American Tyler Farrar of Garmin-Cervelo upstaged the hopes of British sprint rival Mark Cavendish on his way to a maiden Tour de France victory on the third stage yesterday.

World champion Thor Hushovd of Norway kept possession of the race leader's yellow jersey as Garmin celebrated their second win on the trot, having won the 23km team time trial at Les Essarts on Sunday.


Right: American cyclist Tyler Farrar celebrates winning Tour de France
Stage 3 yesterday. PIC/Getty Images

Cavendish, who has won a record 15 stages in the past three years, had a powerful lead-in to the finale by his dominant HTC-Highroad team.

However the Isle of Man rider found the going tough after a final bend forced many riders to slow down and lose momentum. Despite a late burst, he could only finish fifth. ufffd AFP