Scanlon helps Nazon to stage victory

IRELAND’S Mark Scanlon played a critical role in helping AG2R team-mate Jean-Patrick Nazon win yesterday’s third stage of the Tour de France from Waterloo in Belgium to Wasquehal in France.

Scanlon, alongside several other AG2R team-mates, headed the pack with a kilometre to go and then helped protect Nazon in the finish to shepherd him to victory.

The 23-year-old Sligo man finished in 75th place, just five seconds behind Nazon, and moves up eight places in the overall standings to 28th position - 36 seconds off the pace. The former junior world champion has also climbed up the young riders’ classification - from eleventh to fifth, 35 seconds behind Switzerland’s Fabian Cancellera.

Frenchman Nazon, who won the final stage of the Tour last year on the Champs Elysées, beat Erik Zabel and Robbie McEwen to the line in Wasquehal after a frantic finish.

Second stage winner McEwen, wearing the green jersey, looked set to record his second successive stage victory after making an early break for the finishing line but he was unable to hold on as both Nazon and Zabel edged him out in the last few metres.

However, McEwen’s effort was enough to earn him the overall Tour lead, meaning the Australian will wear the leader’s yellow jersey for the first time on stage four.

Ag2r rider Nazon completed the 210-kilometre race from Waterloo to Wasquehal in a time of four hours, 36 minutes and 45 seconds.

It was fitting that a Frenchman should win today as the third stage was the first of this year’s race that actually finished in France.

Although the race has dipped in and out of France, the previous stages had all finished in Belgium.

Yesterday’s stage included two sections of cobbled roads and a number of riders took a spill just before the start of the first one.

The cobbles of Paris-Roubaix were last used for a stage of Le Tour in 1985 and Nazon concedes it could have been a lot worse for him.

“There were a lot of problems on the cobbles but fortunately I was well-placed, I was near the front of the cobbles and I decided to just go for it,” he said. “I dedicate this win to my team. I am very happy, I don’t think I could have done it without them.”