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The newsflashes
stage 3 - Olonne-sur-Mer 
Redon
198 km
Monday 4 July
Redon
198 km
Monday 4 July
The newsflashes
17:30 - Fabulous Farrar!
Farrar has held off a late charge by Roman Feillu and Rojas to give Garmin-Cervélo its second victory in two days. The top five in stage three is: 1. Tyler Farrar (USA) GRM - 198km ijn 4’40’21" (42.4km/h) 2. Roman Feillu (FRA) VCD 3. Jose Rojas (ESP) MOV 4. Sebastian Hinault (FRA) ALM 5. Mark Cavendish (GBR) HTC 6. Thor Hushovd (NOR) GRM 7. Julian Dean (NZL) GRM 8. Borut Bozic (SLO) VCD 9. André Greipel (GER) OLO 10. Denis Galimzyanov (RUS) KAT
17:25 - Farrar Celebrates A Win!
Farrar has received the lead-out of his life by Hushovd and the American has celebrated his first solo Tour stage win on the 4th of July. He has gestured with a "W" for his fallen comrade Wouter Weylandts...
17:24 - Garmin Emerge...
Garmin riders are now right on the back of the HTC express... the peloton is inside the final kilometer. The sprint specialists are about to do their thing and HTC’s plans are being spoiled by a late move by Thomas but now Hushovd is taking over the lead-out duties.
17:22 - Hondo Surges
Hondo has jumped off the front of the peloton but now there’s an attack from a Vacansoleil rider who has opened up a gap with 2km to go.
17:22 - 3km To Go
Petacchi is right on the wheel of Cavendish as they pass under the 3km to go banner. Martin is still on the front...
17:21 - The HTC Express...
With 4km to go, Eisel has just finished his effort. Now it’s Tony Martin followed by Matt Goss, Mark Renshaw and Mark Cavendish... this is the team that’s in charge of the pace setting.
17:19 - Delage Wins ’Fighting Spirit’ Award
Delage will get a red dossard for his effort today. He has been voted the most aggressive rider today. The FDJ rider took first at both the intermediate sprint and the climb in stage three.
17:18 - Burghardt Leads Evans
The rider in third overall is wearing the polka-dot jersey today. Evans (BMC) has Marcus Burghardt setting the pace for him near the head of the peloton. Evans was the last of the GC riders to stay at the front before being swamped by riders from sprint teams which are now in complete command of the peloton. Velits is hovering off the front of the bunch but now comes Eisel, Martin, Goss and other HTC riders.
17:17 - Taaramae Rejoins Peloton
After his flat tire, Taaramae has been able to rejoined the peloton with 7km to go.
17:16 - Escapees Caught
Gutierrez and Delage have been caught by the peloton. Their capture came with 9km to go in the stage. They have been on the attack for 189km but now it’s time for the sprint teams to work their magic... Katusha has four riders at the front, followed by several guys from the Vacansoleil team and, on their right, are HTC riders in their own train.
17:14 - 15" With 10km To Go
Taaramae is being helped by three Cofidis team-mates but he’s not yet back in the peloton that is just 15" behind Gutierrez and Delage at the 10km to go mark.
17:13 - 20" Advantage
Gutierrez and Delage are 20" ahead of the peloton with 11km to go. The HTC team is now really pushing the pace and a strong tailwind means that the riders are holding speeds in excess of 65km/h...
17:12 - Taaramae Mechanical Troubles
Taaramae has a flat front tire. He has been helped by Duque of the Cofidis team who has given his leader his wheel.
17:08 - 15km To Go
With 15km to go, Gutierrez and Delage are sharing even turns at the front; a time trial specialist and a former pursuiter... they are holding on to their 40" advantage.
17:07 - Two Stage Leaders
Gutierrez and Delage are now the only riders ahead of the peloton. Terpstra, Bouet and Perez Moreno have been swallowed up by a hungry peloton that’s being driven by the HTC team. The leading pair are 40" ahead of the bunch.
