[ritchiebaby]

The previously mentioned Marc Soler finished in last place yesterday, but was riding on with two broken elbows - no rolling about on the ground for him. Needless to say he is one of the four riders to withdraw.

I managed to watch some of the live transmission today between bowling games and thoroughly enjoyed Mathieu van der Poel's message of intent. Not only is he leading the GC, he is also in front for the Mountain Goat Trophy, along with Ide Schelling. Leading the Points classification is Julian Alaphilippe ahead of the Man Of The Moment, van der Poel.

Tomorrow's stage is a fairly flat 182.9km from Lorient (not the football team) to Pontivy. The latter owes its name to St Ivy, a Scottish monk who came to evangelise Brittany. According to legend, he had a bridge built over the Blavet river, which gave its name to the town: "Pont-Ivy". There you are, I've managed to mention the Scots, so I can now relax.  

Tuesday's stage from Redon to Fougeres is equally flat for the 150.4km distance and once again should be tailor-made for the out-and-out sprinters if their teams can get them in the right place at the right time for another frantic bunch finish.

Any one of the five Points contenders I mentioned in the opening post could win these two stages, with the possible exception of Sagan, who is not the best sprinter. He likes a hilly stage where he can drop some of his rivals on the tougher climbs.

[themaclad]

Roglic sniffing tarmac

[themaclad]

Like a war zone at times today



Geraint Thomas and Primoz Roglic were both involved in crashes as Tim Merlier won a dramatic stage three of the Tour de France.

Thomas dislocated his shoulder early on the 182.9km stage, while Roglic lost time after falling in the final 10km.

Caleb Ewan also crashed late on, taking down former world champion Peter Sagan as both wound up for a sprint finish.

Mathieu van der Poel retained the leader's yellow jersey, finishing just behind Alpecin-Fenix team-mate Merlier.

"I'm living a dream I think," said Merlier, who has now claimed maiden stage wins at both the Tour and Giro d'Italia this year.

"After the Giro I was already really happy and now I win a stage on the Tour, the biggest race in the world. I can't believe it."

Relive stage three of the Tour de France
A relatively flat parcours had promised a largely uneventful day, with fireworks expected on the final sprint where Mark Cavendish was hoping to collect his 31st stage victory, five years on from his last.

However, it proved anything but uneventful with Jumbo's-Visma's Robert Gesink being forced to abandon as a consequence of Thomas' fall inside the opening 50km.

The Welshman looked in agony as he sat on the tarmac but eventually carried on after receiving roadside attention to put his shoulder back in place, bridging a three-minute-plus gap to regain contact with the peloton after team-mates dropped back in support.


Report
As sprint trains assembled and with the peloton at full speed, Groupama-FDJ's French rider Valentin Madouas fell with 12km remaining, causing a snarl-up which denied Cavendish, who damaged his bike, the opportunity to contest the final sprint.

Roglic hit the deck painfully 10km from the line while defending champion Tadej Pogacar was held up by a crash that ended Jack Haig's Tour.

Ewan, arguably the fastest man in the field had talked up his chances of winning in Pontivy, suffered a broken collarbone after losing control of his bike and colliding with Sagan in sight of the finish.

Lotto Soudal later confirmed that their Australian sprinter would be leaving the Tour because of his injuries.

General classification battle reshaped
While Van der Poel and Julian Alaphilippe stayed first and second in the GC battle, a day of major incidents saw a raft of changes below them.

Thomas' Ineos Grenadiers team-mate Richard Carapaz profited from steering clear of trouble in a chaotic conclusion to climb 15 places into third overall, while Wout van Aert rose to fourth from 19th.

Pogacar, who came home in a group containing Thomas, 26 seconds behind Merlier, compared the finale to the stage with a "war zone".

And Roglic, who had been fourth overnight but conceded almost a minute to his fellow Slovenian, finished one minute and 21 seconds after the stage winner.

Stage three results:

1. Tim Merlier (Bel/Alpecin-Fenix) 4hrs 28mins 01secs

2. Jasper Philipsen (Bel/Alpecin-Fenix) Same time

3. Nacer Bouhanni (Fra/Arkea Samsic)

4. Davide Ballerini (Ita/Deceuninck-Quick-Step)

5. Sonny Colbrelli (Ita/Bahrain Victorious)

6. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra/Deceuninck-Quick-Step)

7. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned/Alpecin-Fenix)

8. Cees Bol (Ned/DSM)

9. Anthony Turgis (Fra/TotalEnergies)

10. Max Walscheid (Ger/Qhubeka NextHash)

General classification standings after stage three

1. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned/Alpecin-Fenix) 12hrs 58mins 53secs

2. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra/Deceuninck-Quick-Step) +8 secs

