Tour de France stage four as it happened

Andre Greipel wins stage four of the Tour de France as Briton Mark Cavendish crashes in the final 3km.

4 July 2012 Last updated at 16:00 GMT

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As it happened

In Summary

  • Greipel wins as Cavendish crashes
  • Stage four: 214.5km Abbeville to Rouen
  • Cancellara holds yellow jersey
  • Wiggins second, seven secs behind
  • Four category-four climbs
Reporting by
  • Lawrence Barretto, BBC Sport
  1. 1700:  

    Time for me to step down from the live text saddle. Here's the developing report of today's action. Peter Scrivener will be your host tomorrow for stage five from Rouen to Saint-Quentin. Thanks for your company and contributions. I've had a blast. Until next time, I bid you farewell.

  2. 1658:  
    Yellow Jersey ,

    Bradley Wiggins avoided the crash and safely rolled across the line to achieve the same time and the winners and remain seven seconds behind yellow jersey holder Fabian Cancellara.

  3. 1656:  
    Yellow Jersey ,

    The Radioshack team have done a phenomenal job at the front of the field over the last couple of days and as a result, Fabian Cancellara remains in the yellow jersey for stage five.

  4.  

    Stage four winner Andre Greipel: "I'm so happy today, my guys supported me really well. They are such strong riders who led me out. That's what we wanted to do, win this stage. I'm just so happy."

  5. 1651:  

    Lotto have been rewarded for all their hard work over today's 214.5km, leading out Andre Greipel perfectly for the German to secure his first stage win of this year's Tour.

  6. 1648:  

    Stage four result:

    1. André Greipel (GER) 5h18'32"

    2. Alessandro Petacchi (ITA)

    3. Tom Veelers (NED)

    4. Matt Goss (AUS)

    5. Peter Sagan (SVK)

  7.  
    Graham Jones , Radio 5 live sports extra co-commentator

    "Cavendish will live to fight another day, but it remains to be seen what injuries he has. We know he's a tough character and there's no doubt he will carry on if he can. We have to pray he hasn't hurt himself. He's got the Olympics in a few weeks so it's nervous moments for the Team Sky rider."

  8. 1645:  

    And Mark Cavendish does indeed cross the line, a good few minutes behind the winner. That said, he's still in the race and will have other chances...

  9. 1643:  

    ANDRE GREIPEL WINS STAGE FOUR OF THE TOUR DE FRANCE

  10. 1642:  

    I'm pleased to report that Mark Cavendish is back on his bike. He won't lose any time because the crash happened within the final 3km. That will be of little consolation, though.

  11. 1641:  

    The Manxman looks pretty shaken up. He's sitting on the floor, with quite a few scratches and bruises, waiting for some medical assistance.

  12. 1640:  
    OUCH!

    MARK CAVENDISH HAS CRASHED AND WILL NOT CONTEST THE SPRINT

  13. 1639:  

    The breakaway has been swallowed up, but moments later, there's been a crash....

  14. 1638:  

    Arashiro has been voted the "Fighting Spirit" prize for most aggressive rider of the fourth stage after his brave attack.

  15. 1637:  

    The initial breakaway of Arashiro, Moncoutie and Delaplace have been swallowed up by the peloton. That leaves Dumoulin, Poels and Chavanel still attempting their own breakaway with 4.6km to go.

  16.  
    Graham Jones , Radio 5 live sports extra co-commentator

    "I think that although this breakaway is trying, it will be caught pretty quickly."

  17. 1634:  

    Andriy Grivko, who was involved in the break yesterday, is part of the latest attack, along with Philippe Gilbert, Sylvain Chavanel and Samuel Dumoulin. Will they succeed?

  18.  

    Team Sky Rider Alex Dowsett: "C'mon Cav."

  19. 1632:  

    The bunch has closed to within 15 seconds of the escapees, but another group of three have broken off the peloton and given chase themselves. Details of who when I have them.

  20. 1630:  
    BBC AUDIO

    Don't forget you can listen to listen to BBC Radio 5 live's Peter Slater and Graham Jones here or on the cycling pages.

  21. 1628:  
    GET INVOLVED

    So it looks like the breakaway will get caught, setting up a bunch sprint. Who's your tip for victory and why? Tweet me @lawrobarretto using the #bbccycling hashtag or text 81111 (UK only) remembering to put cycling and your name on the text.

  22. 1626:  

    Lotto are on the front now, pulling the peloton along as we hit the 14km to go mark. The gap now one minute to the escapees. The breakaway will get caught, but let's not forget they've been on the front for four hours - a tremendous effort and I suspect their respective teams will be very pleased with the resulting TV exposure.