17:03 - Delage & Gutierrez Go Clear
After the bout of attacking action, Delage and Gutierrez are alone at the front of the stage. The other three are no longer able to hold the pace set by this pair who are 35" ahead of the peloton.
17:02 - Gutierrez Attacks Lead Group
With 21km to go in the stage, Gutierrez is the first of the leaders to try an attack. He has been chased down by the four others but now they’re all having a go. Ruben Perez is currently at the front of the stage but being chased by Gutierrez and Terpstra.
16:59 - Quinziato Crashes
There was a crash recently with Manuel Quinziato of the BMC team. There were three team-mates with him and he is back on his bike and racing again.
16:56 - 25km To Go
Until recently the front of the peloton was dominated by teams with GC specialists but now that they are inside the final 25km of the stage, it’s time for the sprint teams to take control of the pace setting. They are yet to pull back the five escapees who have increased their advantage recently and are currently 55" ahead.
16:55 - Rabobank Leading Peloton
There are now five riders from Rabobank at the head of the peloton. On the right of the road are six Astana riders and, as that was typed, all nine riders from HTC appeared on the road of the road. The HTC Express is on the rails... and right behind are six from the Lampre team.
16:52 - Tailwind For Finish
The leading five have gained a bit more time for their escape. With a tailwind the riders are holding a pace of about 70km/h as it gets inside the final 30km of stage three.
16:51 - Casar & Karpets Return To Peloton
After being dropped on the climb of the stage, the leaders of the FDJ and Katusha teams - Casar and Karpets - have rejoined the peloton for the final 30km.
16:45 - Sprint & GC Teams Leading Peloton
Saxo Bank, Leopard-Trek and BMC have been up near the front of the peloton, with Rabobank following their wheels. This is to keep their respective leaders out of trouble near the end of the stage. Now they are being joined by riders from HTC who must be considering how to handle the lead-out for Cavendish now that it’s clear that the escape is going to be caught. Gutierrez’s quintet is just 30" ahead.
16:39 - 40" Between Leaders & Peloton
The escape has been active for 158km so far but now just 40" separate Gutierrez (MOV), Delage (FDJ), Bouet (ALM), Terpstra (QST) and Perez Moreno (EUS) and the peloton... there are 40km still to go in the stage.
16:36 - BMC Take Some Responsibility...
"It’s not complicated," Jim Ochowicz of the BMC team said on the evening of the first stage. "If you want to stay out of trouble in the final kilometers of a nervous stage, then you need to move to the front." That’s exactly what riders from his squad are now doing. The team leader, Cadel Evans, is ranked third overall after two days of racing and he’s up front along with five of his team-mates. Two from the US team were dropped after the climb but the red and black jerseys stand out at the front because of the weight of numbers.
16:32 - New Bike For Karpets
Since his crash Vladimir Karpets has been in all sorts of trouble. He was dropped by the peloton then rejoined a group including Sandy Casar but now he’s stopped again to swap bikes. He’s being paced back to the bunch by his Katusha team car.
16:30 - Leopard-Trek Leading Peloton
Cancellara and three other Leopard-Trek riders are now at the front of the peloton which is just 1’00" behind the escapees.
16:29 - Karpets & Casar Dropped...
Karpets (KAT) has lost contact with the peloton. So too has Moinard (BMC) Casar (FDJ) and a couple of other riders.
16:26 - Regrouping At Rear Of Peloton
Gadret (ALM), Kern (EUR), Steegmans (QST) were a number of riders dropped on the climb today. They have just returned to the peloton.
16:24 - 50km To Go
The leaders are less than 50km from the finish but the peloton is closing in quickly... it is now just 1’20" behind and being pushed along by a strong tailwind.
16:22 - Basso & Chavanel Return
Lars Bak is at the front gesturing for riders in the peloton to quell the action a little. This happened at the same time that both Chavanel and Basso returned to the peloton after the split on the bridge.
16:21 - Basso & Chavanel Caught Behind...
