Slovak star earns close win in Stage 3 of race
Associated Press
LONGWY, France — Shaking off an equipment glitch in the furious finishing sprint, Peter Sagan of Slovakia bagged his eighth career Tour de France stage victory Monday with an impressive display of power and quickthinking on a short, sharp final uphill dash.
Geraint Thomas of Team Sky retained the yellow jersey he has held since the openingstage in Germany, as the race swung into France. But he is not planning to hold onto it forever — Sky’s goal is for three-time champion Chris Froome to be wearing the jersey July 23 when the Tourrolls into Paris.
Thomas and Froome got through Stage 3 unscathed, the main goal for them and others eyeing overall victory ratherthan stage wins.
The pack of riders stretchedlike a piece of string into single file on the fast, winding downhill into Longwy before the final climb on Nuns’ Hill that seemed tailor-made for the strengths of Sagan, the world champion.
Australian rider Richie Porte, a contender for overall victory, showed he’s in fearsomeform by powering away from the pack in the first stagesof the climb. But Sagan was watching closely behind him and never let Porte get toofar ahead.
Sagan seemed to be cruising to victory until his right foot slipped out of his pedal in the final few hundred meters. But he quickly recovered without losing speed, clipping his foot back into place and holding off Australian Michael Matthews and IrishmanDan Martin.
Froome was ninth on the stage, showing no apparent side effects from a crash on wet roads Sunday that shaved skin off his backside. He moved up from sixth to second overall, 12 seconds behindThomas.
Sagan, with his long hair, quick humor and taste for showmanship, is one of the Tour’s most colorful characters. His ultimate goal is to win, for a sixth consecutive time, the green jersey. It isn’t as coveted as the yellow one but is still a solid measure of overall strength.
For the moment, however, Sagan planned to allow himselfa celebratory drink.
“You’ve got to celebrate every victory,” the Slovak star said. “But if I drink alone they call me a drunkard. I prefer to drink with my teammates.”