  23. 1621:  

    BMC, who are riding for reigning champion Cadel Evans, are running right alongside Team Sky, who are looking after Bradley Wiggins' interests, covering their every move. Providing they both stay out of trouble in the first week, we should see an interesting battle develop between these two.

  24. 1618:  

    It looks like that rain was just a localised shower as the roads are drying up and the clouds dispersing. That's good news for the sprinters.

  25. 1615:  

    The breakaway trio are inside the final 25km now, but their lead has been whittled down to just under two minutes. Still plenty of time for the peloton to catch the escapees and then set themselves up for a brunch sprint.

  26. 1610:  

    Remember Mark Cavendish doesn't have a lead out team for the sprint, unlike many of his rivals, because Team Sky's priority is protecting yellow jersey hopeful Bradley Wiggins. That didn't seem to faze him in stage two, when he tagged onto another train and then used his immense power to take a 21st Tour stage win.

  27. 1605:  

    Di Gregorio, Danielson and Kern can't handle the pace and have been dropped by the peloton. The bunch is really motoring now as they chase the breakaway, reducing the gap to under three minutes.

  28. 1600:  
    Green Jersey

    Mark Cavendish has an outside chance of taking the green jersey off Peter Sagan today. The Manxman is 39 points behind Sagan in the standings with 45 points on offer for a win. Should the Team Sky rider take his 22nd Tour stage win and Sagan finish lower than 12th, the jersey will be his for stage five.

  29. 1555:  

    With 37km to go, Arashiro has a stab at going it alone, but he's soon reeled back in by Delaplace and Moncoutie. Meanwhile, further back the peloton continue to reel escapees back in. The gap now three minutes 21 seconds.

  30. 1550:  

    Away from the Tour, Briton David Millar's former Garmin team-mate Alex Rasmussen has been banned for 18 months for violating the anti-doping whereabouts rule. Rasmussen, who was subsequently fired by Garmin, had been cleared by the Danish Olympic Committee after he missed two tests and failed to provide his whereabouts once in an 18-month period, but the International Cycling Union (UCI) had appealed the decision.

  31. 1545:  
    OUCH!

    We've had our first crash of the day towards the back of the field. One or two rides got forced out onto the grass and buckled, causing a sort of domino effect. It doesn't look like anyone is hurt.

  32. 1540:  
    LIVE AUDIO

    You can listen to live commentary from BBC Radio 5 live's Peter Slater and Graham Jones by clicking here or on our cycling pages.

  33. 1536:  

    The race has been blessed with sunshine all day, but a wet front has just swept in off the English Channel and give the roads a good soaking. There's good news for sprinters, though, as the finish looks bone dry, so we're still on course for a thrilling bunch sprint.

  34. 1532:  

    Forget nibbling, the bunch are taking huge bites out of the escapees' lead as we approach 60km to go. The gap is down to four minutes 40 seconds. It's only a matter of time before the brave trio get swallowed up by the peloton and the jostling for position ahead of a bunch sprint begins...

  35. 1528:  

    The peloton are starting to nibble into the escapees lead which is down to five minutes and 18 seconds. Radioshack are at the front with Jens Voigt leading the way and pulling the bunch along. The man is a machine.

  36. 1524:  

    Bernard Eisel has dropped off the back of the bunch so he can pick up drinks bottles from the team car and head back to the peloton to distribute them among his Team Sky team-mates such as Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins.

  37. 1520:  

    The field has made a sharp left turn to head inland and away from the coast. The finish in Rouen is in sight now, just 66km to go.

  38. 1517:  

    Result of the intermediate sprint of stage four:

    1. Arashiro 20 pts

    2. Delaplace 17pts

    3. Moncoutie 15pts

    4. Cavendish 13pts - at 6'05"

    5. Goss 11pts

    6. Renshaw 10pts

    7. Sagan 9pts

    8. Petacchi 8pts

    9. Van Hummel 7pts

    10. Hutarovich 6pts

  39. 1513:  
    Green Jersey

    Exciting stuff at the intermediate sprint as Mark Cavendish leaves it late, but comes smoothly off the wheel of Matt Goss to win the mini-sprint. So that's fourth overall for Cav - as the breakaway group took the first three placings - ahead of Goss, Renshaw and Sagan who makes a late dash for seventh.

