And that's where I'll leave you for today. Thanks for your texts, tweets and company. Same time same place tomorrow? See you then.
Geraint on stage four
Tour de FranceCopyright: Tour de France
Tuesday's fourth stage promises to be just as hairy. Don't take my word for it though. Here's Geraint Thomas's thoughts:
"Last year Team Sky didn't have the best of days on the cobbles, when Froome was forced to abandon, but personally I did pretty well. It's definitely a stressful day, but I enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to it again.
"It's certainly a big day for the teams with riders competing for the overall victory.
"Everybody will be stressing about that and you've just got to concentrate on being in a good position at the front. The only problem is that's what 180 other riders want to do. It's all about fighting for position for when most of the cobbled sections start in the final 50km or so."
Words from Froome
Here's Chris Froome: "It's an amazing feeling to be in the yellow. I would never have believed it at the beginning of the stage. These punchy climbs are really not my sort of thing. I'm better at longer climbs.
"I've got my team-mates to thank for keeping me safe. I wouldn't say its too early to take the yellow jersey. I'd definitely rather be in this position than having to make time up on my rivals."
Cobbles coming up
It's going to be a big day on Tuesday with seven sections of cobbles threatening to offer further disruption to the riders. Last year, Chris Froome didn't actually get to the cobbles, crashing and abandoning several kilometres before the race reached them.
It was wet and slippery last year. Dry and dusty is the forecast for Tuesday.
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Yellow Jersey
Classification
Chris Froome gets his first yellow jersey since winning in 2013. He holds aloft the obligatory bunch of flowers and teddy bear. He looks incredibly fresh as he wanders off to share his spoils with his team-mates.
Greipel in green
Green Jersey
Classification
Germany's Andre Greipel retains the green points jersey and leads that category on 75 points.
Sagan in white
White Jersey
Classification
Tinkoff-Saxo confirms that Peter Sagan will wear the white jersey as the race's best young (under-25) rider. Sagan finished 40 seconds behind stage winner Rodriguez.
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Former British cyclist Sir Chris Hoy on Twitter: That will have stung the legs a bit!! Great effort from @chrisfroome
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Froome picked up six bonus seconds for finishing second, enough to catapult him to the top of the standings. That means Tony Martin has been denied the yellow jersey for the second day running because of the reintroduction of bonus seconds.
General classification
Yellow Jersey
Classification
1. Chris Froome (Sky)
2. Tony Martin (Etixx) +01sec
3. Tejay van Garderen (BMC) +13secs
4. Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Soudal) +26secs
5. Greg van Avermaet (BMC) +28secs
Stage three result
1. Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha)
2. Chris Froome (Sky) same time
3. Alexis Vuillermoz (AG2R) +04secs
4. Dan Martin (Cannondale) +05secs
5. Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Soudal), +08secs
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Lee Jones: Great ride from Froome and sends a warning to his rivals.
Matt Salisbury: Good result for Froome - few more crucial seconds over his main rivals. Yellow Jersey a bonus this early on.
Matt Taggart: It's a long way to Paris, that could be a lot of energy-sapping defence coming very early for Team Sky.
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Wow. Who saw that one coming then? Be honest! I certainly didn't. Fabian Cancellara is still out on the road and getting ready to tackle the Mur de Huy. Tony Martin is slumped on the side of the road, draining a bottle of juice. Tough luck for the German.
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Rob Hayles
Former GB cyclist on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
"Will they want it this early on? Well, they've got it and they've got a lot of work to do now."
Froome takes yellow
Yellow Jersey
Classification
Chris Froome is confirmed as the new leader of the Tour de France. He takes the lead by one second from Tony Martin.
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Early indications are that Froome finished 11 seconds ahead of Nibali, 18 seconds clear of Contador. Add a few bonus seconds for finishing second and his day just keeps on getting better.
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Rob Hayles
Former GB cyclist on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
That is a big victory for Froome. What an extraordinary finish. He may not have won but he put time on his rivals.
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Chris Froome finishes second. He may be a second or two behind Rodriguez but he has gained more seconds on his main rivals Contador, Nibali and Quintana.
Rodriguez wins
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Joaquim Rodriguez wins stage three.
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But back comes Froome - he is having another sensational day. Contador and Nibali are nowhere.
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Joaquim Rodriguez comes from nowhere and he goes for it. Froome tries to dig in but he can't keep pace with the Spaniard.
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Thomas has gone. Froome is left with Nibali and Contador for company.
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Kwiatkowski looks to be dropping away as Geraint Thomas continues to pace Froome.
1.3km remaining
The riders are on to the bottom of the Mur de Huy. Who has the legs to finish this off?
2km remaining
Geraint Thomas has taken up pacing duties. He is the only Team Sky rider with Chris Froome. He is chatting to a Movistar rider on his shoulder. Tony Martin is still with this leading bunch. Can he finish high enough up to push for the yellow jersey? Peter Sagan will surely try and distance him on the climb to the finish.
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They are over the top and descending to the foot of the Mur de Huy. The final climb is 1.3km long at 9.6% with sections at 25% remember. This race is far from over.
AFPCopyright: AFP
All the big four are still in with a shout of winning this stage and Chris Froome is taking up the pace with just 4km remaining.
5km remaining
The peloton has been blown apart. Froome and Nibali looking in good shape though as Tinkoff-Saxo rider Rafa Majka sets the pace with Kwiatkowski in second and Froome in third.
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Richie Porte has gone. That leaves Geraint Thomas to pace Chris Froome. Froome is out with the elbows to make sure he keeps his own space as they toil up the Cote de Cherave. Thomas is on the wheel of Kwiatkowski.
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Yellow Jersey
Classification
Fabian Cancellara is losing minutes today. He is already four minutes down. So, the yellow jersey is very much up for grabs. Tony Martin might not like the steepness of the finish but if his Etixx - Quick-Step team-mates can drag him up the Mur de Huy, their team boss Patrick Lefevre may came down a little. Particularly if they can get their world champion Michal Kwiatkowski to the finish line first as well.
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The pace is quickening as the riders go under the 10km to go banner. The Cote de Cherave is the next categorised climb. It is only 1.3km, with an average gradient of 8.1%.
12km remaining
Richie Porte sticks his nose out at the front of the peloton. The Australian has a couple of Team Sky colleagues on his wheel, one of them is Geraint Thomas. The other is Chris Froome. The British-based team are doing a great job of keeping out of trouble.
