Ireland's Nicolas Roche was preparing for the third stage of the Tour de France this morning after notching a top-10 finish in yesterday's 187km trip from Monaco to Brignoles.

A PERFECT finish saw British speedster Mark Cavendish win the second stage of the 2009 Tour de France to further his standing as cycling’s leading sprinter.

Switzerland’s Fabian Cancellara got the better of Tour de France favourite Alberto Contador to triumph in the 15.5km time-trial first stage in the blistering Monaco sun today.

It hardly takes a lot of effort to convince someone to go on a holiday in the south of France.