Two team leaders have been caught behind in the splits. Both Ivan Basso and Sylvain Chavanel are now racing to rejoin the peloton. We don’t yet have a time gap but can report that there is about 300 meters between the main peloton on the group of seven with these two prominent riders.
16:20 - Peloton At 1’35"
At the top of the climb the peloton was behind the escapees by 1’35".
16:19 - Peloton Splits On Bridge
The wind and gradient on the Saint-Nazaire bridge has caused a few riders to lose contact with the peloton that is now over the top of the only categorized climb of stage three...
16:18 - Bridge A Feature Of TTT In 2000
The Saint-Nazaire bridge was part of the 70km long course that was used for the team time trial of the 2000 Tour (not the 2001 edition as was reported in a previous flash).
16:17 - Delage Leads Over Climb Line
Delage has taken the one points at the top of the climb today. He is now equal with Gilbert in the climbing classification.
16:16 - Karpets Returns After A Crash
Vladimir Karpets has recently crashed but the Katusha rider is back on his bike and has rejoined the peloton.
16:14 - Bridge Ascent: 1.1km Long
The climb on the Pont de Saint-Nazaire is 1.1km long and has an average gradient of 4.9 per cent.
16:13 - Leaders On The Bridge
The escapees are about to traverse the Loire River as they begin the climb of the bridge in St-Nazaire that was a feature of the team time trial in the 2001 Tour de France.
16:10 - Splits Appear Up Front
The pace has lifted with the peloton just 2’30" behind the escapees. A recent left turn prompted a little split in the lead group but they’re all together again. The escapees are inside the final 60km which means that the Pont-de-St Nazaire is less than 5km away.
16:07 - Bouet & Perez Moreno Escape Companions Before...
In the third stage of the 2009 Tour de France two of the riders who are in the escape today were also on the attack. That was the day that the Columbia team split the peloton on the approach to La Grand Motte (and Cavendish won an action-packed stage). Bouet and Perez Moreno were part of a four-man move that jumped clear in the first kilometer and they were joined by Dumoulon and Koen de Kort. Today the Frenchman and Basque riders are part of an escape along with Gutierrez (MOV), Terpstra (QST) and Delage (FDJ).
16:01 - Vaughters – “The first big test for Farrar…”
France Televisions recently interviewed the manager of the Garmin-Cervélo team to get his thoughts on the stage. “We’ll see if Tyler Farrer has good speed today,” said Jonathan Vaughters. “In any chase he is confident and we all know this is the first big test for Farrar. I don’ tknow if Thor will also get involved in the sprint we’ll see if that takes place. If he does so it’s because he’s got the yellow jersey and he doesn’t want to risk losing it.”
15:52 - Reminder Of The Escapees...
The men who have been in the lead of the third stage since the first kilometer are: Gutierrez (MOV), Delage (FDJ), Bouet (ALM), Terpstra (QST) and Perez Moreno (EUS). They steadily built their advantage: 2’10" at 5km, 3’20" at 12km, 4’05" at 22km, 6’30" at 55km, 8’05" at 74km... but then it started to fall. The current advantage is just 3’20".
15:49 - Average Speed For Third Hour
The average speed for the third hour today is 40.4km/h... this is also the average for the first three hours combined.
15:48 - Lead Down To 3’35"!
In a matter of moments, the peloton has reduced the advantage of the escapees to just 3’35". The maximum gain was 8’05" at the 74km mark.
15:40 - Third Acquisition Of Intermediate Sprint Points For Cav in Three Years...
In the previous two editions of the Tour de France, Cavendish only ever scored points in one intermediate sprint. In stage one of the 2011 Tour he was 11th in the intermediate and today he was sixth. That means that the dominant sprinter of his generation has only taken points in three intermediate sprints since the start of the 2009 Tour.
15:38 - HTC Now Working WIth Garmin
Navardauskas continues to set the tempo of the peloton but right on his wheel is a rider from HTC and it’s becoming clear that the team of Cavendish is going to start working to set up a sprint. The peloton is now 5’00" behind Gutierrez’s quintet.