Alberto Contador's Tinkoff-Saxo team and Vincenzo Nibali's Astana are following every move.
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AFPCopyright: AFP
Fabian Cancellara is feeling his right thigh as reaches the summit of the Cote d'Ereffe, more than two minutes adrift of the leading bunch. He has a couple of dozen riders for company but it's going to be a tough final 15km for him.
17km remaining
We are on to the second climb of the day and the first that will be contested. The Cote d'Ereffe is a 2.1km ascent at an average of 5%. And riders are being shelled out the back of the peloton. Mark Cavendish has gone as Team Sky take up the pace.
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Green Jersey
Classification
Result of the intermediate sprint at Havelange
1. André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal), 20 pts
2. John Degenkolb (Giant), 17 pts
3. Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis), 15 pts
4. Bryan Coquard (Europcar), 13 pts
5. Mark Cavendish (Etixx), 11 pts
6. Geoffrey Soupe (Cofidis), 10 pts
7. Peter Sagan (Tinkoff), 9 pts
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Bobby Cowsill: Given cycling success is based upon marginal gains, I fear today's neutralisation could lead to future exploitation.
Michael Fotios: @BobbyCowsill It's day 3 for goodness sake. The race leader goes down in a massive crash. What if it was Froome?! #bbccycling
20km remaining
Yellow Jersey
Classification
Fabian Cancellara continues to drift along towards the back of the peloton. His face a picture of pain. I think we will be seeing a new man in yellow tonight, which will be such a shame for the big man from Switzerland. He is on the wrong end of another split and going backwards.
22km remaining
The Tinkoff-Saxo train continues to tap out the tempo on the front of the peloton. Team Sky and Astana also in attention as they freewheel down a hill and take a couple of tight lefts and rights through a village in the Ardennes region of Belgium.
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Matt Slater
BBC Sport at the Tour de France
French TV has just shown some pictures of the aftermath of that crash: a lot of road-scorched flesh and angry red rashes. Bikes, bidons and sunglasses all over the place, too, and the yellow jersey in a ditch.
There will be a lot of debate about the decision to neutralise the race and the possible precedent it sets for this race and others going forward, but the organisers had to think fast and they faced pushing on without enough doctors to handle the next pile-up. I think they made the right call but others will not.
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Rob Hayles
Former GB cyclist on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
It's tough tough racing from here on in and position will be key for those looking for the yellow jersey or the stage win. They need to be up near the front on tight and twisty roads.
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The peloton is all back together as we enter the final 27km of today's race. There are still three climbs for the riders to get over. Two category four ascents before the Mur de Huy, with its 25% gradients and 9.6% average.
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Rob Hayles
Former GB cyclist on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
That shot of Michael Matthews after his crash looks like he may well have lost some of his tattoo on his back. That will take some touching up in the coming months.
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Green Jersey
Classification
AFPCopyright: AFP
There are intermediate sprint points on offer for the sprinters before we finish up on the Mur de Huy. Andre Greipel, stage winner on Sunday, picks up 20 points as the first rider over the line in Havelange. John Degenkolb was second over the line. I'll bring you full results when I have them confirmed.
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Matt Salisbury: Lefevre makes a valid point - organisers would do well to explain reason for neutralisation at the end of stage. #bbccycling
Post update
Yellow Jersey
Classification
AFPCopyright: AFP
Chris Froome and Nairo Quintana are in the lead group. They are around 20 seconds clear of the bunch that contains the yellow jersey. Tony Martin is just three seconds behind Fabian Cancellara in the standings.
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Astana and Tinkoff-Saxo are continuing to push the pace. Radio 5 live sports extra commentator Rob Hayles is looking for Tony Martin. If the German time trial specialist is in the lead group, then he could be looking at the yellow jersey in about 45 minutes.
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Geraint Thomas takes it upon himself to drag his team across the gap and they make the juncture. Just like Sunday there is a small group of maybe 30 or 40 riders who have gone clear.
The bunch behind are losing touch and it's going to be tough for them to bring this back.
Post update
Racing has resumed and the pace is high. Tinkoff-Saxo, Astana and Movistar suddenly go clear. A slight crosswind playing a bit of havoc and Team Sky are distanced. Can they close this gap down before it gets significant?
42km remaining
Team Sky are lined up down the left-hand side of the road. Ian Stannard and Luke Rowe are leading the line with Geraint Thomas fourth wheel. Tinkoff-Saxo, the team of Alberto Contador and Peter Sagan are down the right-hand side of the road.
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One man who is not happy with the neutralising of the race is Etixx - Quick-Step boss Patrick Lefevre.
He has been busy on Twitter, calling the decision to stop the race "strange behaviour" before adding: "I will remember this. Every crash we will waiting during the #tourdefrance" and he called it a "dangerous president" - I'm assuming he meant precedent.
Cancellara watch
Yellow Jersey
Classification
Fabian Cancellara has been back to his team car again. The riders are going along at pedestrian pace but the Swiss is clearly in agony.
He fractured his lower back earlier in the season - at the E3 Harelbeke Spring Classic in March. So there would be no surprise if he's a little bit sore.
Simon Brotherton on radio commentary suggests that the race organisers had little option but to stop the race because the doctors were all tending the wounded and the safety of the other riders could not be guaranteed.
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Matt Taggart: Would quite liked to have heard the convo between the ref, Sky, Movistar and Astana riders there.
Matthew J Woolley: Sky are ruthless after crashes. Organisers would be happy to let sportsmanship dictate the pace without them I think
Edu: Horrifying crash! Sets a dangerous precedent but cyclists' safety comes first! #bbccycling
50km remaining
This first ascent is 2.4km long. The riders crest the summit with race leader Fabian Cancellara right at the back of the peloton. He may well struggle to hold on to his yellow jersey. There is still no word as to when the racing will start again.
There is an intermediate sprint coming up shortly as well.
Race back on
The riders are back pedalling but it will be a neutralised ascent of the first hill of this year's Tour de France - the Cote de Bohissau. The race director's red car is being flanked by several riders as they amble up the slope. There will be no points awarded in the King of the Mountain competition.
Dumoulin out
APCopyright: AP
Tom Dumoulin, the young Dutch rider who was tipped to win the opening time trial stage, has abandoned the race. Britain's Simon Yates, who rides for Orica GreenEdge, also went down in the crash but he is fine to continue.
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Rob Hayles
Former GB cyclist on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
"When the crash happened there were a good 30 or 40 riders who went down. It looked like there was a big pylon where a lot of them ended up, hopefully none of them hit it.
