Tour de France at a glance

Thursday’s stage: A 116.5-mile mostly flat stretch from Epernay in the famed Champagne region to Montargis that was tailor-made for sprinters.

Winner: Britain’s Mark Cavendish clinched the 11th Tour stage win of his career, and first in this Tour. Gerald Ciolek of Germany was second and Norway’s Edvald Boasson Hagen took third place in a sprint finish.

Yellow jersey: Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland, who finished in the main pack. Defending champion Alberto Contador of Spain is ninth, 1:40 back, and seven-time champion Lance Armstrong remained 18th, 2:30 back.

Quote of the day: “It was definitely a stressful first four or five days, unlike anything I think we’ve seen.” — Armstrong on the opening stages, which included multiple crashes and some injuries.

Friday’s stage: The sixth stage is a long and mainly flat 141-mile route from Montargis to Guegnon that again favors sprinters. The race hits the mountains on Sunday.