Tour de France 2009: Stage 3 preview

• Monday, 22 June 2009
• Andrew McGrath
• 0 Comments

Tour de France 2009 stage 3 preview logo

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When Monday July 6
Where Marseille - La Grande-Motte
How long 196.5km

IMPACT ON CLASSIFICATIONS
Yellow Jersey: 1/5
Green Jersey: 5/5
Polka-Dot Jersey: 1/5

STAGE DESCRIPTION
After leaving France's second largest city, a second flat stage awaits green jersey contenders. However, alongside any overall contenders, they will have to be wary to not get caught in splits formed by the strong winds coming off the Camargue. If a team - probably Quick Step - hammers it on the front, there could be echelon chaos in the rest of the bunch.

STAGE FACTS

• The Tour has visited La Grande-Motte twice; the winners were Guido Reybrouck (1969) and Willy Teirlinck (1972).
• The third intermediate sprint is at Arles, a town famous for its Roman monuments. Its spacious amphitheatre is still used today for bullfights.
• Marseille was a stage town in the inaugural Tour in 1903.