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After the world champion, the Olympic champion! Greg Van Avermaet of Belgium, winner of the Rio Olympics, took the yellow jersey of the Tour de France after the victory of his BMC formation in the time trial of Cholet.
For 4 seconds, the American team has removed this 3rd stage in front of Chris Froome's Sky. But the gaps were narrowed on arrival between the first five (Quick-Step 3rd, Mitchelton 4th, Sunweb 5th) separated by a dozen seconds only.
The wearer of the yellow jersey, Peter Sagan, got up about ten kilometers from the finish. "A really hard day, I wanted to do better but I had a bad stage", regretted the world champion who cracked a good word: "It's not every day Sunday." [19659002] If Van Avermaet, already in yellow in the 2016 Tour, found himself propelled into the limelight, the leader of the BMC team is Richie Porte. In the standings, the Australian has recovered position after his disbursement of the first stage at Fontenay-le-Comte (51 sec lost).
In 2015, BMC won the previous collective "Chrono" in the Tour. Sky, second, had lost only one second
"It's a bit like our business," said Van Avermaet (33), who was already in the group that year. As proof, the world titles in practice won in 2014 and 2015, followed by two silver medals in the last two years.
– Froome wins … a little time –
"We have a team exceptional for the team time, "said the Belgian. With the Swiss pursuit specialist Stefan Küng and American Tejay Van Garderen, who played a leading role in this victorious victory at an average speed of 54,944 km / h
For the general clbadification, Froome no lost time, a trifle of 4 seconds, than on Door. On the other hand, it has won over all the others but in varying proportions.
The British Adam Yates (5 sec of Froome) and the Dutchman Tom Dumoulin (7 sec), as well as the Colombian Rigoberto Uran (to 31 sec), realized the best operation. The Colombian Nairo Quintana and the Spaniard Mikel Landa dropped 49 seconds, the Italian Vincenzo Nibali 1 min 02 sec, the Frenchman Romain Bardet 1 min 11 sec.
"That's what we expected," commented Bardet whose two teammates (Dillier, Gallopin) were diminished by falls. "I am relieved"
Auvergnat benefited from the efficiency of the French time trial champion Pierre Latour, omnipresent at the end of the race. "The wind was then blowing from the front and it was easier for us," responded Latour.
– General Relief –
From all sides, relief was perceptible, the slogan for positive speeches after this stage that runners most often approach the ball in the belly.
"We saved the essential," said Nibali whose Bahrain team finished four riders (the mandatory minimum) to rank 11th place . Less well, however, than the Astana of Danish Jakob Fuglsang (8th), however deprived of a rider (Sanchez) and the Katusha of Russian Ilnur Zakarin (9th).
"We can be satisfied," said Froome, who was very comfortable with the exercise. "I'm very happy with the other riders on the team," added the Briton, though two of his own (Rowe, Poels) were left behind before the last third of the course.
"I feel good", confirmed Froome. But the quadruple winner of the Tour had to wipe once again jeers and whistles along his route, like previous days. A part of the public shows him his hostility after he was cleared by the international authorities of his abnormal anti-doping control of the Vuelta.
Tuesday, the sprinters have a new opportunity in the 4th stage, 195 kilometers long between La Baule (Loire-Atlantique) and Sarzeau (Morbihan). With a very long straight line of 4 kilometers to finish.
"We will try to keep the yellow jersey the longest," said Van Avermaet, equal time with Van Garderen in the overall standings. "We hope to be helped by the sprint teams, and the next two days are the stages that suit me."
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