Tour’s Forrest Gump takes commanding lead
The Tour de France is like a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re going to get.
But amid the chaos of stage three, it was almost inevitable what new star and Forrest Gump impersonator Peter Sagan was going to give.
Sagan powered away from his rivals on the climb to the finish at Boulognesur-Mer for his second stage win in three days.
The powerfully built Slovakian emulated Tom Hanks’ famous movie character as he crossed the line, pumping his arms in a wild running motion.
‘‘Today I had a plan for the victory salute – I spoke with my friends at dinner, and we agreed I should do [an impersonation of] Forrest Gump at the finish,’’ he said.
‘‘Today it was a finish for strong riders, and I have very good legs.’’
The win also means that once Sagan reaches Paris on July 22 to finish his Tour de France debut, his chocolates probably will be wrapped in green. He has a commanding lead in the points classification for the green jersey.
Sagan took red-hot form into the event, and was the green jersey favourite. He is on 116 points, and has a whopping 42-point lead over Swiss Fabian Cancellara, the race leader.
Last year’s green jersey winner, Mark Cavendish, is one point further back, and Australia’s main hope in the category, Orica-GreenEDGE rider Matt Goss, is fifth and well off the pace on 55.
Orica-GreenEDGE director Matt White said he could not remember a rider having such a big lead in the points classification so early in the race. At 22, Sagan is also the youngest stage winner since Lance Armstrong in the early 1990s.