Racing In Stage Three!

There are 179 riders still in the Tour de France. The first casualty of the 96th edition was also the first to fall. Jurgen van de Walle crashed at the 45km mark, broke his collarbone and sustain several other injuries. Nonetheless he remounted his bike and finished the stage.

The official start of the third stage was at 1.01pm. As soon as the flag was waved by Christian Prudhomme to signal the beginning of racing, there was an attack. We await confirmation of who it is who is now ahead of the peloton.

13:02:42 - The Early Aggressors

Bouet (FDJ) and Dumoulin (COF) are at the front of the stage. They are 10" ahead of De Kort (SKS), and 15" ahead of Perez Mereno (EUS). The peloton is at 45" and doesn't appear interested in chasing down the move which began as soon as racing got underway.

13:07:19 - Two Lead Two...

Dumoulin and Bouet are now 25" ahead of De Kort and Perez Moreno. The peloton is 1'35" behind the two stage leaders.

13:08:41 - Bouet Already Virtual Leader

Bouet (FDJ) and Dumoulin (COF) are still alone at the head of the stage. They have a lead of 30" on two counter-attackers - De Kort (SKS) and Perez Moreno (EUS). The peloton is now 2'45" behind the leaders which means that Bouet is currently the virtual leader of the Tour de France. He began the stage in 74th place, 1'39" behind Cancellara (SAX).

13:12:23 - Prize Classifications – Part 05: Team Rankings

There’s been no change in the top order of the team classification either. The Cervelo TestTeam took the stage honors yesterday thanks to the efforts of Hushovd (4th), Haussler (15th) and Lancaster (27th) but Astana still leads the teams competition overall with an advantage of 31” over Saxo Bank.

13:15:16 - The Four Stage Leaders

The peloton doesn't seem at all interested in chasing down the four escapees. The men who have decided to race hard early in stage three are:

Maxime Bouet (FRA) AGR - 74th on GC at 1'39"

Ruben Perez Moreno (ESP) EUS - 145th on GC at 2'19"

Koen De Kort (NED) SKS - 153rd on GC at 2'24"

Samuel Dumoulin (FRA) COF - 169th on GC at 2'42"

13:18:56 - Peloton Already 4'45" Behind

At the 7km mark, Dumoulin and Bouet have a lead of 45" on De Kort and Perez Moreno. The peloton is already 4'45" behind the four escapees.

13:19:38 - Counter-Attackers Closing In On Lead

De Kort and Perez Moreno are now 30" shy of the two stage leaders. In a matter of moments we'll have four men together at the front of the stage.

13:20:22 - De Kort's Comments

On the day of the opening time trial, LeTour.fr spoke with one of the 11 Dutchmen in the Tour de France this year. Koen De Kort is a member of the wildcard team Skil-Shimano. "We're going to be as aggressive as possible," he said of their tactics. "We have a sprinter in Kenny van Hummel but what we plan to do is be part of the escapes as often as possible. They may not work but we want to show the organisers that we're grateful for putting their faith in this team..."

True to his work, the Dutchman who finished ninth in the sprint in stage two, is part of today's escape group.

13:23:30 - Four Together In Lead

Koen De Kort and Ruben Perez Moreno have caught Dumoulin and Bouet at the 10km mark. This quartet is now over six minutes ahead of the peloton.

13:24:45 - Peloton 7'10" Behind At 10.5km

It was in stage three last year that Dumoulin gained his biggest coup at the Tour. He was part of a four-man escape group going to Nantes and he won the stage 12 months ago. Today he's part of another four-man escape group which is already 7'10" ahead of the bunch at the 10.5km mark.

13:28:26 - Ben Stiller On Tour Today...

One of the guests of the organizers in the convoy today is Ben Stiller who is traveling with one of the VIP cars that follow the peloton.

13:31:22 - Insect Bite For De Kort

One of the stage leaders has just been stung by an insect. Koen De Kort is receiving treatment from the race doctor now.

13:32:05 - Leaders At 19.5km Mark

The peloton is now 8'15" behind the leading quartet which has just arrived at the 19.5km mark.

13:34:13 - Nations Represented In 2009 Tour

There are riders from 30 countries in the 96th edition of the Tour de France. The host nation boasts the most starters with 41. Here is a summary of who came from where to be part of the world’s biggest race.

