Peter Sagan wins Stage 3 of Tour de France
Peter Sagan won his second Tour de France stage on Tuesday, but Fabian Cancellara remains the overall leader for the fourth straight day.
Pumping his fists in what he called a nod to the title character in “Forrest Gump,” Sagan crossed the finish line after bolting out of the pack with less than 300 meters left. The Slovakian cyclist finished one second ahead of Edvald Boasson Hagen of Norway in second and fellow Slovak Peter Velits in third.
At least four crashes marred the later portion of the race as the members of the pack jostled to get in front for five small climbs near the finish. Mechanical problems and flat tires were also a common sight.
“It was really hard … the group was nervous, everyone wanted to be up front, there were a lot of crashes,” Sagan said. “It was a very dangerous stage.”
Switzerland’s Cancellara leads both second-place Bradley Wiggins of Britain and third-place Sylvain Chavanel of France by seven seconds.
Stage 4 will be another bumpy ride Wednesday as the cyclists travel 214.5 kilometers from Abbeville to Rouen in the heart of Normandy.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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