  40. 1510:  
    Green Jersey

    Arashiro takes the intermediate sprint and the 20 points that go with it ahead of Delaplace and Moncoutie. The trio didn't race for the line, but that certainly won't be the case in six minutes or so when the peloton arrive at Fecamp. Mark Cavendish is clearly still interested in the green jersey as he's moving towards the front, as is Peter Sagan.

  41. 1506:  

    Over at BMC, George Hincapie is doing a good job protecting reigning champion Cadel Evans. The Australian refers to his team-mate as his "cool guy" as he's always by his side for support.

  42. 1503:  

    Mark Cavendish looking comfortable in his rainbow Team Sky jersey which he has the honour of wearing having won the World Road Race Championships last year. The Manxman is being looked after by team-mate Bernard Eisel near the front of the pack.

  43. 1458:  

    The escapees are doing a tremendous job at the front, sharing the workload nicely and with 80km left, they have actually increased their lead to seven minutes and 13 seconds. They're unlikely to make it all the way to Rouen without getting caught, but it's still some very good publicity for their sponsors.

  44. 1453:  
    Green Jersey

    There's just 10km until the intermediate sprint at Fecamp. The escapees will comfortably take the first three places, leaving a battle for fourth place when the peloton files through around seven minutes later. The likes of Mark Cavendish, Matt Goss and Mark Renshaw - former HTC team-mates - are likely to be in contention once more, as is yesterday's stage winner Peter Sagan.

  45. 1447:  

    Just a quick heads-up - live radio commentary with BBC Radio 5 live's Peter Slater and Graham Jones coming up in 30 minutes.

  46. 1442:  
    Yellow Jersey ,

    Yellow jersey holder Fabian Cancellara has dropped back behind the bunch to have a chat with his Radioshack directeur sportif Alain Gallopin. Meanwhile, Gallopin's nephew Tony is sharing the pace setting duties at the front of the peloton with Sebastian Langeveld.

  47. 1437:  

    There's a correction from the race director regarding the second climb of the day. It was Anthony Delaplace, not David Moncoutie, who got to the top first and therefore took the polka dot jersey point.

  48. 1432:  

    There's a good mix of teams at the front of the peloton with Lotto, Radioshack, Katusha and GreenEdge all getting stuck in. The gap to the escapees is down to five minutes 40 seconds.

  49. 1425:  

    There's just 100km to go now, with the peloton working its way along a narrow road which is flanked by lush, green fields. This event is a photographer's dream.

  50. 1420:  

    Having made a break almost as soon as the race started, Yukiya Arashiro of Europcar, Cofidis' David Moncoutie and Anthony Delaplace of Saur-Sojasun continue to lead the peloton, the gap now six minutes 19 seconds.

  51. 1415:  
    Yellow Jersey ,

    Fabian Cancellara, the leader of the tour, has moved to the front of the peloton and out of trouble, wile polka dot jersey holder Michael Morkov is content to stay in the middle of the bunch having attacked on each of the first three stages.

  52. 1410:  

    Normandy looking lovely in the sunshine. A great turn out today, with plenty of fans lining the streets cheering on the 195 riders left in this race. The peloton has squeezed down to two or three abreast as the riders navigate some very narrow streets.

  53. 1405:  

    Radioshack, who are keen to keep their rider Fabian Cancellara in yellow, have dropped back and allowed GreenEdge and Lotto to take over the workload. The peloton is not letting the breakaway get away, with the gap down to five minutes and 48 seconds.

  54. 1400:  

    Mark McKoosy on Twitter: "Fancied Greipel on stage two but Cav just got him, today I'm thinking Matt Goss could take the victory. He's looked good so far."

    Mark Davis on Twitter: "Believe we will get echelons today and bunch sprint for the survivors. A big name will lose time if echelons form.

  55. 1357:  

    It's time for a spot of lunch, as the riders pass through the feeding zone to pick up their satchels full of drinks and energy bars. They've got about another 20km along the coast before turning inland.

  56. 1351:  

    A number of riders, which includes Bradley Wiggins, has dropped off the back of the peloton - but there's not need to be concerned. They have bunched together and caught peloton up again. Maybe it was nature calling...

  57. 1345:  

    I have to say it's a lovely day in northern France today. The clouds of yesterday are nowhere to be seen, with the route bathed in sunshine and temperatures up to a toasty 25C.

  58. 1341:  

    A quick reminder that BBC Radio 5 live's Peter Slater and Graham Jones will be providing live commentary of the final hour or so of today's stage. I'll publish the link in this live text commentary 10 minutes before they go on air.