41 – France

28 – Spain

15 – Germany

15 – Italy

11 - Netherlands

10 – Belgium (originally 11, but Jurgen van de Waelle (QSI) abandoned after breaking a collarbone in a crash in stage two)

8 – Russia

7 – USA

6 – Australia

4 – Great Britain

3 – Denmark, Luxembourg and Switzerland

2 – Austria, Belorussia, Colombia, Japan, Norway, New Zealand, Portugal and Ukraine

1 – Canada, Finland, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden

13:35:42 - Feeding Allowed At 30km Mark...

The conditions are hot and windy for today's stage. The commissaires have announced that feeding from the team cars can commence at the 30km mark.

13:38:11 - Hushovd’s Comments On Stage Two…

Thor Hushovd is one of the three previous winners of the Tour’s green jersey who are in the race this year. He finished the second stage in fourth and believes better is possible. “We had our strategy for the sprint to come from behind the Columbia train,” he said about the tactics for stage two. “They were very strong again today and we decided to wait until the final kilometers. There was a crash and we lost each other; some of us went left, others had to brake. The crash lost us everything… tomorrow is another day and we will try. It's very warm, but it was okay for me. I prefer when it's 15 (degrees) cooler, but I had to fight through it.”

13:38:45 - Lead Up To 9'35"

With the peloton at the 19km mark, it is 9'35" behind De Kort (SKS), Bouet (AGR), Dumoulin (COF) and Perez Moreno (EUS).

13:42:13 - Riders Involved in Crashes During Second Stage

There were a number of falls during the stage from Monaco to Brignoles. Jurgen van de Walle sustained a broken collarbone in a fall after about 50km of racing but remounted his bike and rode all the way to the finish of the stage despite his injuries. Still, there is no way for him to continue the Tour which means there are now 179 riders in the race.

Others who sought medical assistance from the race doctors during and after the stage included: Thor Husvhod, Andreas Klier and Hayden Roulston (CTT), Frank Schleck (SAX), Igor Anton, Koldo Fernandez and Alan Perez Lezaun (EUS), Daniele Bennati (LIQ), Yauheni Hutarovich (FDJ), Remy Pauriol (COF), Angelo Furlan (LAM) and Jonathan Hivert (SKS).

13:45:29 - How The Escape Formed...

As soon as the flag was waved to signal the commencement of racing, there was an attack. At the 1km mark Bouet (FDJ) and Dumoulin (COF) had opened up an advantage on the bunch. They were pursued by De Kort (SKS) and Perez Moreno (EUS) but the peloton didn’t react at all.

At 5km mark, the two leaders were 30” ahead of the counter-attackers and 2’45” ahead of the peloton.

At the 10km mark the four attackers joined forces. By then the peloton was already 8’15” behind. De Kort was stung by an insect at the 15km mark but his quartet continued to build its advantage: and by the 20km mark, the peloton was already 10’20” behind.

Maxime Bouet is currently the virtual leader of the Tour de France. He was 74th overall, 1'39" behind Cancellara after two stages.

13:49:07 - Cavendish In 2009: 14 Out Of 17…

The winner of yesterday’s stage has been triumphant in 14 of the 17 bunch sprints he’s contested this year, according to L’Equipe. This means it’s a 82 per cent success rate for the season. The French newspaper compiled a list of results from sprints from the three years he’s contested the Tour and its been a steady improvement.

In 2007 he won 10 of the 24 sprints (42 per cent).

In 2008 he won 16 of the 32 sprints (50 per cent).

13:53:58 - Comments From Cadel Evans (SIL)

LeTour.fr received a call from the rider ranked fifth overall after two stages, Cadel Evans. The Australian Silence-Lotto rider was on his way to the start and offered a few comments about the racing so far in this year’s Tour. “It was a fairly standard early stage yesterday and it’s a shame to see Jurgen van de Waelle crash out,” Evans said. “He got a second place in stage seven of the Dauphine and was obviously going well; and to think that he finished the stage after his crash with a broken collarbone and damaged lung is impressive. Poor guy.

“There were a few other crashes coming in to the finale. One Garmin guy hit something on the side of the road just ahead of me and I thought, ‘Oh, no… his bike is going to catapult into the bunch.’ Sure enough that’s what happened. There’s nothing you can do if you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time but I’m being well looked after by my team. I’ve got Sebastian Lang looking after me and I have to say that he’s fantastic: one of the best domestiques in the bunch. He goes wherever I go and he does everything he can to get me in the right position and keep me out of danger.”