3. Richard Carapaz (Ecu/Ineos Grenadiers) +31secs

4. Wout van Aert (Bel/Jumbo Visma) Same time

5. Wilco Kelderman (Ned/Bora-Hansgrohe) +38secs

6. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE-Team Emirates) +39secs

7. Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar) +40secs

8. Nairo Quintana (Col/Arkea Samsic) Same time

9. Pierre Latour (Fra/TotalEnergies) +45secs

10. Sergio Higuita (Col/EF Education-Nippo) +52secs

[ritchiebaby]

Ide Schelling did what he needed to do, claiming the sole KOM point to ensure he retains the polka dot jersey for the next 3 days (+300euros per day). More publicity for him and his team, Bora Hansgrohe. I suspect we will not be hearing about his individual exploits again, although there will be chances later on.

What we did hear about today was the number of crashes (too many jangly nerves?) involving many of the top riders - Thomas, Cavendish, Roglic, Lopez, Demare, then Ewan and Sagan within sight of the finish. At this rate the race will become a lottery. The message from the team bosses at the start of every stage will be Keep Out Of Trouble. Which is exactly what Tim Merlier, van der Poel and Alaphilippe did. And with the big crashes involving big riders, there had to be winners taking advantage - riders like Richard Carapaz who definitely has GC ambitions and Wout Van Aert.

Surely tomorrow will be quieter as there will be fewer riders. Caleb Ewan is the latest to go and Geraint Thomas' injury will be assessed tomorrow morning.

[ritchiebaby]

PS I'll be away bowling tomorrow and Wednesday, so no input from me.

Wednesday is Time Trial Day, from Change to Laval Espace Mayenne, most famous as the birthplace of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who plays for Arsenal Prima Donnas. The course is through rolling countryside for 27.2km so it'll be over in no time at all.

[themaclad]

Cavendish

[themaclad]

Britain's Mark Cavendish won his first stage at the Tour de France for five years in a thrilling sprint finish on stage four in Fougeres.

Cavendish, 36, rolled back the years as he finished ahead of Nacer Bouhanni and Jasper Philipsen.

Dutch rider Mathieu van der Poel kept the overall leader's yellow jersey.

Cavendish's victory came at the end of a race which featured a riders' protest after Monday's crash-affected stage three.

Geraint Thomas and 2020 runner-up Primoz Roglic were among those involved in crashes, and on Tuesday the peloton came to a halt for a minute shortly after the rollout from Redon, before beginning a go-slow ride for the first 10km.

But on a Tour that has already featured some incredible stories, Cavendish's resurgence, at a finish where he also won in 2015, will take some eclipsing.

A long battle with Epstein-Barr virus and a succession of injuries was followed by a diagnosis of clinical depression in 2018, and he did not register a single win in 2019 or 2020 leaving him without a team heading into this season.

However, he has repaid the faith placed in him by Deceuninck-Quick-Step boss Patrick Lefevere. Five wins during the season made him the ideal last-minute stand-in when Irishman Sam Bennett was ruled out through injury.

And the way in which the Manx rider collapsed in tears and was embraced by team-mates and rivals alike underlined the scale of his achievement, after a three-year absence from the race.

'I didn't think I'd ever get to come back'
Belgium's Brent van Moer, part of a two-man breakaway, went solo with 14km remaining to establish a lead of around a minute before Deceuninck-Quick-Step, led by world champion Julian Alaphilippe, took up the chase.

As Van Moer faded in the final 200m, Cavendish powered through and rounded Belgium's Philipsen before finishing ahead of Frenchman Bouhanni by a bike length.

It was a fairy-tale moment for the Briton, who moves within three stage wins of Eddy Merckx's all-time record of 34 on the Tour and took possession of the green jersey, which he won in 2011.

"I don't know what to say, man - just being here is special enough," said an emotional Cavendish.

"I didn't think I'd ever get to come back to this race. Fire man, just fire from the whole team. We didn't know if we were going to get them.

Relive stage four of the Tour de France
"You just see what a team this is, you've got the green jersey, the world champion, he comes to get the final pull to catch the breakaway.

"So many people didn't believe in me, and these guys do and they did.

