The Tour de France: Stages Two and Three

Stages two and three had a similar profile in that they were both set in the medium mountains, meaning that there was an element of uncertainty - would the sprinters hang in on there and contest the sprint at the end or would the peloton be thinned out enough for the puncheurs to make their mark?

It turned out that stage two would end up with many of the top sprinters being shed out the back and unable to stay with the peloton to contest the sprint. There was a little bit of drama towards the finish as an errant dog made its way on to the road as the peloton fast made its approach. Luckily, the dog realised it was in danger and got out of the way, but it could have been carnage! Jan Bakelants decided to make a move, realising he could not win in a sprint, which paid off, as he finished a second ahead of Peter Sagan, Michal Kwiatkowski and the rest of the peloton, taking the yellow jersey in the process.

The sprinters may have hoped that they were in with a chance of a win in stage three, but it wasn't to be, as Cavendish, Greipel and other pure sprinters were distanced. However, the likes of Gilbert, Sagan and Edvald Boasson Hagen managed to stay at the front. Ultimately, it was Simon Gerrans who took the stage victory, though, claiming the first Tour de France win for Orica-Greenedge, having just beaten Peter Sagan to the line. Jan Bakelants managed to hold on to the yellow jersey and will wear it in the team time trial which makes up stage four. It is doubtful Bakelants will keep it beyond that with so many strong teams, but anything is possible!