15:35 - Charteau Stops To Greet Family
After jumping ahead of the peloton Charteau has stopped on the roadside to kiss his family... he is now back on his bike and racing again. Ah yes, one of the fine traditions of the Tour continues.
15:31 - Charteau Jumps Ahead
The winner of the polka-dot jersey in the 2010 Tour de France is from this part of France. He has jumped ahead of the peloton so that he can greet his family which is waiting on the roadside...
15:28 - Advantage Drops To Five Minutes
The flurry of action for the intermediate sprint has dramatically reduced the advantage of the leading quintet which is now 5’05" ahead of the peloton that is being led by the Garmin team again.
15:26 - Full Results Of Intermediate Sprint
The allocation of sprint points in St-Hilaire is: 1. Delage (FDJ) 20pts 2. Gutierrez (MOV) 17pts 3. Terpstra (QST) 15pts 4. Perez Moreno (EUS) 13pts 5. Bouet (ALM) 11pts 6. Cavendish (THR) 10pts 7. Galimzyanov (KAT) 9pts 8. Rojas (MOV) 8pts 9. Boonen (QST) 7pts 10. Gilbert (OLO) 6pts 11. Duque (COF) 5pts 12. Hushovd (GRM) 4pts 13. Steegmans (QST) 3pts 14. Bozic (VCD) 2pts 15. Feillu (VCD) 1pt
15:24 - Cavendish Takes Sixth
There was a true tussle at the front of the peloton as they raced to the intermediate sprint line. Lampre led out too early and then Gilberto took a turn at the front but he was easily passed by Cavendish who took sixth place points.
15:21 - Watch The Advantage Drop...!
The peloton was 6’20" behind the escapees only moments ago (when the leading quintet contested the intermediate sprint. That has rapidly dropped to just 5’30" as Omega Pharma and Lampre start to wind up the pace on the approach to the sprint for sixth place points at the 104km mark.
15:20 - Sprint Teams Start The Lead-Out
Omega Pharma-Lotto and Lampre are now leading the peloton to the site of the intermediate sprint.
15:19 - Leaders Take Sprint Points
The five escapees have contested the intermediate sprint with Delage leading the way to the line. The allocation of points for the first five is: 1. Delage (FDJ) 20pts 2. Gutierrez (MOV) 17pts 3. Terpstra (QST) 15pts 4. Perez Moreno (EUS) 13pts 5. Bouet (ALM) 11pts
15:11 - 6’20" Lead Now
The leaders are 5km from the intermediate sprint as the peloton passes the 10km to go sign. The points for the sprint in Saint-Hilaire-de-Chaleons go down to 15th place.
15:10 - Feeding Time...
The change in colors at the head of the peloton is only due to the fact that the peloton has arrived in the feedzone in Saint-Mars-de-Coutais (at 92km).
15:09 - Saxo Bank Moving Forward
There are now two teams at the front of the peloton: Garmin-Cervelo which has been up front all day but Tosatto and Noval of Saxo Bank have just moved forward and are now setting the pace on the approach to the feedzone.
15:06 - Advantage Starts To Drop
The maximum gain of the escapees was 8’05" at the 74km mark. The Garmin-Cervélo riders are now starting to lift the pace of the chase and the latest time check has the peloton 6’40" behind. Linus Gerdemann has just punctured his rear tire. He is ranked fifth overall after two stages of the 2011 Tour.
15:05 - Lavenu – “What’s is written doesn’t always come true…”
The manager of the AG2R team recently told LeTour.fr that the teams of the sprinters should start to lift the tempo of the chase if they want to catch the escapees that include Maxime Bouet from the French team. “In a moment, I believe the HTC team will start to show some interest in what’s being done at the front of the peloton,” said Vincent Lavenu. “There are only a few stages that are suitable for sprint finishes and, theoretically, they are not going to miss the chance. “Still, what’s is written doesn’t always come true. Everyone expects that today will end in a sprint but the beauty of cycling is that anything can happen. “I’ve asked Maxime not to do more than the others in the escape, to eat well, and see how he copes at the end. For now, the leaders are sharing the workload well.”
