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Mavic's Skoda

Polka dot jersey Auge interviewed at start.

Field clocking in for the day's work

There will be no breakaways with the peloton riding nine abreast.

We have yellow Cannondale Caad 9 spare bikes equipped with SRAM Force

Passing the Aisne Marne Cemetery, where 2298 American soldiers from WW1 are buried.

Because of all of the different clipless pedal options, spare bikes come equipped with toeclips and straps

Bike racing is an eco-friendly sport with a really tiny carbon footprint, right?

The new Cosmic Carbone Ultimate is available should it be needed

Sprick, Verdugo, Flecha, Chavanel, and Knees make a break for it.

As is the new R-SYS

Japanese photographer Sunada shares the wheat field, and preps for a shot.

The Chavenal escape

When you have the yellow jersey, the work load falls to your teammates

The third stage of the Tour de France was this year's longest, covering 236.5km from Waregem to Compiègne. While the course closely parralled the route of the great spring classic Paris-Roubaix (although in reverse), it avoided the the pave' that makes the Hell of the North as tough as it is.

The new bike was built the night before the prologue.

Grain rips it

Stage 4 - Villers-Cotterêts to Joigny (193km)

Marcus Burghardt’s Giant TCR Advanced, set to go.

Stage 4 - Villers-Cotterêts to Joigny (193km)

The spare bikes are equipped with the Zipp 404/808 combination as well.

Cancellara defends from the front

T-Mobile’s custom Hed H3C.

Vogondy and Ladagnous had an early go

The whole team races with SRM power meters.

When Auge and Willems bridged up, the break was a foursome

The bikes were equipped with FSA ceramic bottom brackets.

Hincapie sports a bandage after getting caught in Monday's pileup

A banged-up Mark Cavendish at the start.

The polka-dot jersey and yellow jersey rolling along

Let's just say the pace was not frantic

COURSE: This rolling stage through the Champagne and Brie regions to the east of Paris could be similar to an early stage of Paris-Nice — without the freezing temperatures! Until the final 18km, the stage will be played out on mostly narrow, winding back roads that feature four Cat. 4 climbs, along with twice as many short hills that don’t merit categorization but will make it tricky for the sprinters’ teams to organize a full-scale chase. The finish in the medieval town of Joigny, population 10,000, is on the right bank of the Yonne River. HISTORY: A Tour stage has never finished in Joigny,

Okay, so where are the sunflowers?

Okay, it was slow...

After Freddie Rodriguez broke his collarbone for the fifth time of his career in stage three of last year’s Tour de France, doctors inserted a titanium rod to piece together the brittle bones in his left shoulder. That extra support prevented the 33-year-old sprinter from reaching No. 6 in the broken bones department Monday after he hit the deck hard in the finish-line mayhem that left the road completely blocked by a pile of writhing bikes and bodies. “Initially, I thought I broke my shoulder and I wasn’t sure if I could continue,” Rodriguez told VeloNews before Tuesday’s start.

A battered Rodriguez gets a wheel and a push

... really slow.

Tour de France organizers on Tuesday applauded a French court's decision to reject another appeal by professional cycling team Unibet.com over being left out of the race. Unibet.com, which includes Australian sprinter Baden Cooke, has been left out of many ProTour races this year despite being part of cycling's elite circuit, which is organized by the UCI. The Swedish-registered team represent an Internet betting company, a business that is against the law in France, which is one of the principal reasons that race organizers have sidelined the squad.

And Cancellara gets his second stage win of this year's Tour

Stage Results1. Fabian Cancellara (Swi), CSC, 6:36:152. Erik Zabel (G), Milram, 00:00:003. Danilo Napolitano (I), Lampre-Fondital, 00:00:004. Tom Boonen (B), Quick Step-Innergetic, 00:00:005. Robert Hunter (RSA), Barloworld, 00:00:006. Robert Förster (G), Gerolsteiner, 00:00:007. Robbie McEwen (Aus), Predictor-Lotto, 00:00:008. Bernhard Eisel (A), T-Mobile, 00:00:009. Mark Cavendish (GB), T-Mobile, 00:00:0010. Heinrich Haussler (G), Gerolsteiner, 00:00:00 11. Matthieu Ladagnous (F), Francaise Des Jeux, 00:00:0012. Thor Hushovd (N), Credit Agricole, 00:00:0013. Chavanel Sébastien (F),

Stage stats: Stage 3

It was a long wait at the finish

Weather: Partly sunny to cloudy, some showers, highs in mid 60s, moderate southwesterly winds Stage winner: Fabian Cancellara (CSC) attacked with about 600 meters to go in the longest stage of the 94th Tour. A four-man breakaway was caught with just under one kilometer to go when the 2006 Paris-Roubaix winner uncorked an attack in front of the Compiègne castle to win for the second time in four days. “To win in the yellow jersey in front of where Paris-Roubaix starts was amazing,” he said.

All patched up and ready to roll!

The pace was high when the peloton finally roared into town

It’s not often that Tom Boonen is satisfied with fourth place in a sprint finish in the Tour de France, especially on a day that finished in Compiègne in front of the start of his beloved Paris-Roubaix. But the Quick Step-Innergetic sprinter was more than pleased after padding his lead as the battle for the green points jersey heats up three days into the Tour.

Bob Stapleton explaining T-Mobile’s new skinsuit.

Folks thought Cancellara was just moving up to avoid the chaos of the main field.