14:01:25 - Average Speed For First Hour

The average speed for the first hour in stage three is 35.9km/h. That is, of course, how far the leaders covered. The peloton is much slower as it's now 11'15" minutes behind De Kort, Dumoulin, Perez Moreno and Bouet.

14:04:03 - Leaders 5km From First Sprint

The leading four riders are now at the 43km mark. They are due to contest the sprint for points in La Fare-les-Oliviers (at 48.5km) soon.

14:15:33 - Peloton At 37km... 13'00" Behind

The leading quartet are racing and the peloton is cruising. The difference between Bouet's group and the main bunch (which has just arrived at the 37km mark) is now 13 minutes!

14:19:19 - Results Of First Intermediate Sprint

The points for the sprint in La Fare-les-Oliviers (48.5km) were won by:

1. Maxime Bouet (AGR) 6pts

2. Samuel Dumoulin (COF) 4pts

3. Koen De Kort (SKS) 2pts

14:24:59 - Emmanuel Hubert On Feillu

Although the Agritubel team’s directeur sportif Emmanuel Hubert is aware of the strength of Mark Cavendish in the sprints, he does not discount the possibility of an error by the big favorite for the green jersey. If Cavendish does make a mistake, then it could benefit yesterday’s third-place finisher Roman Feillu. “We know that Roman is moving fast but to beat Cavendish? Well, it’s still very difficult. But there can be errors in the sprint and we have every reason to keep having faith.

“It know it’s a matter of getting the timing just right and making sure Roman finds the right wheels to follow. We don’t need a true lead-out train because he prefers to fend form himself in the final kilometer. We just need to help him move forward when the pace is increasing on the approach to the line. In a stage like this, Feillu could be one of the favorites. The green jersey may even be a goal yet…”

14:28:58 - Advantage Drops A Little...

As the peloton reached the 43km mark, it was 12 minutes behind the escapees. The maximum gain of Bouet and co was 13 minutes as the peloton was at the 37km mark.

Saxo Bank is the team that's taking responsibility for the pursuit.

14:33:24 - Peloton At 48.5km Mark...

As the bunch arrives at the site of the intermediate sprint, its deficit to the four leaders has dropped to 11 minutes.

14:35:27 - Results Of First Climb

The leaders have contested the first climb of the third stage. The points were won by:

1. Koen De Kort (SKS) 3pts

2. Maxime Bouet (AGR) 2pts

3. Samuel Dumoulin (COF) 1pt

14:39:19 - One Saxo Bank Riders Setting Pace

Chris Sorensen of the Saxo Bank team is the only one setting the pace at the front of the bunch. He is being shadowed by a group of Cofidis riders who appear keen to calm the pace and allow their little big man, Sam Dumoulin, increase his advantage in the escape that's now 10'20" ahead of the bunch.

14:42:54 - More Saxo Bankers Move Forward...

Moments after the previous newsflash was sent, the rest of the Saxo Bank team stormed to the front of the peloton. We can now expect to see the advantage of the four escapes come down quickly.

14:44:37 - Advantage Drops To 8'25"

The maximum gain of the escape was 13 minutes. Bouet, De Kort, Dumoulin and Perez Moreno are now 8'25" ahead of the peloton.

14:59:05 - Stapleton: Part 01 – “Mark finished it off from a long way out…”

“It’s almost a little unfair for poor Mark,” said the owner of Columbia-Highroad, Bob Stapleton about Cavendish after the stage yesterday. “If he doesn’t win people are disappointed. They think it’s automatic.”

There is a lot of work that goes into setting up the sprints and Stapleton was pleased with the way ‘Cav’ finished off the job in stage two. “That was a great Tour de France sprint. There were four or five teams up there fighting. It was a bumpy, challenging final and Mark and the team showed great ability. It was the perfect lead-out. You saw a GC rider, Rogers, giving a good solid one kilometer effort and then George took over, then Tony Martin, then Mark Renshaw… and Mark Cavendish finished it off. Nobody could hold his wheel. Only one guy, Tyler Farrar, was there and that was an impressive performance. That Mark finished it off from a long way out shows his class.”

