German wins fourth stage

GERMAN MATTHIAS Kessler surged from the peloton to win the 216.5-km third stage of the Tour de France yesterday after one of the race favourites, Alejandro Valverde, pulled out following a crash.

T-Mobile's Kessler, who narrowly missed out on victory in the second stage, finished five seconds ahead of Australian teammate Michael Rogers who won a mass sprint to the line.

Italy's Daniele Bennati of the Lampre team finished third. World champion Tom Boonen of Belgium took the overall leader's yellow jersey from Norway's Thor Hushovd after crossing in fourth place.

"Yesterday I had a good feeling but it did not work," said Kessler.

"Today I was also feeling good so I tried again, and as the final climb was just before the finish I knew I had a better chance to win."

T-Mobile were reduced to seven riders before the beginning of the race after 1997 Tour winner Jan Ullrich and Spaniard Oscar Sevilla were suspended because of their implication in a doping investigation.

Boonen, who has yet to win a stage this year, suffered a punctured tyre five kilometres from the finish.

"I preferred not to change bike," said Boonen. "It was hard to climb the Cauberg and I could not sprint for victory so this yellow jersey is a great reward."

COLLARBONE FRACTURE

Valverde suffered a collarbone fracture after crashing in a pile-up in the peloton 20 kms from the finish. He was taken away in an ambulance.

Earlier, after a few failed attempts by unsung riders, German Jens Voigt of the CSC team broke away from the peloton, carrying along Frenchmen Jerome Pineau and Christophe Laurent, Unai Etxebarria of Venezuela and Spaniard Jose Luis Arrieta.

They led the bunch by up to six minutes, 10 seconds in stifling heat with the temperature climbing to 35 degrees.

The Credit Agricole team, defending Thor Hushovd's yellow jersey, was the first to try to catch the fugitives, some 70 kms from the finish.

Arrieta tried his luck alone but the AG2R rider was caught just before the Cauberg climb, where Kessler broke decisively for victory.

The Cauberg is a third-category climb where the Amstel Gold Race classic ends every year.

The Tour de France, visiting the Netherlands for the first time in 10 years, lost Dutchman Erik Dekker when the Rabobank rider crashed 59 km from the finish along with American Fred Rodriguez.

Both riders hit the pavement in the Belgian village of Verviers. Dekker had announced he was ending his career at the Tour de France.

DANGEROUS ROAD

Valverde, 26, was one of the hot favourites for the world's greatest cycle race after it was stripped of three of its big names, including Ullrich, following the doping investigation.

"The road was very dangerous at that point, someone in front braked and he went to ground," Caisse d'Epargne teammate Oscar Pereiro told Spanish state television.

"This has destroyed all our hopes for this Tour. We knew he could get on the podium and thought he might win the race."

Valverde won one stage of the Tour de France last year, beating seven-times winner Lance Armstrong in Courchevel, before pulling out three days later. The American has since retired.

Today's fourth stage will take the peloton over 207 kms from Huy (Belgium) to Saint-Quentin.