With his impressive stage win in Compiègne and its accompanying 20-second time bonus, CSC’s Fabian Cancellara widened his gap over the rest of the field to margins that might well hold until the race’s first real tests later this week. The Swiss “time machine” now holds a 33-second lead over Astana’s Andreas Klöden, with Saunier Duval’s David Millar sitting third, 41 seconds back. But the more important number is Cancellara’s lead over the race’s top sprinters, who stand to gain time bonuses at intermediate and finishing sprints in the coming days.

Bob Stapleton (right) with Andrzej Bek (middle) and Oakley’s Steve Blick.

Discovery's Alberto Contador just wants to get to the mountains.

Well spank me and call me Patrice. Fabian is a bad man and when you have other bad men working for the most badass of the bad, then sometimes you get genius. But that’s still pretty rare. Most times you work with all of the good intentions in the world and still come up short. Then, when you least expect it, when your pants are down and you’re scrambling just to stay alive, you win anyway! In those moments you come off looking like we did today… like we meant to do it.

Michael Rogers’s new prototype time-trial bike.

Meier wins

Cancellara looks grim at the finish

Wind power is everywhere, including powering this guy's TV and trailer.

Fred Rodriguez got caught in the pileup, as did George Hincapie

Big win for Steegmans.

Discovery's Vaitkus was another victim

The man himself, pulls on the coveted green jersey.

COURSE: The rumoredinclusion of some Hell of the North pavé on this stage that headssouth from Belgium to the French city of Compiègne, where Paris-Roubaixstarts, was incorrect. But this longest stage of the Tour (236.5km) passesthrough many of the villages made famous by the April classic, includingFontaineau-Bois, the hometown of outgoing Tour race director Jean-MarieLeblanc. The finale passes the Napoleanic palace in Compiègne oncobblestones before hitting the 1km Avenue Royale in the south part oftown HISTORY: Remarkably, only one Tour stage has finished in Compiègne. This was in 1980,

The break

All smiles for Christian and CSC after stage 3

They might not have the same slick clothes, top salaries, fast cars or attract the same amount of female attention as the cyclists riding the Tour de France. But a closer look at the men who spend hours slogging over the peloton's bikes - average price 5000 euros apiece - shows that they are really among the unsung heroes of the sport. Mechanics, like soigneurs, team managers and osteopaths, have a huge role to play in any cycling team. But while they are crucial to their teams, it's far from being a glamorous job. "It's a great job - if you love cycling," Milram’s head

A winning team

Samplonius

Results - Stage 2 (Dunkirk to Ghent)1. Gert Steegmans (B), Quick Step-Innergetic 168.5km in 3:48:22 (44.27kph),2. Tom Boonen (B), Quick Step-Innergetic3. Filippo Pozzato (I), Liquigas4. Robert Hunter (RSA), Barloworld5. Romain Feillu (F), Agritubel6. Robbie McEwen (Aus), Predictor-Lotto7. Erik Zabel (G), Milram8. Heinrich Haussler (G), Gerolsteiner9. Oscar Freire Gomez (Sp), Rabobank10. Sebastien Chavanel (F), Française des Jeux 11. William Bonnet (F), Credit Agricole12. Bernhard Eisel (A), T-Mobile13. Sebastien Hinault (F), Credit Agricole14. Philippe Gilbert (B), Française des Jeux15.

Welcome to Belgium

Bessette

The UCI on Monday called on team managers, doctors and other support staff to follow the example set by riders and sign a landmark anti-doping pledge. UCI President Pat McQuaid made the appeal in a letter sent to ProTour cycling team managers, calling on them to sign up by August 1, the federation said in a statement. Team staff would pledge never to encourage their riders to use illicit substances or to close their eyes on doping cases within their team, the UCI said. Under the team charter, they would also agree to take measures to avoid doping cases and if necessary to cooperate with

Hincapie was among the unfortunates caught in the stage-2 pileup

Hesjedal

Whether or not Gert Steegmans was on the receiving end of an early Christmas present from QuickStep-Innergetic team captain seemed insignificant Monday evening for the big burly Belgian. Steegmans is usually ahead of team captain Tom Boonen in the finishing straight only to give sway to the Belgian superstar in the final 200 meters. On Monday, the tables were turned as it was Steegmans charging across the line as the pair switched the pecking order - at least for one day. Steegmans, 26, won Monday’s wild uphill sprint that saw most of the peloton caught up behind one of the most spectacular

Rodriguez had an uncomfortable ride to the finish.

Tuft

When showers drenched the start town of Dunkirk hours before stage 2 of the 2007 Tour de France began, riders’ thoughts immediately turned to the possibility of a crash on what was likely to be a second field sprint in two days. However, once the rain subsided in the hour leading into the stage, everyone’s nerves settled down for the start. “It looked like it was going to come down to a Belgian classic,” said American Chris Horner of Predictor-Lotto. “I thought for sure three or four GC guys were going to lose any chance of winning the Tour on a day like today.” Instead, a break of three

We must be near Belgium, judging by the thousands of Boonen fans that suddenly appeared.

American Fred Rodriguez was one of the worst victims of Monday's mayhem in Ghent. The 33-year-old rider from Predictor-Lotto finished last in the stage gingerly holding his shoulder as he crossed the line alone. Team doctor Daniel De Neve told VeloNews that Rodriguez was transported to a local Ghent hospital where exams are still ongoing. "We don't know what happened yet. The exam is still ongoing," De Neve said. "We will know in a few hours whether he will be able to continue or not." Rodriguez sounded optimistic when VeloNews caught up him before the start of Monday's stage.

A family of Boonen fans.