15:01:40 - Average Speed Of First Two Hours...

The combined average speed for the first two hours of racing in stage three is 34.8km/h. The first hour was raced at an average of 35.9km/h.

15:06:09 - Stapleton: Part 02 – “Aerodynamics matters…”

“Cavendish opened up the sprint from about 250 meters to go and that’s a long sprint! I was nervous,” said Columbia’s Bob Stapleton. “That’s one of the ways that other teams try to beat Mark: they hope that he fades and when he goes early, it’s possible. That’s how he lost to Farrar earlier in the year (in Tirreno-Adriatico).

“He’s very aerodynamic in the way he sprints. He’s got a very small front section in the wind so when he puts his head down and really goes, he’s quite a compact little aerodynamic machine. It’s funny, but that makes a difference. You see the big guys sitting up and sprinting all muscle and power pushing the bike as hard as they can, but Mark’s position helps him go faster. At those speeds, aerodynamics matters.

“It’s great to have the win early. It takes the pressure off some of the guys who were really nervous in Monaco. Now they see that they can do the job and everything’s going to be just fine.”

15:06:43 - Average Speed Of Second Hour...

The second hour was raced at an average speed of just 33.7km/h.

15:09:06 - Bouet: Second Youngest In 2009

The rider who is currently the virtual leader of the Tour de France is Maxime Bouet. He is the man who instigated the escape today. The Frenchman from Agritubel is the second youngest rider in the race. He was born on 3 November 1986.

15:14:11 - Stapleton: Part 03 – Boonen Hasn't Beaten 'Cav' This Year...

“I don’t know if Tom got caught up in the crash near the finish or not, somebody told me that but I don’t think Boonen’s beaten Mark in a year,” concluded Stapleton when asked for his appraisal on the second stage. “The times that they’ve raced head-to-head this year, Mark’s won pretty decisively. I think Boonen’s got a lot of baggage that he’s carrying around right now.

“He’s got the confusion about if he was in the race or not, all the tension around his problems and that’s a hell of a load to carry. I think he’s going to struggle a little bit here. Plus, I think he feels completely unwanted which is no fun either. I think all the other athletes support him but it’s a hard thing to have to do at the last minute: wait for a court to say, ‘Yes, you can ride your bike…’”

15:16:17 - Leaders Increase Their Advantage

Bouet, De Kort, Dumoulin and Perez Moreno have increased their advantage again. They are now 11'10" ahead of the peloton. The yellow jersey is seen hovering around the rear of the peloton and Saxo Bank no longer appears interested in setting the pace for the peloton.

15:18:48 - 12'35" Between Leaders & Peloton

Kurt Asle Arvesen has just gestured for his Saxo Bank colleagues to come and join him at the front of the peloton again. The reason could be that the advantage of the escapees has grown to 12'35".

15:26:34 - Watch The Advantage Shrink...

Righto. Time to get serious. The Saxo Bank squad has allowed Bouet's quartet to increase its advantage but now the team of Cancellara is showing intent at the head of the peloton. The pace has increased and directeur sportif Kim Anderson admits that it's time pull back the escapees "a little".

15:28:35 - 2nd Sprint Due Soon...

The leading four are about to contest the sprint for points in Mouries at the 90.5km mark.

15:33:55 - Results Of Second Intermediate Sprint

The points for the sprint in Mouries were won by:

1. Dumoulin (COF) 6pts

2. Bouet (AGR) 4pts

3. Perez Moreno (EUS) 2pts

15:35:01 - Dumoulin Fond Memories Of Stage Three...

The conditions between stage three this year and last couldn't be most different. On the road to Nantes 12 months ago it was cold and very, very wet. But there are a couple of similarities: there was a four-man escape group in the third stage last year and Samuel Dumoulin was part of it. The maximum gain of the escape group on the road to Nantes was 14'50" and it proved sufficient for the fugitives to hold on until the finish.

Dumoulin won the sprint. Roman Feillu took the yellow jersey. And there was much rejoicing by French fans... at last the opportunists had achieved a coup.

15:38:59 - Leads Drops To 10'10"

The leaders are now about 100km from the end of the stage. They began their attack in the first kilometer thanks to a surge by Maxime Bouet. He and Koen De Kort, Samuel Dumoulin and Ruben Perez Moreno did get as far as 13 minutes ahead. But now that Saxo Bank is working again the lead is down to 10'10" as the bunch passes the site of the second intermediate sprint (at the 90.5km mark).