"I don't know where the race goes from here to be honest. Are they going to restart it and neutralise it completely until the finish? Because the roads we are coming up to, we have the first climb of the Tour and then four more until the finish. It's tough terrain and it's not like these sore bodies can just roll into the finish. They still have a lot of work to do. It's an absolute catastrophe."
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FDJ rider William Bonnet is having a neck brace fitted back at the site of the initial crash. He looks like he was the first man to hit the deck and others just went careering into him.
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ReutersCopyright: Reuters
There is torn lycra and battered bodies everywhere. There are a few abandonments, among them, Simon Gerrans from Orica GreenEdge.
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Christian Prudhomme is out of his team car and chatting with team directors. In many years of reporting on the Tour de France, I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like this before. The riders in the Cancellara crash were lucky not to pile too heavily into a lamp post at the side of the road.
Post update
Here comes Fabian Cancellara. I've just seen a replay of the crash. He went over his handlebars and his yellow bike cartwheeled into a hedge. The Swiss is on a replacement. He is still shaking his head as though trying to clear his senses. He is chewing on a water bottle, looking decidedly unwell. He shuffles through the cars and is at the back of the peloton, which is at a standstill.
Confusion as race is stopped
Team Sky's Peter Kennaugh is alongside Prudhomme's car and there are discussions being held. Prudhomme suddenly decides that racing is back on and Kennaugh takes off like a startled hare.
There is more confusion though with riders gesticulating wildly at the Prudhomme's car. The latest I have is that they are stopping the race at the foot of the first categorised climb of the day.
Post update
AFPCopyright: AFP
There has been a second crash further down the road and race organiser Christian Prudhomme has climbed up out of the sunroof of his car and waved his arms to neutralise the race.
We have live commentary of the closing stages of today's race on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra. Simon Brotherton is just starting up, and he is accompanied by Rob Hayles. You can listen to their thoughts by clicking the relevant links on this page.
Huge crash
A massive crash on the right-hand side of the peloton. There are several riders down from the Lotto Jumbo team, Orica GreenEdge's Daryl Impey is down. And race leader Fabian Cancellara is also down.
62km remaining
The leading quartet are about to be gobbled up by the peloton. The lead is down to 20 seconds with a little over 60km remaining. Alberto Contador's Tinkoff-Saxo team is doing a lot of the legwork on the front of the peloton.
They have two men who could do well today. Contador may fancy trying to nick back a few of the 60 seconds he trails Chris Froome by. However, Peter Sagan has his eyes on a bigger prize. The stage win and the overall lead. Can he do it?
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Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Mike Daniels: I'm tipping Geraint Thomas for the win. #bbccycling
Geraint told BBC Sport that he may go for the stage win today. Much will depend on how the race is panning out and whether he has put his Team Sky leader Chris Froome into a decent position going into the climb.
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The final one of those climbs is the famed, and feared Mur de Huy. Famed because it is the finishing climb to La Fleche Wallonne - the one-day Spring Classic - and feared because it features gradients approaching 25%.
Bryan Nauleau grabs a handful of energy bars and a bottle from his team car as he sets the pace on the front of the breakaway. But our escapees are slowly being reeled in as the peloton ups the pace.
We have four climbs coming in the final 50km of today's stage and the likes of Chris Froome, Alberto Contador, Nairo Quintana and Vincenzo Nibali - the main contenders for the overall race victory - will want to make sure they are well placed and not in danger of losing time to their rivals.
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Matt Taggart: Puncheur today? It's hard to look past Sagan getting the green but with bonuses he only needs 23s to get yellow too!
Post update
The first shots of Australia's Adam Hansen who is right at the back of the peloton. He dislocated a shoulder in a crash on Sunday but is racing on. That's one big grimace on his face.
His Lotto-Soudal team-mate Tony Gallopin is back at the team car, having some debris removed from his chain. A delicate operation considering he is travelling at 50km/h. A lesser man than his mechanic would be losing a finger.
My lucky lucky colleagues out in Belgium, who will be bringing you live commentary of the closing stages of today's race on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra and this website, from 15:00 BST, have predicted their stage winners.
Lead commentator Simon Brotherton: Alejandro Valverde to win, Fabian Cancellara to stay in yellow.
Summariser Rob Hayles: Michal Kwiatkowski to win, Fabian Cancellara to stay in yellow.
BBC Sport's Matt Slater: Dan Martin to win, Fabian Cancellara to stay in yellow.
Who are you backing? Tweet us #bbccycling or text 81111, remembering to put CYCLING at the front of your message and to include your name.
77km remaining
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Bora's Jan Barta jumped off as soon as the riders left the neutralised zone, taking three men with him. His compadres for the third stage are Serge Pauwels of MTN-Qhubeka, IAM's Martin Elmiger and Europcar rider Bryan Nauleau.
Their lead reached about four minutes but is now just under three minutes with 77km remaining as the riders whizz through the feed zone.
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It would appear as though there have been a couple of gremlins in the system and you may not have been able to read a lot of what's gone on stage two so far.
Here's a quick update...
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APCopyright: AP
The peloton is spread out across the road indicating that nobody is pushing the pace along significantly at this stage. The main protagonists are all in the shelter of their respective teams as they look to conserve as much energy as they can for the closing stages.
The standings
Yellow Jersey
Classification
Here's a reminder of the significant names in the standings after two stages:
1 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Trek Factory Racing 3hrs 44mins 01sec
2 Tony Martin (Ger) Etixx - Quick-Step +3secs
3 Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Giant-Alpecin +6secs
4 Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo +33secs
5 Geraint Thomas (GB) Team Sky +35secs
6 Daniel Oss (Ita) BMC Racing Team +42secs
7 Rigoberto Uran (Col) Etixx - Quick-Step Same time
8 Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team +44secs
9 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team +48secs
10 Chris Froome (GB) Team Sky Same time
Selected others:
14 Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo +01min 00secs
33 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana +2mins 9secs
44 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar +2mins 27secs
100km remaining
Out on the road, the leading quartet are holding a three-minute advantage over the field, which is being paced by the Astana team of Vincenzo Nibali and the Movistar team of Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde. Team Sky's train over to the left of the road, keeping out of bother.
Here's the thoughts of my esteemed radio colleagues who will be bringing you live commentary of the closing stages of today's race on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra and this website, from 15:00 BST.
