Hushovd triumphs on stage three
The Tour de France peloton endured another bumpy ride as Thor Hushovd emerged victorious on stage three.
Seven cobbled sections - some of which feature in the Paris-Roubaix spring classic - totalling 13.2-kilometres featured on the 213km third road stage from Wanze in Belgium to Arenberg Porte du Hainaut.
And Hushovd (Cervelo Test Team) emerged victorious as the 97th Tour entered France for the first time, with Team Sky's Geraint Thomas second in the sprint finish on another dramatic day.
The day unfolded at a frenetic pace and was full of incident.
Frank Schleck (Team Saxo Bank) and Tony Martin (HTC-Columbia) were unseated on the first section of pave in France.
Luxembourg rider Frank Schleck was seen in a foetal position in the middle of the road and after crashing on Monday, there were fears his Tour might be over before reaching the mountains.
His brother Andy Schleck (Team Saxo Bank), Thomas (Team Sky) and world champion Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) enhanced their positions in the general classification standings, while overall favourite Alberto Contador (Astana) claimed bragging rights over fierce rival and seven-time winner Lance Armstrong (Team RadioShack).
Team Sky leader Bradley Wiggins finished in a small group ahead of Contador, pulling back some time lost in the opening prologue as he seeks Britain's first podium position in Paris on July 25.