15:45:09 - Tony Martin Punctures...

Bernhard Eisel has waited on the side of the road while his team-mate Tony Martin received a new wheel after a recent puncture. There was not even a hint of stress as the pace of the bunch is tranquil and it took no time at all for the Columbia pair to rejoin the bunch.

15:51:16 - Leaders On 2nd Climb

The four escapees are now on the slopes of the col de la Vayede. They have a lead of 9'10" on the peloton.

15:57:00 - Result Of Second Climb

The points for the second climb of the stage - the col de la Vayede (at 102km) - were won by:

1. Koen De Kort (SKS) 3pts

2. Maxime Bouet (AGR) 2pts

3. Samuel Dumoulin (COF) 1pt

15:59:18 - Leaders In The Feedzone...

De Kort, Bouet, Perez Moreno and Dumoulin are now in the feedzone at the 104.5km mark.

16:00:15 - Average Speed For Third Hour

The average speed for the third hour was 36.6km/h. The average for the first three hours of stage three is: 35.3km/h.

16:03:30 - Peloton Speeding Down To Feedzone...

The feedzone today comes after the descent from the second summit of the stage. The peloton is about to arrive in Paradou (at 104.5km) 7'45" after the escapees reached the same point.

16:08:07 - Comments From Cofidis...

Francis Van Londersele, the directeur sportif of the Cofidis team, was recently contacted by LeTour.fr to get his thoughts on the stage. “This morning, when we heard that Saxo Bank would loosen its grip and let the gap of an escape group grow, we changed our plans and asked riders to get in the escapes. As it turns out, Saxo Bank has indeed been reluctant to police the move today. Given this scenario the four in the lead were able to increase their advantage and with 10 minutes with 100km to go, the situation is interesting.”

The Cofidis representative in the move, Dumoulin, is the only one of the four to have previously won a stage of the Tour. And that was in stage three last year. “We are still dependent on the approach of other teams,” continued Van Londersele. “The breakaway is not easy as they are riding into a headwind. But after all and adventure is an adventure. Since no one has really ridden quickly in the peloton yet, it seems that there are still some reservations… but we are a long way from the finish so we have to wait and see what happens.”

16:17:58 - Results Of Third Sprint

The four leaders have just contested the third intemediate sprint of the stage. The points in Arles (at 118.5km) were won by:

1. Perez Moreno (EUS) 6pts

2. Bouet (AGR) 4pts

3. Dumoulin (COF) 2pts

16:20:34 - Peloton At 114km Mark

With the bunch at the 114km mark, its deficit to the leading four is 6'45".

16:21:21 - Sprint Teams Take Responsibility...

The Saxo Bank team has retreated from the front of the peloton. Now there are a couple of riders from the Columbia team moving forward and it looks like it's time for the sprint teams to start reeling in the escapees who are around 6'30" ahead of the peloton.

16:36:17 - Rudi Kemna Of Skil-Shimano Comments On Stage…

“Normally an escape like this won’t stay away on a stage like this but we’ll take our chances,” said the directeur sportif of Skil-Shimano when contacted by LeTour.fr recently. “The good thing is that we have Koen in the move. It’s good that he was able to take some climbing points and show the jersey today.

“It seems that Saxo Bank doesn’t want to do too much work to limit the gains of the escapees so we’ll see the sprint teams take the responsibility of chasing.

“I’m not confident of the chances of the escape staying away when it’s such a flat finale so we have to start considering our options for a sprint. If it all comes back together – which I expect it will – then we have Kenny van Hummel for the sprint. He’s feeling good today and we’ll wait to see if he can get in the mix.”

16:39:13 - Columbia In Control...

The Columbia team is now in charge of the chase. The advantage has dropped below five minutes since Cavendish's colleagues moved forward with around 75km to go. There are also some Liquigas riders moving forward but it remains the white, yellow and green-clad riders who are in the wind.

Astana is also present near the front but more to keep their team captains out of trouble than to participate in the chase.

16:49:19 - Crash In Peloton...!

There has been a crash in the peloton. We wait to see who has been held up by the incident but can report that two Lampre riders are waiting for their team car.