Lead commentator Simon Brotherton: Alejandro Valverde to win, Fabian Cancellara to stay in yellow.
Summariser Rob Hayles: Michal Kwiatkowski to win, Fabian Cancellara to stay in yellow.
BBC Sport's Matt Slater: Dan Martin to win, Fabian Cancellara to stay in yellow.
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So, who is going to win stage three? It's time for you to get involved with today's live. Will the lead change hands again, or can Fabian Cancellara, a classics specialist over the cobbles, rather than the hills, hang on?
Peter Sagan, who is fourth overall, loves short, sharp climbs and will fancy his chances. Britain's Geraint Thomas has earmarked today as one he could go for. Spain's Alejandro Valverde has won La Fleche Wallonne three times - twice in the last two years.
Could the big boys come out to play? Vincenzo Nibali and Nairo Quintana both have time to make up. Quintana and Valverde ride for Movistar - will one rider be given the green light?
Tweet me your thoughts #bbccycling or text 81111. Please put CYCLING at the start of your text and include your name.
Honouring a legend
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Tour de France route organisers love to honour their past champions and today is no exception. The peloton is winding its way through the village of Meensel-Kiezegem, the birthplace of cycling legend Eddy Merckx. The Belgian, who won this race a joint record five times, was 70 on 17 June and a statue will be unveiled of the great man later this afternoon.
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Matt Slater
BBC Sport at the Tour de France
Drove last 80km of route & it's not all about the Mur. Hilly terrain, tight corners, mixed road surfaces, some cross winds. Hard.
Post update
If you follow the one-day Spring Classics you will know all about the Mur de Huy because it features heavily in the Fleche Wallonne race. That punishing race sees the riders tackle the climb three times. Today it's just the once. But that should be enough.
Post update
So, what does today's stage have in store for us? It's largely flat for the first 100km, with four categorised climbs in the final 50km or so. The first three are mere appetisers for the final hill of the day. The Mur de Huy. Mur means wall. And that should tell you all you need to know about the 1.3km ascent that awaits the riders. The steepest part of the slope is 25% and it averages out at 9.6%.
Post update
Matt Slater
BBC Sport at the Tour de France
A touch of deja vu about today's start: Bora's Jan Barta jumped off as soon as the riders left the neutralised zone, taking three men with him. His compadres for the third stage are Serge Pauwels of MTN-Qhubeka, IAM's Martin Elmiger and Europcar rider Bryan Nauleau. They have a lead approaching four minutes.
The peloton will be quite happy to leave them out in front for a couple of hours, which should give Mark Cavendish a chance to calm down a bit and refocus on the flat stages that remain. He will get a few more chances and I think he will take a couple of them, at least.
Not a great start for his Etixx - Quick-Step team, though. They had hoped to have two stage wins in the bag by now, and Tony Martin in yellow. Instead they have nowt apart from the Tour's best tweets and quotes.
120km remaining
The riders are around 40km into today's 159.5km stage from Anvers to Huy and there are a ridiculous number of people lining the streets as the riders zip through the towns and villages of Belgium. We have four men in the break...
Stage three route
Tour de FranceCopyright: Tour de France
Post update
Yellow jersey in the team or not, Cavendish has quickly moved on. He was up early this morning and tweeted: "Well, today's a new day. Hope everyone has a good one."
And that seems a perfect juncture for us to move on too and take a look at today's third stage...
Post update
Yellow Jersey
Classification
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Getting your rider in yellow is a big deal, even if it is only going to be for a day or so. The sponsors love the exposure for starters. Fabian Cancellara has worn the yellow jersey on 28 occasions before today but that has not stopped his Trek team from sorting him out with a yellow bike to complete his outfit.
Cavendish criticised
The row centres on whether Mark Cavendish sat up when Andre Greipel sprinted past him? The jury is out.
If Cav had finished third, his Etixx - Quick-Step team-mate Tony Martin would have taken over the yellow jersey. A fact not lost on their team manager Patrick Lefevre, who fumed: "Cavendish stopped sprinting and this costs Tony the jersey. I am not happy at all. Probably this was our last chance to take the yellow jersey."
Cavendish, who is out of contract at the end of this season, wrote on Twitter: "If I could hang on for 3rd, I could hang on for the win... Some imbeciles think cycling is a computer game."
It is unclear whether Cav was aware of Lefevre's comments, when he took to social media.
Critical Cavendish
Green Jersey
Classification
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Mark Cavendish was not a happy bunny after losing out to German rival Andre Greipel in the race for the stage victory. It looked like a nailed-on win for the Manx Missile as he entered the closing kilometre on the wheel of his trusted lead-out man Mark Renshaw.
However, Renshaw peeled off with around 300m remaining, leaving Cavendish exposed and in his post-race chat with the media, he said his team-mate "went too early and kind of left me hanging. We died."
However, that was just the start of it and who wouldn't have wanted to be the proverbial fly on the wall in the Etixx - Quick-Step team bus last night...
Classic Cancellara
Yellow Jersey
Classification
APCopyright: AP
Cancellara (far left) edged out Cavendish (far right) in the sprint for third placeImage caption: Cancellara (far left) edged out Cavendish (far right) in the sprint for third place
It was also a terrific day for Fabian Cancellara, our new race leader after a dramatic sprint in Zelande on Sunday. The Swiss one-day classics specialist needed to finish in the top three to earn enough bonus seconds to take over from Rohan Dennis and he did just that, edging out Mark Cavendish on the line. Which neatly brings us to...
Race for yellow
Yellow Jersey
Classification
It was a terrific day for Chris Froome, who was kept near the front of the peloton by his Team Sky team-mates as howling crosswinds split the field.
Froome stayed out of trouble to finish seventh in a reduced bunch sprint, but he was four seconds clear of two-time winner Alberto Contador, while defending champion Vincenzo Nibali and 2013 runner-up Nairo Quintana were caught out by a crash as the race split and they trundled over the line almost 90 seconds down.
So while Froome is 48 seconds behind the race leader, he is 12 seconds ahead of Contador, and more than one minute clear of Nibali and Quintana.
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Hello, and welcome to live text and radio commentary (from 15:00 BST) of stage three of the 2015 Tour de France. There were winners and losers galore on Sunday's intriguing stage two and before we get into today's race, which left Anvers about 45 minutes ago, let's take a quick look back...
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Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
"We're two days down and I couldn't have hoped for much more at this stage," said Britain's 2013 Tour de France champion Chris Froome after gaining time on all his main rivals on Sunday's second stage.