15:00 - Flat Rear Tire For Roche
Nicolas Roche, who turned 27 yesterday, has just had a flat rear tire. He has a new wheel from the AG2R mechanic and is now racing to rejoin the peloton that’s about 8’00" behind the escapees.
14:58 - Hot Conditions Today
Sebastien Piquet, the voice of Radio Tour, has just called the office of LeTour.fr to inform us that the temperature reading in the car that follows the peloton with him and the chief commissaire of the race reads 29.5 degrees Celsius.
14:53 - Gusev’s Birthday Today
One of the riders in the Katusha team is celebrating a birthday today; Vladimir Gusev turns 29. This is his second Tour de France. He finished fifth in the prologue of the 2007 race (in London) and wore the white jersey for a couple of days that year.
14:51 - Back On The Coast At 135km
The stage began in the seaside town of Olonne-sur-Mer and then went inland as the course sent riders in a northerly trajectory. The route returns to the coast at the 135km mark of today’s 198km stage. Then it’s eight kilometers before the riders tackle the Pont-de-St-Nazaire, the only climb of the third stage.
14:48 - Navardauskas Leading Peloton
The Lithuanian national champion Ramunas Navardauskas - who David Millar calls "our wünderkind" - is currently setting the pace of the peloton. The 23-year-old didn’t finish with the group that set the fastest time in the team time trial (as he was one of four to drop out of the Garmin paceline during the 23km race). He finished 1’01" behind the five who set the fastest time in the race around Les Essarts.
14:46 - Average Speed For Second Hour
The leaders of stage three have covered 40.7km in the second hour. The average for the first two hours is 40.4km/h.
14:42 - Yellow ’Dossards’ For Garmin-Cervélo
Yesterday there were three US-registered teams in the top five: Garmin-Cervélo scored its first win in the Tour de France. This has elevated the squad to first in the team classifications and that’s why the riders have yellow race numbers today. BMC finished just four seconds behind, with an impressive ride by a squad that finished with eight riders. And HTC-Highroad finished only five seconds behind their rivals to take fifth place despite Eisel crashing early in the 23km TTT.
14:36 - Lead Up To 7’15"
The five escapees are all sharing the workload, swapping off with even turns. Garmin is controlling the peloton but the leaders are continuing to build their advantage which was 7’15" at the last check...
14:31 - Comments About Eisel’s Crash Yesterday...
Eisel of the HTC team crashed on a corner early in the team time trial yesterday. The Austrian was most annoyed at himself but his colleagues never said a bad word about it. "You can’t say that they would have won without the fall," said Allan Peiper, "because maybe they would have started too fast and died but, at the same time, I think they were well drilled enough and it was just really bad luck for Bernie. “We just told him that he can’t blame himself... he got the feeling that he lost it for us. He told me, ‘We should have won but I stuffed it up.’ He said that for 20 of the 23km he blamed everything from his shoe covers, to his pedals to his bike, to the mechanics, to the directors… and then he said that in the last three kilometers he recognized what the reality was: ‘I just stuffed up.’
14:28 - Peiper On The Lead-Out Order For ’Cav’...
Earlier today LeTour.fr asked HTC directeur sportif what the order of the lead-out train will be should the finish be the expected sprint. “It’ll be something like Tony Martin, then Gossie, then Renshaw, then Cav but we’re about to go into a meeting and the boys will have a say about how they’re going to do it. Obviously, they’re on the bike so they have a better idea of who is going well and what the qualities of each other are.”
14:22 - Advantage Near Seven Minutes
The Garmin-Cervélo team remains in charge of the pacesetting duties at the front of the peloton which is now 6’55" behind Gutierrez’s group of five. Just behind the US-registered team are riders from the Liquigas team.
14:15 - Maximum Gain So Far... 6’30"
At the 55km mark, the peloton is 6’30" behind the Gutierrez quintet.