16:53:55 - Bruseghin Caught In Crash...

Marzio Bruseghin is one of the Lampre riders caught in the fall. He now has a spare bike and is racing again. No one in the crash seemed to be too badly hurt although the former TT champion of Italy does have a fair bit of blood coming from his left knee.

16:55:12 - Bruseghin Receives Treatment From Team Car

The fallen rider, Marzio Bruseghin has been helped back to the peloton by his Lampre team car. Now two team-mates have dropped behind the peloton to help the rider who finished third in last year's Giro d'Italia back into the bunch.

16:57:32 - Average Speed For Fourth Hour...

The average speed for the fourth hour of racing in stage three is 42.1km/h. The average for the first four hours combined is 37.0km/h.

17:03:15 - Third Stage Finish In La Grande-Motte

This is the third time that a stage of the Tour de France has concluded in La Grande-Motte. The first stage finish in this beachside town was in 1969 when Guido Reybrouck of Belgium beat Jan Janssen in a sprint involving 16 riders in the 13th stage (from Aubagne). The peloton finished 4'40" behind and Eddy Merckx maintained his lead in the general classification.

The second time was in 1972 when Willy Teirlinck won the 210km stage from Castres. He held off Barry Hoban by three seconds. Reybrouck was fourth three years after his victory and Cyril Guimard was fifth.

17:13:30 - Advantage Down To 3'05"

With the peloton at the 154km mark, the advantage of the four escapees has dropped to 3'05".

17:16:45 - Bouet's Virtual Lead Almost Over...

The bunch is now just 2'05" behind Perez Moreno, Dumoulin, De Kort and Bouet who have been on the attack since the first kilometer. The virtual leader of the Tour for much of the day has been the second-youngest rider in the race, Maxime Bouet, but his dreams of the yellow jersey will remain just that for the time being... he was 1'39" behind Cancellara at the start of the stage.

17:25:28 - Dumoulin Doing The Most Work...

In the last 10 minutes, the winner of stage three last year - Samuel Dumoulin (COF) - has spent the most of the time on the front of the escape group. He has been in the wind for 31 per cent of the time while the three others - De Kort, Perez Moreno and Bouet shared even turns: 23 per cent each...

17:26:48 - Columbia Split The Peloton

The pace of the chase has increased to such an extent that the peloton has split into two groups with 30km to go. There are about 25 riders in the first group including all the Columbia riders and the yellow jersey.

17:27:47 - Armstrong Present In First Peloton...

Lance Armstrong and five Skil-Shimano riders are also in the first peloton.

17:28:34 - Saxo Bank Lead Second Peloton

Riders from the Saxo Bank team are controlling the pursuit of the first peloton that includes all the Columbia team as well as Wegmann (MRM), five Skil-Shimano riders and Armstrong (AST).

17:29:44 - Dumoulin Attacks

Dumoulin has attacked the lead group but it hasn't lasted long. The others have chased him down.

17:30:21 - Four Caught By Columbia's Peloton...

The four escapees who have been in front of the stage all day long have been caught by Columbia's peloton of about 20 riders.

17:31:57 - Columbia Continues...

There is about 300m between the first and second pelotons. We don' thave a time check but now Cadel Evans is moving up the right side of the second peloton to help contribute to the chase which has been conducted by Saxo Bank since the split started with 30km to to.

17:33:27 - Composition Of Lead Group

There are 30 riders in the lead group including: Hushovd, Roulston, Armstrong, Popovych, Zubeldia, Cancellara, Perez Moreno, Cavendish, Eisel, Martin, Renshaw, Rogers, Grabsch, Hincapie, Auge, Dumoulin, Kern, Pineau, Bouet, Gerdemann, Wegmann, Lemoine, Beppu, De Kort, Geschke, Hivert and Hupond.

17:36:58 - 30" Between Pelotons

There is about 30" between the first and second pelotons with 23km to go.

