Mark Cavendish beat André Greipel in the photo-finish with a backstroke like an authentic champion and climbed to 28 victories in Tour stages, equaling Bernard Hinault's tally. In front of the English Cannonball, back to the splendor of its best seasons, there is only one cycling legend, Eddy Merck, with 34 victories.
Even in Angers, as at the finish of the first stage in Angers, Cavendish stays covered as much as possible, he doesn't expose himself, leaving the initiative to others before hitting the right line by exploding all his power. Sagan and then Kittel were put through on Saturday.
Yesterday the Frenchman Bryan Coquard was sucked into the final rush by the unleashed Englishman and, right on the finish line, Greipel, the German Gorilla, who was forced to immediately lower his arm raised a moment earlier as a sign of victory.
The response of the photo-finish eliminated all doubts relegating him to second place and causing Cavendish's joy to explode for the sensational encore. Third Coquard, fourth Sagan always in the yellow jersey. Disappointing Kittel only seventh, even 11th Alexander Kristoff, who seems to have lost the way to success.
The third stage, as long as it was sleepy, run at a tourist pace, offered nothing beyond the spectacular final sprint. The peloton allowed themselves a day of total relaxation, useful in particular for Alberto Contador to recover from the blows suffered in the two crashes of the first two stages.