14:13 - Peiper Wonders About Tactics Of Some Teams...
LeTour.fr asked Allan Peiper of the HTC team how he thinks things will unfold on the approach to the intermediate sprint today. “I don’t really understand what goes on with other teams," he said. "The other day three guys got away and I don’t get why some teams that have no real chance of success at the end don’t try and close it down and get someone from their squad in the break. "If it was my team and I didn’t have someone who could have won, I’d insist that someone goes on the attack. Or at least close it down until we have someone in the break. For us it’s great that there are three riders up the road but it could be seven or eight as well.”
14:06 - Peloton At 50km Mark
The bunch has just ridden through Beaufou at the 50km mark.
14:05 - Escapees 5’10" Ahead
After one hour and 20 minutes of racing in stage three Delage, Gutierrez, Bouet, Terpstra and Perez Moreno are 5’10" ahead of the peloton that’s been led by the Garmin-Cervélo team since the escape was established.
13:58 - Injuries Taking Toll On Movistar Riders
Although there are still 198 riders in the Tour, some are suffering because of injuries sustained in crashes on day one, including the Costa Rican rider Andrey Amador of the Movistar team. “I didn’t want to think about the team time trail in the hours prior to the start,” said Amador. “I couldn’t even walk on my own feet. “I started thinking about the issue and saw that I couldn’t leave the Tour on the first day… you have to keep trying for all the people that supported you on the way up here. “Cycling is already difficult, but when you have such a problem, it is way harder. We made it through the day and that helps me to think the ankle can do a bit better day by day… we’ll see how my body responds."
13:52 - Comments From Movistar...
“We did not race for the classification," said Movistar’s general manager Eusebio Unzué about the TTT yesterday. "The goal was saving the day with Amador and Intxausti... we were very doubtful of them making it, because Andrey could barely walk [after a crash in stage one] and Beñat could not stand pain in his arm this morning at the training. We didn’t know how to do this TT, because it was likely that both got dropped right at the start and we began cautiously not to get them out of time. We’ll see how their injuries evolve tomorrow. "We hope them to get over this and we’re pointing out for the chances by Ventoso and Rojas in the sprint that’s expected for tomorrow."
13:46 - Average Speed For First Hour
The leaders of stage one have covered 40.1km in the first hour of racing. They are 5’20" ahead of the peloton.
13:41 - Three Pursuiters In Escape
Of the five men in the lead, three have a history of success in the pursuit discipline on the track. Bouet was the junior French champion in 2004 (and second in the elite category in 2006). Terpstra was the Dutch national pursuit champion in 2006. And Delage was the junior French champion in the same discipline in 2003 (the year he finished second in the world championships behind Australia’s Miles Olman).
13:36 - Terpstra Second To Gilbert This June...
In one of the final preparation races before the Tour, one of the riders in the escape today - Niki Terpstra (QST) - finished second overall. He was beaten by... who else but Mr Philippe Gilbert. The Belgian champion finished three seconds ahead of the Dutchman in the Ster Elektrotoer, a five-stage race that concluded on 19 June.
13:33 - Comments From Marc Sergeant
Each year during the Tour de France budding journalists get a chance to see what it’s like to report on the race. The ‘Jeunes Reporters du Tour’ are conducting interviews at the start and they’ve sent some files to the LeTour.fr office including a quote from the DS of Omega Pharma-Lotto, Marc Sergeant. “The aim is to win with [André Greipel],” the Belgian told one of the young reporters in Olonne-sur-Mer. “Normally in a stage like this there will be a bunch sprint but we must remain vigilant and consider the wind. “Our other ambition is to keep van den Broeck and Gilbert in the game. “I’m curious to see how Greipel goes but I’m not sure… as it’s his first Tour and he’s never had the opportunity to sprint in this race yet.”