17:38:08 - The Stage Leaders With 20km To Go

Cervelo - Hushovd & Roulston

Astana - Armstrong, Popovych & Zubeldia

Saxo Bank - Cancellara

Euskaltel - Perez Moreno

Coumbia - Cavendish, Eisel, Martin, Renshaw, Rogers, Grabsch, Kirchien, Montfort and Hincapie

Cofidis - Auge, Dumoulin and Kern

Quickstep - Pineau

Agritubel - Bouet

Milram - Gerdemann and Wegmann

Skil-Shimano - Lemoine, Beppu, De Kort, Geschke, Hivert and Hupond

17:40:43 - Eisel Drops Out Of Lead Group

With 20km to go, there are 23 seconds between the two pelotons. Eisel and Grabsch have dropped out of the lead group.

17:41:25 - Skil-Shimano Driving The Lead Group

The two dominant teams in the front group are keeping the pace high. Skil-Shimano and Columbia-Highroad have joined forces and they are holding on to their advantage on the second peloton which is still 23" behind.

17:42:55 - Advantage Remains

The second peloton is still stranded behind. The leading group of 27 has an advantage of 25".

17:45:41 - Zubeldia and Popovych Now Working

The Astana team's domestiques are now also contributing to the pace at the front of the stage. There are three from this team: Zubeldia, Popovych and Armstrong. This group is 27 ahead of the second peloton.

17:47:58 - Composition Of Lead Group

The riders in the lead of the stage are: Hushovd and Roulston (Cervelo), Armstrong, Popovych and Zubeldia (Astana), Cancellara (Saxo Bank), Perez Moreno (Euskaltel), Cavendish, Grabsch, Hincapie, Kirchen, Martin, Montfort, Renshaw and Rogers (Columbia), Auge, Dumoulin and Kern (Cofidis), Pineau (Quickstep), Bouet (Agritubel), Gerdemann and Wegmann (Milram), Lemoine, Beppu, De Kort, Geschke, Hivert, Hupond (Skil-Shimano).

There are 11km to go in the stage and the advantage of the leaders is 29".

17:50:37 - 10km To Go

The lead group is increasing its advantage. There are now 10km to go and the Columbia group is 32" ahead.

17:51:27 - Silence Stranded

The Silence-Lotto team is the one taking the most responsibility for the pursuit of the 28 stage leaders. With 10km to go, the second peloton was 33" behind the Columbia/Cancellara/Armstrong group.

17:52:35 - 7km To Go

Cancellara remains in the lead group but his Saxo Bank GC riders, the Schleck brothers, are assisting in the chase of the group which is 38" behind with 7km to go in the stage.

17:56:11 - 5km To Go: The Columbia Control Continues

As the second peloton reaches the 5km to go banner it is 33" behind the leading group of 28.

17:58:07 - The 28 Leaders

Hushovd, Roulston, Armstrong, Popovych, Zubeldia, Cancellara, Perez Moreno, Cavendish, Eisel, Grabsch, Hincapie, Kirchen, Martin, Montfort, Renshaw and Rogers, Auge, Dumoulin, Kern, Pineau, Bouet, Gerdemann, Wegmann, Lemoine, Beppu, De Kort, Geschke, Hivert, and Hupond are the men who have a lead of 34" with 4km to go in the third stage.

17:59:38 - A Most Curious Conclusion...!

It was meant to be a formality: a sprinter's stage but it's no longer that at all. This is a day for Columbia which has caused chaos with its move 30km from the finish. The winner will come from one of the group of 28 which is now 2km from the finish with a lead of 38".

18:01:43 - 1km To Go

Can anyone hold off Cavendish? Don't count on it. The Columbia team has now started thinking about the stage win and Cavendish is lining up for the sprint...

18:02:47 - Cavendish Confirms His Talent... Again!

Make that six stage victories for Cavendish. The Columbia sprinter crossed the line holding his fingers to his ear in the gesture of a phone call. He makes sprinting seem so easy that he can toy with the others as he does his victory salute.

18:04:20 - Second Peloton 40" Behind

There was about 40 seconds between the first group and the second group at the finish of the third stage. Cancellara will keep his lead in the general classification.

18:05:05 - The Top Six In Stage Three

The third stage of the Tour de France will be one to remember for the final 30km in which Columbia caused all sorts of chaos. The team also picked up the victory (again) thanks to Mark Cavendish. The top five is:

1. Mark Cavendish (GBR) THR

2. Thor Hushovd (NOR) CTT

3. Cyril Lemoine (FRA) SKS

4. Samuel Dumoulin (FRA) COF

5. Jerome Pineau (FRA) QSI

6. Fabian Cancellara (SUI) SAX