Live Reporting
Peter Scrivener
All times stated are UK
Get involved
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APCopyright: AP Cancellara (far left) edged out Cavendish (far right) in the sprint for third placeImage caption: Cancellara (far left) edged out Cavendish (far right) in the sprint for third place 
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Latest PostPost update
And that's where I'll leave you for today. Thanks for your texts, tweets and company. Same time same place tomorrow? See you then.
Geraint on stage four
Tuesday's fourth stage promises to be just as hairy. Don't take my word for it though. Here's Geraint Thomas's thoughts:
"Last year Team Sky didn't have the best of days on the cobbles, when Froome was forced to abandon, but personally I did pretty well. It's definitely a stressful day, but I enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to it again.
"It's certainly a big day for the teams with riders competing for the overall victory.
"Everybody will be stressing about that and you've just got to concentrate on being in a good position at the front. The only problem is that's what 180 other riders want to do. It's all about fighting for position for when most of the cobbled sections start in the final 50km or so."
Words from Froome
Here's Chris Froome: "It's an amazing feeling to be in the yellow. I would never have believed it at the beginning of the stage. These punchy climbs are really not my sort of thing. I'm better at longer climbs.
"I've got my team-mates to thank for keeping me safe. I wouldn't say its too early to take the yellow jersey. I'd definitely rather be in this position than having to make time up on my rivals."
Cobbles coming up
It's going to be a big day on Tuesday with seven sections of cobbles threatening to offer further disruption to the riders. Last year, Chris Froome didn't actually get to the cobbles, crashing and abandoning several kilometres before the race reached them.
It was wet and slippery last year. Dry and dusty is the forecast for Tuesday.
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Yellow Jersey
Classification
Chris Froome gets his first yellow jersey since winning in 2013. He holds aloft the obligatory bunch of flowers and teddy bear. He looks incredibly fresh as he wanders off to share his spoils with his team-mates.
Greipel in green
Green Jersey
Classification
Germany's Andre Greipel retains the green points jersey and leads that category on 75 points.
Sagan in white
White Jersey
Classification
Tinkoff-Saxo confirms that Peter Sagan will wear the white jersey as the race's best young (under-25) rider. Sagan finished 40 seconds behind stage winner Rodriguez.
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Former British cyclist Sir Chris Hoy on Twitter: That will have stung the legs a bit!! Great effort from @chrisfroome
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Froome picked up six bonus seconds for finishing second, enough to catapult him to the top of the standings. That means Tony Martin has been denied the yellow jersey for the second day running because of the reintroduction of bonus seconds.
General classification
Yellow Jersey
Classification
1. Chris Froome (Sky)
2. Tony Martin (Etixx) +01sec
3. Tejay van Garderen (BMC) +13secs
4. Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Soudal) +26secs
5. Greg van Avermaet (BMC) +28secs
Stage three result
1. Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha)
2. Chris Froome (Sky) same time
3. Alexis Vuillermoz (AG2R) +04secs
4. Dan Martin (Cannondale) +05secs
5. Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Soudal), +08secs
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Lee Jones: Great ride from Froome and sends a warning to his rivals.
Matt Salisbury: Good result for Froome - few more crucial seconds over his main rivals. Yellow Jersey a bonus this early on.
Matt Taggart: It's a long way to Paris, that could be a lot of energy-sapping defence coming very early for Team Sky.
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Wow. Who saw that one coming then? Be honest! I certainly didn't. Fabian Cancellara is still out on the road and getting ready to tackle the Mur de Huy. Tony Martin is slumped on the side of the road, draining a bottle of juice. Tough luck for the German.
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Rob Hayles
Former GB cyclist on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
"Will they want it this early on? Well, they've got it and they've got a lot of work to do now."
Froome takes yellow
Yellow Jersey
Classification
Chris Froome is confirmed as the new leader of the Tour de France. He takes the lead by one second from Tony Martin.
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Early indications are that Froome finished 11 seconds ahead of Nibali, 18 seconds clear of Contador. Add a few bonus seconds for finishing second and his day just keeps on getting better.
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Rob Hayles
Former GB cyclist on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
That is a big victory for Froome. What an extraordinary finish. He may not have won but he put time on his rivals.
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Chris Froome finishes second. He may be a second or two behind Rodriguez but he has gained more seconds on his main rivals Contador, Nibali and Quintana.
Rodriguez wins
Joaquim Rodriguez wins stage three.
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But back comes Froome - he is having another sensational day. Contador and Nibali are nowhere.
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Joaquim Rodriguez comes from nowhere and he goes for it. Froome tries to dig in but he can't keep pace with the Spaniard.
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Thomas has gone. Froome is left with Nibali and Contador for company.
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Kwiatkowski looks to be dropping away as Geraint Thomas continues to pace Froome.
1.3km remaining
The riders are on to the bottom of the Mur de Huy. Who has the legs to finish this off?
2km remaining
Geraint Thomas has taken up pacing duties. He is the only Team Sky rider with Chris Froome. He is chatting to a Movistar rider on his shoulder. Tony Martin is still with this leading bunch. Can he finish high enough up to push for the yellow jersey? Peter Sagan will surely try and distance him on the climb to the finish.
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They are over the top and descending to the foot of the Mur de Huy. The final climb is 1.3km long at 9.6% with sections at 25% remember. This race is far from over.
All the big four are still in with a shout of winning this stage and Chris Froome is taking up the pace with just 4km remaining.
5km remaining
The peloton has been blown apart. Froome and Nibali looking in good shape though as Tinkoff-Saxo rider Rafa Majka sets the pace with Kwiatkowski in second and Froome in third.
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Richie Porte has gone. That leaves Geraint Thomas to pace Chris Froome. Froome is out with the elbows to make sure he keeps his own space as they toil up the Cote de Cherave. Thomas is on the wheel of Kwiatkowski.
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Yellow Jersey
Classification
Fabian Cancellara is losing minutes today. He is already four minutes down. So, the yellow jersey is very much up for grabs. Tony Martin might not like the steepness of the finish but if his Etixx - Quick-Step team-mates can drag him up the Mur de Huy, their team boss Patrick Lefevre may came down a little. Particularly if they can get their world champion Michal Kwiatkowski to the finish line first as well.
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The pace is quickening as the riders go under the 10km to go banner. The Cote de Cherave is the next categorised climb. It is only 1.3km, with an average gradient of 8.1%.