13:28 - Delage’s Seventh Grand Tour
The French representative in the escape today is Mickael Delage of the FDJ team. He turned pro in 2005 with the FDJ team and, after two seasons with Silence-Lotto and Omega Pharma-Lotto, he’s back with the squad that he raced with at the start of his career. This is his seventh Grand Tour (after having started the Tour in 2007 and 2009, and the Vuelta in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010). His best result in a stage of a three-week race today is fourth in stage 16 of the Vuelta when it was a sprint won by Tom Boonen.
13:24 - Lead Up To 4’05" At 22km
The five escapees have an advantage of 4’05" as the peloton passes the 22km mark of the 198km stage.
13:21 - Gutierrez The ’Virtual Leader’
Of the five in the escape, Gutierrez is the best on GC after two days of racing in 2011. The former champion of Spain has not yet won a race this year but he’s been in the top five four times, including fourth in the time trial of the national championships (behind Luis Léon Sanchez, Jonathan Castroviejo, and Alberto Contador). His best result so far this year is second in the stage two time trial of the Vuelta Asturias (won by Stefan Schumacher).
13:17 - Garmin Leading Peloton
The winning team from yesterday, Garmin-Cervélo, is at the front of the peloton that is 3’20" behind the five escapees.
13:14 - Peiper On The Intermediate Sprint Of Stage One...
What about the intermediate sprint? LeTour.fr asked Allan Peiper earlier today: Cavendish got swamped in the rush to the line. What happened? “It’s a question of motivation: first day, first sprint… what are you really sprinting for? Nothing," said Peiper. "It’s hard to get motivated for something that really isn’t tangible just yet. In a week or two weeks the intermediate sprints might seem like racing for the win on the Champs-Elysées if we’re going for the green jersey but in the first stage even the team-mates don’t really know what to expect. They know what’s going on but what’s the motivation to sprint for 14 points on the first day? That was part of the reason he didn’t fair too well."
13:11 - Comments From Allan Peiper
LeTour.fr spoke with Allan Peiper of the HTC team before the third stage and asked: how much is Cavendish going to win by? “I don’t know,” he replied, “we never like to get ahead of ourselves. A lot of journalists were asking me the other day why he said that he wanted to win one stage. And I said, ‘Well, you can’t aim for four or five unless you have one.’ That’s the place to start. “There’s a lot of competition out there. There are a lot of good sprinters. There are a lot of good lead-out trains but we’ve got Gossie and Renshaw and Cav and with Garmin leading in the GC and having Farrar there for the sprint they’re going to take control of the race, or they should take control… and it’ll be a showcase for them and that’ll save us for the final."
13:05 - A Climb On A Bridge...
The only categorized hill of the third stage is actually a bridge. The Pont de Saint-Nazaire is ranked category-four and it is at the 143km mark of the stage. There is one point on offer for the first over the top. This structure spans a today of 3,356m and has an elevation of 66 meters.
13:02 - Lead Up To 3’00"
The five escapees are now 3’00" ahead of the peloton. The quintet is steadily building its advantage: 2’10" at 5km, 2’30" at 6km, 2’50" at 7km... the peloton is now at the 9km mark.
13:00 - The Intermediate Sprint Today...
The intermediate sprint for stage three is in Saint-Hilaire-de-Chaléons at the 104km mark. There are 20 points for first over the line as part of the Tour’s new regulations, with the allocation going down to the 15th rider over the line in the town in the Loire-Atlantique department.
12:57 - Advantage: 2’30" At 6km
The escape began in the first kilometer and, at the six kilometer mark, Gutierrez’s quintet is 2’30" ahead of the peloton.
12:56 - The Escapees - Their Teams And Nationalities...
The five men in the lead of stage three are: Jose Ivan Gutierrez (ESP) Movistar - 59th overall (at 1’09") Mickael Delage (FRA) FDJ - 102nd overall (at 2’35") Maxime Bouet (FRA) AG2R La Mondiale - 129th overall (at 3’12") Ruben Perez Moreno (ESP) Euskaltel-Euskadi - 179th overall (at 6’31") Nicki Terpstra (NED) Quickstep - 187th overall (at 7’32")
12:53 - Gutierrez Best Placed Of Escape
Of the five in the lead early in stage three, the best placed on GC after two days of racing is José Ivan Gutierrez (MOV). He is ranked 59th overall, 1’09" behind Hushovd. With the current advantage, we can call him the ’virtual leader’ of the 2011 Tour de France.
