Stage 3 News
[IMG]cyclingforums.com500Open ↗[/IMG]Farrar's Stage 3 win is bittersweet Tyler Farrar put the worst two months of his life behind him when he won the third stage of the Tour de France as a tribute to deceased friend Wouter Weylandt on Monday. The American, the fastest man at the end of a 198-kilometre ride from Olonne sur Mer, had not even been sure three weeks ago that he would start the Tour when he was still devastated by the death of his closest friend in the peloton. http://www.calgaryherald.com/Farrar+Stage+bittersweet/5049287/story.html Farrar's win goes beyond finish line Perfectly positioned by three teammates, including overall race leader Thor Hushovd of Norway, Garmin-Cervelo's Tyler Farrar surged out of the bunch to capture Stage 3 of the Tour de France on July 4 -- the first American to earn a win on Independence Day. After crossing the finish line, the 27-year-old from the Seattle area lifted his hands, spread his fingers and touched the tips of his thumbs together to form a W in honor of his late friend Wouter Weylandt, who died after crashing at the Giro d'Italia in May. The two athletes had become close in recent years after Farrar moved to Weylandt's hometown of Ghent, Belgium, and they often trained together. http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/tdf2011/columns/story?id=6737528 Farrar first on the Fourth, wins stage 3 of the 2011 Tour de France Meanwhile, the five escapees were enjoying a brisk tailwind that had them zinging along at near 70kph (44mph) and holding their gap at about a half minute. With 18km to go, Delage and Gutierrez attacked the breakaway and the others were soon absorbed by the hungry pack. The pair dangled off the front as HTC began ramping up the pace to position Cavendish. http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/07/news/tyler-farrar-wins-stage-3-of-the-2011-tour-de-france_181597/2?utm_medium=whats-hot For an American, a Victory Carries Added Meaning On the Fourth of July, an American, Tyler Farrar, sprinted to victory in Stage 3 of the Tour de France, confirming the strong form of his team, Garmin-Cervelo, in the early days of the race. It was the second straight stage victory for Garmin-Cervelo, after it won a team time trial Sunday. Another Garmin-Cervelo rider, Thor Hushovd, wears the overall leader’s yellow jersey. “To win on the Fourth of July is just another sign of how well it’s all come together today,†Farrar told reporters. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/05/sports/cycling/05iht-bike05.html Cavendish, Hushovd relegated in Tour de France sprint Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) and Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervelo) have both been disqualified from the intermediate sprint on stage 3 of the Tour de France after making contact in the mid-race points classification battle. Cavendish had crossed the line in sixth, leading the bunch over the line behind a break of five riders. However, the race commissars deemed both his and Hushovd’s actions inappropriate. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cavendish-hushovd-relegated-in-tour-de-france-sprint Renshaw rues poor sprint at Tour Australian lead out specialist Mark Renshaw admits the HTC-Columbia team miscalculated as their sprint ace Mark Cavendish finished fifth on stage three of the Tour de France. Renshaw said they did not set up Cavendish properly at the end of the 198km stage from Olonne sur Mer to Redon, won by American Tylar Farrar on his country's Independence Day. While it was the second stage win in as many days for Farrar's Garmin-Cervelo team, HTC-Columbia continued their frustrating start to the Tour. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/renshaw-rues-poor-sprint-at-tour-20110705-1h0ac.html Third Tour de France a charm for Farrar Having had to wait three Tours de France for a stage win, Garmin-Cervelo has found themselves celebrating back-to-back victories after Tyler Farrar won stage 3 into Redon. The American sprinter capped off an unbeatable lead-out from yellow jersey and teammate Thor Hushovd to win ahead of Vacansoleil's Romain Feillu and Movistar's José JoaquÃn Rojas. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/third-tour-de-france-a-charm-for-farrar Cav blasts 'personal' disqualification The Manxman finished fifth behind stage winner Tyler Farrar but was docked the 10 points he had picked up for coming sixth in the day's intermediate sprint after making contact with race leader Thor Hushovd, the race commissars deeming both their actions inappropriate. Cavendish complained of being impeded by Feillu on the final corner and later suggested the reasons for his earlier disqualification were "personal" - something which could yet land him in trouble. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,15264_7020995,00.html Futile battle for polka dot jersey on Tour de France stage 3 Niki Terpstra (Quick Step) and Mickaël Delage (FDJ) were among the five-man breakaway that dominated much of the proceedings on stage 3 of the Tour de France. With the 198km-long stage to Redon seemingly destined to finish in the sprint, both men eyed up the single king of the mountains point on offer atop the Pont de Saint-Nazaire as a recompense for their efforts off the front. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/futile-battle-for-polka-dot-jersey-on-tour-de-france-stage-3 American Farrar Wins Tour de France Stage 3 on U.S. Independence Holiday Farrar’s teammate Thor Hushovd of Norway kept the race- leading yellow jersey after stage three, a 123-mile (198- kilometer) ride on flat terrain between Olonne-sur-Mer and Redon near the west coast of France. Farrar darted ahead with 150 meters left, after being led out to the front by Hushovd, and beat Romain Feillu of Vacansoleil and Jose Joaquin Rojas of Team Movistar by about a bike’s length. “I’ve been chasing this for a long time, and the 4th of July makes it even better,†Farrar, 27, told Eurosport after his first Tour de France stage win. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-04/american-farrar-wins-tour-de-france-stage-3-on-u-s-independence-holiday.html Mark Cavendish and Thor Hushovd penalised after jostling during Stage 3 TOUR de France officials have cracked down swiftly on heavy-handed sprinting tactics to avoid a repeat of last year's incident that resulted in Australian Mark Renshaw being kicked out of the race. Race commissaires penalised Mark Cavendish and Thor Hushovd after the speedsters jostled mid-stage while chasing intermediate sprint points from Olonne-sur-Mer to Redon. The Isle of Man's Cavendish appeared to use his head to nudge Norwegian and Tour leader Hushovd as the pair jockeyed for position before the sprint to the line. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/tour-de-france/mark-cavendish-and-thor-hushovd-penalised-after-jostling-during-stage-3/story-fn8s9i81-1226088287158 Rojas' green jersey solace to his injured teammates By taking third in the bunch sprint in Redon, Movistar's sprinter José JoaquÃn Rojas carried out the mission his team gave him in the morning's briefing: to capture the green jersey in the Tour de France. "We expected such a performance from Rojas or Ventoso," directeur sportif Yvon Ledanois told Cyclingnews. "The green jersey is a solace to us. We needed it to feel a bit better after eight riders crashed in the first stage." http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/rojas-green-jersey-solace-to-his-injured-teammates Petacchi down but not out after stage 3 failure Not that Mark Cavendish is one to revel in the misfortune of others, but if on Monday night he was looking for consolation, the Manxman could take heart from the fact that defending champion Alessandro Petacchi’s 2011 Tour de France green jersey campaign is even further behind schedule than his own. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/petacchi-down-but-not-out-after-stage-3-failure Navardauskas earns his Tour de France stripes During the build-up towards the Tour de France all team managers have to make hard decisions when they're making their selection for the race. At the Garmin-Cervélo team, the last spot ended up being a tie between Paris-Roubaix winner Johan Vansummeren and little-known rider Ramunas Navardauskas. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/navardauskas-earns-his-tour-de-france-stripes
Contador not discouraged by first two Tour de France stages After losing 1:20 on the opening stage of the Tour de France, Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-SunGard) conceded an additional 22 seconds in Sunday's team time trial and is now in 75th place. The defending champion is not discouraged, however, and is looking forward to proving himself in the upcoming climbs. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/contador-not-discouraged-by-first-two-tour-de-france-stages Goss firms as wildcard for HTC-Highroad's HTC-Highroad expects Cavendish to be heavily marked as the Isle of Man flyer tries to build on a phenomenal tally of 15 stage triumphs. And Goss, a revelation with victory in the Milan-San Remo race in March, shapes as the American-based team's wildcard. Adept at climbing and sprinting, Goss was too strong for Olympic and world champion Fabian Cancellara and Belgian star Philippe Gilbert in the Milan-San Remo. "We've got options with 'Cav' and 'Gossy'," said Goss's fellow Australian and lead-out rider, Mark Renshaw. "That's the level required at the Tour de France. You need to have depth and a versatile team. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/tour-de-france/goss-firms-as-wildcard-for-htc-highroads/story-fn8s9i81-1226086248620 Thor Hushovd defends Tour lead on stage 3 Thor Hushovd of Norway was defending his race leader's yellow jersey as riders set out on the third stage of the Tour de France on Monday. Hushovd, the world champion, took the overall lead after his Garmin-Cervelo narrowly won Sunday's team time trial. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hcAo3U_6Kr3iQKUPi5TkdJe90dYQ?docId=4de6d93da6a6466784c1ab1aa4b97942 Stage is set for Cavendish and rival sprinters Mark Cavendish could get the chance to shine in Monday's 198-km third stage of the Tour de France, one of the few opportunities this year for pure sprinters to take the limelight. "Of course it's an objective and Mark has targeted this stage," the Briton's HTC Highroad team director Allan Peiper said. "After all he has won 15 stages on the flat in the past three years. But Mark also won hard stages in the last couple of years and I can see him play a leading role in Cap Frehel and Lisieux as well." http://ca.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idCATRE76307X20110704 Renshaw wary after ban AUSTRALIAN Mark Renshaw anticipates that his disqualification from the Tour de France last year for his illegal tactics in a bunch sprint could lead to him earning closer scrutiny in this year’s race. Renshaw (HTC-Highroad) is the key lead-out rider for British sprinter Mark Cavendish, whose career tally of 15 stage wins has been due largely to the NSW rider’s work to position him for his winning rides in the high speed bunch finishes. Renshaw’s importance for Cavendish should be unveiled on Monday in the Tour’s first flat stage that is almost certain to end in a sprint. http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/cycling/renshaw-wary-after-ban-20110702-1gw2v.html Horner pleased with solid start to Tour de France Chris Horner’s (RadioShack) attempt to break into the top five at the Tour de France has got off to an almost flawless start. The American made the decisive split on stage 1, avoiding crashes and time gaps, while he and his Radioshack teammates finished 6th at 10 seconds in Sunday’s team time trial. Horner currently lies in 21st place overall, just ten seconds off the yellow jersey. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/horner-pleased-with-solid-start-to-tour-de-france Gilbert has a day to savour in Les Essarts Phillipe Gilbert (Omega-Pharma Lotto) enjoyed his day in yellow, but the Belgian champion has not given up on wearing the jersey again in this year’s Tour de France. Speaking to DH.be after Sunday’s team time trial around Les Essarts, Gilbert praised his teammates for making the best of a less than ideal situation. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/gilbert-has-a-day-to-savour-in-les-essarts Tour de France 2001, stage three: Mark Cavendish favourite to secure first British win in stage three Today though should be all about if Cavendish can add to his total of 15 stage wins in the last three years although there are others out there who will fancy the flat finish as well, notably Tyler Farrar from Garmin-Cervelo where confidence and morale will be sky high after they gained their first TDF stage win yesterday. Farrar will be keen to celebrate July 4 with an American win and his first ever Tour de France stage win. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/tour-de-france/8614869/Tour-de-France-2001-stage-three-Mark-Cavendish-favourite-to-secure-first-British-win-in-stage-three.html Cavendish ready to follow fantastic start for Brits in Tour de France MARK CAVENDISH will go for Tour de France sprint glory today after cursing missing out on the “fantastic start†enjoyed by the rest of the Brit Pack. Bradley Wiggins was ecstatic yesterday after Team Sky finished third in the stage two team time trial and he opened up a 98-second lead on race favourite Alberto Contador. Sky team-mate Geraint Thomas, sixth in the opening stage, retained the white jersey for best young rider and moved into fourth place overall. http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/sport-front-page/2011/07/04/cavendish-ready-to-follow-fantastic-start-for-brits-in-tour-de-france-115875-23245393/ Sky's Tour de France start a contrast to 2010, says Wiggins Although Sky missed out on stage victory and the yellow jersey, Bradley Wiggins was pleased with his squad’s performance in Sunday’s team time trial at the Tour de France. The British team finished 3rd, four seconds down on winners Garmin-Cervélo, and missed out on the opportunity to put Geraint Thomas into the overall lead. While Wiggins was disappointed for his young Welsh teammate, he said that Sky’s opening weekend in 2011 was a vast improvement on twelve months ago. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/skys-tour-de-france-start-a-contrast-to-2010-says-wiggins