12km remaining
Richie Porte sticks his nose out at the front of the peloton. The Australian has a couple of Team Sky colleagues on his wheel, one of them is Geraint Thomas. The other is Chris Froome. The British-based team are doing a great job of keeping out of trouble.
Alberto Contador's Tinkoff-Saxo team and Vincenzo Nibali's Astana are following every move.
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Fabian Cancellara is feeling his right thigh as reaches the summit of the Cote d'Ereffe, more than two minutes adrift of the leading bunch. He has a couple of dozen riders for company but it's going to be a tough final 15km for him.
17km remaining
We are on to the second climb of the day and the first that will be contested. The Cote d'Ereffe is a 2.1km ascent at an average of 5%. And riders are being shelled out the back of the peloton. Mark Cavendish has gone as Team Sky take up the pace.
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Green Jersey
Classification
Result of the intermediate sprint at Havelange
1. André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal), 20 pts
2. John Degenkolb (Giant), 17 pts
3. Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis), 15 pts
4. Bryan Coquard (Europcar), 13 pts
5. Mark Cavendish (Etixx), 11 pts
6. Geoffrey Soupe (Cofidis), 10 pts
7. Peter Sagan (Tinkoff), 9 pts
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Bobby Cowsill: Given cycling success is based upon marginal gains, I fear today's neutralisation could lead to future exploitation.
Michael Fotios: @BobbyCowsill It's day 3 for goodness sake. The race leader goes down in a massive crash. What if it was Froome?! #bbccycling
20km remaining
Yellow Jersey
Classification
Fabian Cancellara continues to drift along towards the back of the peloton. His face a picture of pain. I think we will be seeing a new man in yellow tonight, which will be such a shame for the big man from Switzerland. He is on the wrong end of another split and going backwards.
22km remaining
The Tinkoff-Saxo train continues to tap out the tempo on the front of the peloton. Team Sky and Astana also in attention as they freewheel down a hill and take a couple of tight lefts and rights through a village in the Ardennes region of Belgium.
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Matt Slater
BBC Sport at the Tour de France
French TV has just shown some pictures of the aftermath of that crash: a lot of road-scorched flesh and angry red rashes. Bikes, bidons and sunglasses all over the place, too, and the yellow jersey in a ditch.
There will be a lot of debate about the decision to neutralise the race and the possible precedent it sets for this race and others going forward, but the organisers had to think fast and they faced pushing on without enough doctors to handle the next pile-up. I think they made the right call but others will not.
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Rob Hayles
Former GB cyclist on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
It's tough tough racing from here on in and position will be key for those looking for the yellow jersey or the stage win. They need to be up near the front on tight and twisty roads.
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The peloton is all back together as we enter the final 27km of today's race. There are still three climbs for the riders to get over. Two category four ascents before the Mur de Huy, with its 25% gradients and 9.6% average.
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Rob Hayles
Former GB cyclist on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
That shot of Michael Matthews after his crash looks like he may well have lost some of his tattoo on his back. That will take some touching up in the coming months.
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Green Jersey
Classification
There are intermediate sprint points on offer for the sprinters before we finish up on the Mur de Huy. Andre Greipel, stage winner on Sunday, picks up 20 points as the first rider over the line in Havelange. John Degenkolb was second over the line. I'll bring you full results when I have them confirmed.
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Matt Salisbury: Lefevre makes a valid point - organisers would do well to explain reason for neutralisation at the end of stage. #bbccycling
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Yellow Jersey
Classification
Chris Froome and Nairo Quintana are in the lead group. They are around 20 seconds clear of the bunch that contains the yellow jersey. Tony Martin is just three seconds behind Fabian Cancellara in the standings.
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Astana and Tinkoff-Saxo are continuing to push the pace. Radio 5 live sports extra commentator Rob Hayles is looking for Tony Martin. If the German time trial specialist is in the lead group, then he could be looking at the yellow jersey in about 45 minutes.
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Geraint Thomas takes it upon himself to drag his team across the gap and they make the juncture. Just like Sunday there is a small group of maybe 30 or 40 riders who have gone clear.
The bunch behind are losing touch and it's going to be tough for them to bring this back.
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Racing has resumed and the pace is high. Tinkoff-Saxo, Astana and Movistar suddenly go clear. A slight crosswind playing a bit of havoc and Team Sky are distanced. Can they close this gap down before it gets significant?
42km remaining
Team Sky are lined up down the left-hand side of the road. Ian Stannard and Luke Rowe are leading the line with Geraint Thomas fourth wheel. Tinkoff-Saxo, the team of Alberto Contador and Peter Sagan are down the right-hand side of the road.
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One man who is not happy with the neutralising of the race is Etixx - Quick-Step boss Patrick Lefevre.
He has been busy on Twitter, calling the decision to stop the race "strange behaviour" before adding: "I will remember this. Every crash we will waiting during the #tourdefrance" and he called it a "dangerous president" - I'm assuming he meant precedent.
Cancellara watch
Yellow Jersey
Classification
Fabian Cancellara has been back to his team car again. The riders are going along at pedestrian pace but the Swiss is clearly in agony.
He fractured his lower back earlier in the season - at the E3 Harelbeke Spring Classic in March. So there would be no surprise if he's a little bit sore.
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BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
Simon Brotherton on radio commentary suggests that the race organisers had little option but to stop the race because the doctors were all tending the wounded and the safety of the other riders could not be guaranteed.
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Matt Taggart: Would quite liked to have heard the convo between the ref, Sky, Movistar and Astana riders there.
Matthew J Woolley: Sky are ruthless after crashes. Organisers would be happy to let sportsmanship dictate the pace without them I think
Edu: Horrifying crash! Sets a dangerous precedent but cyclists' safety comes first! #bbccycling
50km remaining
This first ascent is 2.4km long. The riders crest the summit with race leader Fabian Cancellara right at the back of the peloton. He may well struggle to hold on to his yellow jersey. There is still no word as to when the racing will start again.
There is an intermediate sprint coming up shortly as well.
Race back on
The riders are back pedalling but it will be a neutralised ascent of the first hill of this year's Tour de France - the Cote de Bohissau. The race director's red car is being flanked by several riders as they amble up the slope. There will be no points awarded in the King of the Mountain competition.
Dumoulin out
Tom Dumoulin, the young Dutch rider who was tipped to win the opening time trial stage, has abandoned the race. Britain's Simon Yates, who rides for Orica GreenEdge, also went down in the crash but he is fine to continue.