12:51 - Lead Up To 1’30"
At the 3km mark, the peloton is 1’30" behind the five escapees.
12:50 - The Five Escapees...
Perez Moreno (EUS), Gutierrez (MOV), Bouet (ALM), Terpstra (QST) and Delage (OLO) are the riders in the escape today. They have an advantage of 35".
12:49 - Peloton At L’Ile-de-Olonne...
At the 2.5km mark, the escape attempt continues but we don’t yet have the names of the riders involved in the move that began around the 1km mark.
12:47 - The Attacks Begin...
Unlike day one when Europcar sent riders on the attack the very moment the white flag fell to signal the start of the stage, it took a few hundred meters more before the first escape came. There are now five riders trying to gain an advantage on the peloton.
12:46 - Feeding To Commence At 30km
The race jury has announced that feeding from the team cars with be authorized from the 30km mark because of the hot conditions today.
12:45 - Racing!
The official start of the third stage was at 12.44pm. The peloton faces 198km before contesting the finish in Redon. There are 198 riders still in the race...
12:43 - Prize Classification Review – Part 04 (White Jersey)
Two Sky riders lead two HTC riders in the youth classification after two days of racing in the 2011 Tour. Geraint Thomas will wear the white jersey for the second successive day. He is on equal time in the overall rankings to his Norwegian team-mate Edvald Boasson Hagen. Tejay van Garderen is ranked third, one second shy of Thomas. The winner of this year’s Milan-San Remo, Matt Goss, is fourth on the same time as his American team-mate.
12:40 - Prize Classification Review – Part 03 (Polka-Dot Jersey)
Today is the first time in seven years that Cadel Evans has worn the Tour’s polka-dot jersey. He has finished second twice in the race (2007 and 2008) and has worn the yellow jersey both those years and he also spent one day in the lead of GC in 2010. Yesterday he wore the green jersey thanks to his second place in stage one. The only climbing point awarded so far this year is for the winner on day one, Gilbert (OLO). But as he wears the green jersey, the Australian from BMC is clad in spots for the stage to Redon.
12:38 - Riders In The Neutral Zone...
The peloton is currently making its way to the site of the official start which is expected to be at around 12.45pm. It’s sunny and warm on the coast and the race heads inland as it aims in a northerly direction to the finish in Redon.
12:36 - Prize Classification Review – Part 02 (Green Jersey)
The winner of stage one, Philippe Gilbert (OLO) suffered a loss of 39 seconds in the team time trial but the Belgian champion still leads the points classification and will wear the green jersey for the first time today. He has 45 points, 10 more than the runner-up on day one, Cadel Evans (BMC). The new race leader, Thor Hushovd (GRM) is ranked third with 30 points thanks to his third place at Mont des Alouettes.
12:34 - Prize Classification Review – Part 01 (Yellow Jersey)
Two riders from the winning formation in yesterday’s team time trial lead the general classification after two days of racing. Thor Hushovd (GRM) will wear the yellow jersey, but David Millar (GRM) is on the same time as the world champion. Cadel Evans (BMC) has finished second in both stages one and two and the former world champion is ranked third overall, just one second behind Hushovd. When Hushovd won the prologue in the 2006 Tour, he had an advantage of a fraction of a second over the runner-up on day one, George Hincapie. The American is now part of the BMC team that finished second in the TTT around Les Essarts. Hincapie is ranked 13th overall today.
12:30 - Welcome To The Live Coverage Of Stage Three
The 198km third stage of the 2011 Tour de France, from Olonne-sur-Mer to Redon is due to begin at 12.35pm. There is a 4.3km neutral zone before the riders reach the site of the official start. The conditions are fine with temperatures around 25 degrees Celsius with bright blue skies. Live coverage of the race will commence shortly.