  59. 1336:  

    If you're just tuning in, here's the overall top five before today's fourth stage kicked off:

    1 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) RadioShack - 14hrs 45mins 30 secs

    2 Bradley Wiggins (GB) Team Sky - @ 07 secs

    3 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Omega Pharma - same time

    4 Tejav Van Garderen (US) BMC Racing - @ 10"

    5 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Team Sky - @ 11"

  60. 1331:  
    GET INVOLVED

    Philip, via text: "I think today could be won by a cheeky breakaway effort inside the last 10km or so. The small but steep incline near the end of the stage could give a brave rider the chance of win. Someone like gilbert could fancy his chances."

    Charles Cleal, via text: "I don't see Sagan as favorite for green. As great as he has been so far there are limited finishes left that suit his style. Plenty of nice flat finishes for Cav this year. I still fancy him to be in green come Paris.

    Simon in Nottingham, via text: "They're made of tough stuff these cyclists. Maarten Tjallinjii rode 40km to finish yesterday with a fractured hip... Respect."

  61. 1326:  

    The peloton is cruising along nicely, travelling at an average speed of 37.8km/h, with the gap to the breakaway standing at around seven minutes and 30 seconds.

  62.  
    GET INVOLVED

    Sophie Camp on Twitter: "Go on Jens! What a machine: "Shut up legs! Do what I tell you to do!" Everyone needs a list of his quotes!"

  63. 1320:  
    Polkadot Jersey

    And it's point number three for David Moncoutie who leads the escape to the top of the third of four category-four climbs. That moves him into a clear second in the race for the polka dot jersey behind leader Michael Morkov.

  64. 1314:  

    Lotto and GreenEdge have sent a rider each to the front of the peloton to help Radioshack, and it's paying off with the gap to the escapees now down to six minutes 40 seconds.

  65. 1308:  
    Polkadot Jersey

    David Moncoutie moves up to equal-second in the climbing classification after reaching the top of the category four Cote de Dieppe climb first. That's 63km down, over 150km to go.

  66. 1303:  

    The trio of escapees are approaching the second climb of the day, with one point on offer at the top. Jens Voigt, the oldest man on the tour at 40, has moved to the front of the peloton to give it a bit of a hurry up. And it's worked, with the gap down from eight minutes 35 to seven minutes 35 in the space of 10 minutes.

  67. 1256:  
    Yellow Jersey ,

    Bradley Wiggins' hopes of becoming the first Briton to win the yellow jersey took a hit when Team Sky team-mate Kanstantsin Siutsou pulled out of the race after breaking his leg in a crash.

    "It's a setback, but not a devastating setback," said Team Sky principal Dave Brailsford. "He's a very good climber so he can do that first part in the key mountain stages. But to be honest the climbing department, as it were, is probably where we're at our strongest.

    "It's a real shame, but not the end of the world. It's like boxing - as long as you're still fighting you can knock the other fella out. That's the approach you've got to take to it."

  68. 1250:  

    Radioshack, who did a lot of the work early on in the stage yesterday, are at it again, sending a few riders to the front to up the pace and at least contain the gap to the escapees. The difference is currently seven minutes 55 seconds.

  69. 1243:  

    The sponsors will be loving the trio at the front of the pack - Yukiya Arashiro, David Moncoutie and Anthony Delaplace - who continue to go it alone on the approach to the second climb of the day - the côte de Dieppe - which has hosted seven Tour stage finishes in the past.

  70. 1238:  

    The peloton have made it to the top of the first category four climb, but they've slipped back from the escapees with the gap now back to over eight minutes. There's still 165km to go, mind.

  71. 1232:  
    Polkadot Jersey

    David Moncoutie, a two-time winner of the King of the Mountains crown at the Vuelta a Espana, reaches the top of the first climb first to take the first polka dot point of the day.

  72. 1226:  
    GET INVOLVED

    Robert Farrington on Twitter: "The next 3 days could be where green is decided. Three Cav wins, he's in pole position. If it's shared around, Sagan may take green."

    Will Symon on Twitter: "Will be interesting to see what role Bernie Eisel plays for Sky today. No Siutsou so does he shepherd Wiggins or lead out Cav?"

    Robert Turnbull on Twitter: "Lots of confidence @MarkCavendish can win the stage today and can then wear the green jacket he rides best in."

  73. 1220:  
    Yellow Jersey ,

    Fabian Cancellara had a relatively trouble-free day on Tuesday to retain the yellow jersey while Peter Sagan's second stage win ensured he stayed in the green points jersey. Michael Morkov is the "King of the Mountains" leader in the polka dot jersey after reaching five of the six climbs first on Tuesday while Tejay van Garderen is in white, one second ahead of Edvald Boasson Hagen and 12 seconds clear of Rein Taaramae.

