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Stage 3 Preview
and Results

Categorized Climbs for Stage 3:
Km Climb Length Grade Max Cat Google Earth Streetview
143Côte du Pont de Saint-Nazaire1.1 km4.9 %n/a4 3D Tour Streetview


Stage 3: Olonne-sur-MerRedon
Date: Monday, July 4
Distance: 198 km
profile | map | timetable | preview | results | photos | video
View Stage 3 in Google Earth (kml file) or Export the Stage 3 GPX file


Stage 3 start time: Monday 12:45 CET (10:45:00 AM GMT+0000); Weather for Olonne-sur-Mer, France
Earliest live video: 14:00 CET (12:00:00 PM GMT+0000); Live/delayed coverage options
Approximate finish: 17:30 CET (3:30:00 PM GMT+0000); Weather for Redon, France


This stage preview is available in the following languages:

(We are looking for translations in ALL other languages. Please submit your translation with the stage no. and language in the subject title. If you don't see your preview posted within 12 hours then please resend your preview as an attachment if you didn't already do so because we've had problems with some inline character sets like German.)

Stage 3 preview: Olonne-sur-Mer → Redon, 198 km (flat)

These recreational cyclists give you a humourous account of how windy it can be on the St. Nazaire Bridge:
"It's just a little bit breezy"

June 28 post: Stage 3 heads north from the Vendée region and into Brittany for what should be a flat mass sprint finish in Redon after 198 km. This will likely be win number 1 for Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) at this year's Tour.

The one main obstacle that could ruin the day for the sprinters is the St. Nazaire Bridge, a cable-stayed bridge spanning the Loire river which peaks in the middle forming the only categorized climb (cat 4) of the day. On this long 3.3 km bridge the winds are known to kick up and during the 2000 team time trial, the winds were so strong that some riders found the most efficient drafting position was riding side-by-side! — Steve