Birthday boy Roche denied stage glory

Nicolas Roche (Ag2r La Mondiale) came close to winning his first ever stage of the Tour de France when he came seventh on yesterday’s third stage from Orchies toBoulogne-sur-Mer in the north of the country.

The Irishman, on his 28th birthday, was well positioned towards the front of the peloton coming into the final hectic few hundred metres but couldn’t match the finishing kick of Slovakian powerhouse Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale).

Sagan, in his debut Tour, collected his second win, having won Sunday’s opening road stage, after he showed a clean pair of wheels to Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky Procycling) and fellow countryman Peter Velits (Omega Pharma-Quickstep).