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Rob Hayles
Former GB cyclist on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
"When the crash happened there were a good 30 or 40 riders who went down. It looked like there was a big pylon where a lot of them ended up, hopefully none of them hit it.
"I don't know where the race goes from here to be honest. Are they going to restart it and neutralise it completely until the finish? Because the roads we are coming up to, we have the first climb of the Tour and then four more until the finish. It's tough terrain and it's not like these sore bodies can just roll into the finish. They still have a lot of work to do. It's an absolute catastrophe."
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FDJ rider William Bonnet is having a neck brace fitted back at the site of the initial crash. He looks like he was the first man to hit the deck and others just went careering into him.
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There is torn lycra and battered bodies everywhere. There are a few abandonments, among them, Simon Gerrans from Orica GreenEdge.
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Christian Prudhomme is out of his team car and chatting with team directors. In many years of reporting on the Tour de France, I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like this before. The riders in the Cancellara crash were lucky not to pile too heavily into a lamp post at the side of the road.
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Here comes Fabian Cancellara. I've just seen a replay of the crash. He went over his handlebars and his yellow bike cartwheeled into a hedge. The Swiss is on a replacement. He is still shaking his head as though trying to clear his senses. He is chewing on a water bottle, looking decidedly unwell. He shuffles through the cars and is at the back of the peloton, which is at a standstill.
Confusion as race is stopped
Team Sky's Peter Kennaugh is alongside Prudhomme's car and there are discussions being held. Prudhomme suddenly decides that racing is back on and Kennaugh takes off like a startled hare.
There is more confusion though with riders gesticulating wildly at the Prudhomme's car. The latest I have is that they are stopping the race at the foot of the first categorised climb of the day.
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There has been a second crash further down the road and race organiser Christian Prudhomme has climbed up out of the sunroof of his car and waved his arms to neutralise the race.
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The race is being neutralised.
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BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
We have live commentary of the closing stages of today's race on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra. Simon Brotherton is just starting up, and he is accompanied by Rob Hayles. You can listen to their thoughts by clicking the relevant links on this page.
Huge crash
A massive crash on the right-hand side of the peloton. There are several riders down from the Lotto Jumbo team, Orica GreenEdge's Daryl Impey is down. And race leader Fabian Cancellara is also down.
62km remaining
The leading quartet are about to be gobbled up by the peloton. The lead is down to 20 seconds with a little over 60km remaining. Alberto Contador's Tinkoff-Saxo team is doing a lot of the legwork on the front of the peloton.
They have two men who could do well today. Contador may fancy trying to nick back a few of the 60 seconds he trails Chris Froome by. However, Peter Sagan has his eyes on a bigger prize. The stage win and the overall lead. Can he do it?
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Mike Daniels: I'm tipping Geraint Thomas for the win. #bbccycling
Geraint told BBC Sport that he may go for the stage win today. Much will depend on how the race is panning out and whether he has put his Team Sky leader Chris Froome into a decent position going into the climb.
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The final one of those climbs is the famed, and feared Mur de Huy. Famed because it is the finishing climb to La Fleche Wallonne - the one-day Spring Classic - and feared because it features gradients approaching 25%.
Check out Matt Slater's video of one of the corners.
70km remaining
Bryan Nauleau grabs a handful of energy bars and a bottle from his team car as he sets the pace on the front of the breakaway. But our escapees are slowly being reeled in as the peloton ups the pace.
We have four climbs coming in the final 50km of today's stage and the likes of Chris Froome, Alberto Contador, Nairo Quintana and Vincenzo Nibali - the main contenders for the overall race victory - will want to make sure they are well placed and not in danger of losing time to their rivals.
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Matt Taggart: Puncheur today? It's hard to look past Sagan getting the green but with bonuses he only needs 23s to get yellow too!
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The first shots of Australia's Adam Hansen who is right at the back of the peloton. He dislocated a shoulder in a crash on Sunday but is racing on. That's one big grimace on his face.
His Lotto-Soudal team-mate Tony Gallopin is back at the team car, having some debris removed from his chain. A delicate operation considering he is travelling at 50km/h. A lesser man than his mechanic would be losing a finger.
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BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
My lucky lucky colleagues out in Belgium, who will be bringing you live commentary of the closing stages of today's race on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra and this website, from 15:00 BST, have predicted their stage winners.
Lead commentator Simon Brotherton: Alejandro Valverde to win, Fabian Cancellara to stay in yellow.
Summariser Rob Hayles: Michal Kwiatkowski to win, Fabian Cancellara to stay in yellow.
BBC Sport's Matt Slater: Dan Martin to win, Fabian Cancellara to stay in yellow.
Who are you backing? Tweet us #bbccycling or text 81111, remembering to put CYCLING at the front of your message and to include your name.
77km remaining
Bora's Jan Barta jumped off as soon as the riders left the neutralised zone, taking three men with him. His compadres for the third stage are Serge Pauwels of MTN-Qhubeka, IAM's Martin Elmiger and Europcar rider Bryan Nauleau.
Their lead reached about four minutes but is now just under three minutes with 77km remaining as the riders whizz through the feed zone.
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It would appear as though there have been a couple of gremlins in the system and you may not have been able to read a lot of what's gone on stage two so far.
Here's a quick update...
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The peloton is spread out across the road indicating that nobody is pushing the pace along significantly at this stage. The main protagonists are all in the shelter of their respective teams as they look to conserve as much energy as they can for the closing stages.
The standings
Yellow Jersey
Classification
Here's a reminder of the significant names in the standings after two stages:
1 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Trek Factory Racing 3hrs 44mins 01sec
2 Tony Martin (Ger) Etixx - Quick-Step +3secs
3 Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Giant-Alpecin +6secs
4 Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo +33secs
5 Geraint Thomas (GB) Team Sky +35secs
6 Daniel Oss (Ita) BMC Racing Team +42secs
7 Rigoberto Uran (Col) Etixx - Quick-Step Same time
8 Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team +44secs
9 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team +48secs
10 Chris Froome (GB) Team Sky Same time
Selected others:
14 Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo +01min 00secs
33 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana +2mins 9secs
44 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar +2mins 27secs
100km remaining
Out on the road, the leading quartet are holding a three-minute advantage over the field, which is being paced by the Astana team of Vincenzo Nibali and the Movistar team of Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde. Team Sky's train over to the left of the road, keeping out of bother.
