UAE Team Emirates’ Louis Meintjes rivalled the GC contenders during the sprint finish of stage three, ending two seconds behind the eventual stage winner.

Monday’s race culminated in the town of Longwy, marking the first time the peloton rode on to French soil at this year’s Tour. Peter Segan (BORA – Hansgrohe) won the sprint finish with Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) retaining the Yellow Jersey for the third day whilst UAE Team Emirates’ Diego Ulissi is now in the top 20.

Speaking after the stage, Louis Meintjes said: “Yeah it was a crazy final! The day was a little bit slower than yesterday which meant everyone ended up in the final with fresher legs than previous stages, so it was a very fast end, it was quite a technical decent just before the finish as well. I still had OK legs and I managed to stay with all the main GC contenders which I’m pleased about.”

Stage Four begins in Mondorf-les-Bains, Luxembourg – ending 207.5km later in the French town of Vittel. This stage is best suited to the sprinters, who’ll be enthused by the flat, gently rolling roads on most of the route followed by two back to back climbs after 170km.

There is an intermediate sprint through Goviller where riders can pick up crucial points in pursuit of the Green Jersey. Riders must approach a tight right-hand turn less than 2km from the finish with caution, as an unwelcome obstacle could prove hazardous so close to the finish.