  74. 1212:  

    And as I say that, Lotto have moved to the front of the bunch at the 20km mark and hit the gas. Within 3km, the gap is already down to seven minutes and 30 seconds.

  75. 1207:  

    The peloton don't seem remotely interested in hunting down the breakaway at the moment. The trio of escapees now lead by eight minutes and 40 seconds.

  76. 1205:  

    Today's stage kicked off in Abbeville which is home to la Baie de Somme, ranked among the most beautiful bays in the world, I'm told. From there, the field will head along the coast before dipping in-land towards Rouen which is nicknamed "the town of the 100 church towers" - that'll keep tourists busy - and famous for it's apples, cider and pommeau (which is a type of apple drink). A lovely refreshment after a hard day in the saddle.

  77. 1159:  
    Polkadot Jersey

    There's no sign of polka dot jersey Michael Morkov having a stab at a breakaway just yet. The Dane is hopefully taking it easy in the peloton after attacking in each of the first three stages. The man is a machine, but one that surely needs to rest if he is to make it to Paris...

  78. 1155:  
    GET INVOLVED

    This stage is a monster at 214.5km which means it'll be a long and lonely day in the live text saddle unless you get involved. you know the score. Tweet me @lawrobarretto using the #bbccycling hashtag or text 81111 (UK only) remembering to put cycling at the start and your name at the end.

  79. 1151:  

    Hopes of a first French podium in over a decade took a blow on Tuesday when Thomas Voeckler complained of a further knee injury. The Frenchman, who spent 10 days in the yellow jersey last year and finished fourth overall, suffered with knee inflammation in the month before the event. "It's a different pain, not the same as the one I had two weeks ago," said Voeckler, who is now seven minutes adrift after finishing 148th on Tuesday. "It's less swollen, but I'm feeling big stabs of pain."

  80. 1146:  

    The breakaway is really motoring now and has pulled out an impressive five minute 20 second gap over the bunch. David Moncoutie, who is one of the three escapees, is competing in his final season as a pro. The 37-year-old Frenchman has won two stages in the past - in Figeac in 2004 and Digne-less-Bain in 2005.

  81. 1140:  

    Away from the tour, the big news is that David Millar has been named in Team GB's Olympic road cycling team for London 2012. The Scot, 35, who served a two-year ban in 2004 after admitting to taking performance0enhancing drug agent EPO, became eligible after the British British Olympic Association (BOA) officially rescinded its lifetime ban for athletes convicted of doping. He'll join Mark Cavendish, Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome and Ian Stannard in a five-strong team.

  82. 1136:  

    We've lost three riders from the original 198 that entered the Tour. Bradley Wiggins' Team Sky team-mate Kanstantsin Siutsou and Jose Joaquin Rojas suffered injuries on Tuesday stage and pulled out. Maarten Tjallingii was involved in a crash and though he managed to cross the line, the team revealed he had fractured his hip and has been forced to quit.

  83. 1132:  

    Japanese rider Yukiya Arashiro has made a break for it and he's soon joined by David Moncoutie and Anthony Delaplace. The peloton look content to let them go at the minute, with the gap already two minutes and 35 seconds.

  84. 1126:  

    Stage four of the Tour de France is go, go, go!

  85.  
    Graham Jones , Radio 5 live sports extra co-commentator

    On Twitter: "Should suit Cavendish today, the finish is as flat and as straight as they come!"

  86. 1124:  
    Green Jersey

    Well yes, as it turns out. Both Sagan's victories have come on uphill finishes whereas today's finish is relatively flat - perfect for a bunch sprint. That means Manxman Mark Cavendish, who won stage two, plus Matt Goss, Oscar Freire, Mark Renshaw and Andre Greipel will all fancy their chances of sampling the sweet taste of victory.

  87. 1120:  

    The riders are in the neutral zone warming up, so not long to go now. In the meantime, let's look back at Tuesday stage which saw Slovakia's Peter Sagan produce an incredible blast of power to take his second victory in three attempts. Can anyone beat this man today?

  88. 1118:  

    Welcome, one and all, to stage four of the 99th Tour de France, the second longest of the three-week event which runs 214.5km from Abbeville to Rouen. There's four category four climbs to negotiate today on what is a largely flat stage. The big factor could be the wind, with 100km of the route hugging the coast, so prepare yourself for a few crashes.

  89. 1115:  

    Morning everybody, it looks like we could be in for our second bunch sprint of Le Tour 2012...

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