Prediction time
BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
Here's the thoughts of my esteemed radio colleagues who will be bringing you live commentary of the closing stages of today's race on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra and this website, from 15:00 BST.
Lead commentator Simon Brotherton: Alejandro Valverde to win, Fabian Cancellara to stay in yellow.
Summariser Rob Hayles: Michal Kwiatkowski to win, Fabian Cancellara to stay in yellow.
BBC Sport's Matt Slater: Dan Martin to win, Fabian Cancellara to stay in yellow.
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So, who is going to win stage three? It's time for you to get involved with today's live. Will the lead change hands again, or can Fabian Cancellara, a classics specialist over the cobbles, rather than the hills, hang on?
Peter Sagan, who is fourth overall, loves short, sharp climbs and will fancy his chances. Britain's Geraint Thomas has earmarked today as one he could go for. Spain's Alejandro Valverde has won La Fleche Wallonne three times - twice in the last two years.
Could the big boys come out to play? Vincenzo Nibali and Nairo Quintana both have time to make up. Quintana and Valverde ride for Movistar - will one rider be given the green light?
Tweet me your thoughts #bbccycling or text 81111. Please put CYCLING at the start of your text and include your name.
Honouring a legend
Tour de France route organisers love to honour their past champions and today is no exception. The peloton is winding its way through the village of Meensel-Kiezegem, the birthplace of cycling legend Eddy Merckx. The Belgian, who won this race a joint record five times, was 70 on 17 June and a statue will be unveiled of the great man later this afternoon.
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Matt Slater
BBC Sport at the Tour de France
Drove last 80km of route & it's not all about the Mur. Hilly terrain, tight corners, mixed road surfaces, some cross winds. Hard.
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If you follow the one-day Spring Classics you will know all about the Mur de Huy because it features heavily in the Fleche Wallonne race. That punishing race sees the riders tackle the climb three times. Today it's just the once. But that should be enough.
Post update
So, what does today's stage have in store for us? It's largely flat for the first 100km, with four categorised climbs in the final 50km or so. The first three are mere appetisers for the final hill of the day. The Mur de Huy. Mur means wall. And that should tell you all you need to know about the 1.3km ascent that awaits the riders. The steepest part of the slope is 25% and it averages out at 9.6%.
Post update
Matt Slater
BBC Sport at the Tour de France
A touch of deja vu about today's start: Bora's Jan Barta jumped off as soon as the riders left the neutralised zone, taking three men with him. His compadres for the third stage are Serge Pauwels of MTN-Qhubeka, IAM's Martin Elmiger and Europcar rider Bryan Nauleau. They have a lead approaching four minutes.
The peloton will be quite happy to leave them out in front for a couple of hours, which should give Mark Cavendish a chance to calm down a bit and refocus on the flat stages that remain. He will get a few more chances and I think he will take a couple of them, at least.
Not a great start for his Etixx - Quick-Step team, though. They had hoped to have two stage wins in the bag by now, and Tony Martin in yellow. Instead they have nowt apart from the Tour's best tweets and quotes.
120km remaining
The riders are around 40km into today's 159.5km stage from Anvers to Huy and there are a ridiculous number of people lining the streets as the riders zip through the towns and villages of Belgium. We have four men in the break...
Stage three route
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Yellow jersey in the team or not, Cavendish has quickly moved on. He was up early this morning and tweeted: "Well, today's a new day. Hope everyone has a good one."
And that seems a perfect juncture for us to move on too and take a look at today's third stage...
Post update
Yellow Jersey
Classification
Getting your rider in yellow is a big deal, even if it is only going to be for a day or so. The sponsors love the exposure for starters. Fabian Cancellara has worn the yellow jersey on 28 occasions before today but that has not stopped his Trek team from sorting him out with a yellow bike to complete his outfit.
Cavendish criticised
The row centres on whether Mark Cavendish sat up when Andre Greipel sprinted past him? The jury is out.
If Cav had finished third, his Etixx - Quick-Step team-mate Tony Martin would have taken over the yellow jersey. A fact not lost on their team manager Patrick Lefevre, who fumed: "Cavendish stopped sprinting and this costs Tony the jersey. I am not happy at all. Probably this was our last chance to take the yellow jersey."
Cavendish, who is out of contract at the end of this season, wrote on Twitter: "If I could hang on for 3rd, I could hang on for the win... Some imbeciles think cycling is a computer game."
It is unclear whether Cav was aware of Lefevre's comments, when he took to social media.
Critical Cavendish
Green Jersey
Classification
Mark Cavendish was not a happy bunny after losing out to German rival Andre Greipel in the race for the stage victory. It looked like a nailed-on win for the Manx Missile as he entered the closing kilometre on the wheel of his trusted lead-out man Mark Renshaw.
However, Renshaw peeled off with around 300m remaining, leaving Cavendish exposed and in his post-race chat with the media, he said his team-mate "went too early and kind of left me hanging. We died."
However, that was just the start of it and who wouldn't have wanted to be the proverbial fly on the wall in the Etixx - Quick-Step team bus last night...
Classic Cancellara
Yellow Jersey
Classification
It was also a terrific day for Fabian Cancellara, our new race leader after a dramatic sprint in Zelande on Sunday. The Swiss one-day classics specialist needed to finish in the top three to earn enough bonus seconds to take over from Rohan Dennis and he did just that, edging out Mark Cavendish on the line. Which neatly brings us to...
Race for yellow
Yellow Jersey
Classification
It was a terrific day for Chris Froome, who was kept near the front of the peloton by his Team Sky team-mates as howling crosswinds split the field.
Froome stayed out of trouble to finish seventh in a reduced bunch sprint, but he was four seconds clear of two-time winner Alberto Contador, while defending champion Vincenzo Nibali and 2013 runner-up Nairo Quintana were caught out by a crash as the race split and they trundled over the line almost 90 seconds down.
So while Froome is 48 seconds behind the race leader, he is 12 seconds ahead of Contador, and more than one minute clear of Nibali and Quintana.
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Hello, and welcome to live text and radio commentary (from 15:00 BST) of stage three of the 2015 Tour de France. There were winners and losers galore on Sunday's intriguing stage two and before we get into today's race, which left Anvers about 45 minutes ago, let's take a quick look back...
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"We're two days down and I couldn't have hoped for much more at this stage," said Britain's 2013 Tour de France champion Chris Froome after gaining time on all his main rivals on Sunday's second stage.