"The stars aligned, somehow. I never ever want bad things to happen to other people but after the last year it's just nice to have some good luck for myself. "

Stage four results

1. Mark Cavendish (GB/Deceuninck-Quick-Step) 3hrs 20mins 17secs

2. Nacer Bouhanni (Fra/Arkea Samsic) Same time

3. Jasper Philipsen (Bel/Alpecin-Fenix)

4. Michael Matthews (Aus/BikeExchange)

5.Peter Sagan (Svk/Bora-Hansgrohe)

6. Cees Bol (Ned/DSM)

7. Christophe Laporte (Fra/Cofidis)

8. Mads Pedersen (Den/Trek-Segafredo)

9. Boy van Poppel (Ned/Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert Materiaux)

10. Andre Greipel (Ger/Israel Start-Up Nation)

General classification standings after stage four

1. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned/Alpecin-Fenix) 16hrs 19mins 10secs

2. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra/Deceuninck-Quick-Step) +8 secs

3. Richard Carapaz (Ecu/Ineos Grenadiers) +31secs

4. Wout van Aert (Bel/Jumbo Visma) Same time

5. Wilco Kelderman (Ned/Bora-Hansgrohe) +38secs

6. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE-Team Emirates) +39secs

7. Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar) +40secs

8. Nairo Quintana (Col/Arkea Samsic) Same time

9. Pierre Latour (Fra/TotalEnergies) +45secs

10. David Gaudu (Fra/Groupama-FDJ) +52secs

[themaclad]

Defending champion Tadej Pogacar claimed a dominant time trial victory on stage five as Mathieu van der Poel narrowly retained the yellow jersey.

Pogacar, 22, finished the 27.2km course in 32 minutes - 19 seconds quicker than Stefan Kung in second on the day.

The Slovenian's stunning ride saw him put more time into his rivals and almost claim the overall race lead.

But Van der Poel produced a defiant effort to finish fifth in Laval and is now eight seconds ahead of Pogacar.

"It was a really good day for me, luckily I had perfect conditions," said Pogacar, who now has four stage wins at the Tour overall.

"I gained time so I'm super happy and excited for the whole Tour.

"I would love to have the yellow jersey too but it also looks super nice on Mathieu."

Spectator arrested over sign crash
Pogacar is now likely to take the yellow jersey before the week ends, having claimed it on the penultimate stage last year by overhauling compatriot Primoz Roglic in a thrilling time trial.

Defending it over two weeks will represent a new challenge for him and his UAE Team Emirates squad, but he already has an imposing lead over his main rivals.

Jumbo-Visma's Roglic, who is heavily bandaged after being caught up in crashes on the first few days, produced a fine ride to finish seventh on the stage.

He has moved up to 10th overall but is already 1:48 down on his fellow pre-race favourite.

It was a tough day for Ineos Grenadiers' leaders as 2018 winner Geraint Thomas, who sustained a dislocated shoulder in a crash on stage three, recorded 33:18 to finish 16th.

The Welshman is now 12th overall, 1:54 back on Pogacar, while Richard Carapaz just had to limit his losses, with the Ecuadorian slipping from third to ninth overall, 10 seconds ahead of Thomas.

"I went out conservatively, maybe too conservatively, but it's just what I had," Thomas told ITV4.

"I didn't feel 100% but I don't want to bang on about that. I tried to do what I could and it wasn't enough.

"I woke up this morning and felt terrible but once I got going it was better. I've just got to crack on and deal with it."

Stage five results

Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) 32:00
Stefan Kung (Swi/Groupama-FDJ) +19secs
Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo-Visma) +27secs
Wout van Aert (Bel/Jumbo-Visma) +30secs
Mathieu van der Poel (Ned/Alpecin-Fenix) +31secs
Kasper Asgreen (Den/Deceuninck-QuickStep) +37secs
Primoz Roglic (Slo/Jumbo-Visma) +44secs
Mattia Cattaneo (Ita/Deceuninck-QuickStep) +55secs
Richie Porte (Aus/Ineos Grenadiers) Same time
Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz/Astana) +1min
General classification after stage five

Mathieu van der Poel (Ned/Alpecin-Fenix) 16hrs 51mins 41secs
Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) +8secs
Wout van Aert (Bel/Jumbo-Visma) +30secs
Julian Alaphilippe (Fra/Deceuninck-QuickStep) +48secs
Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz/Astana) +1min 21secs
Pierre Latour (Fra/Total-Energies) +1mins 28secs
Rigoberto Uran (Col/EF Education Nippo) +1min 29secs
Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo-Visma) +1min 43secs
Richard Carapaz (Ecu/Ineos Grenadiers) +1min 44secs
Primoz Roglic (Slo/Jumbo-Visma) +1min 48secs
Selected other

12. Geraint Thomas (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +1min 54secs

[ritchiebaby]

Today's stage is now well underway from Tours to Chateauroux, a distance of 160.6km. Not much to preview here, but the headline writers would love to see a Le Tour stage from Tours to be won by Pierre Latour. He is currently in 6th place in the GC, so you never know, it might just come true.

Realistically it is a pure sprinters' stage, ideal for the big guns in the green jersey contest. But, and there's always a but, a decent breakaway group might stay away and the eight riders in the breakaway include Thomas De Ghent, who has form in previous years for stirring things up. There are some other strong riders in there as well, so the peloton will want to limit the gap as much as possible.

[themaclad]

When your playing catch up never look at Twitter Cavendish again