Armindo Fonseca, who had been slated as one of Dan McLay’s lead-out men, was given licence to join the day’s break instead, but the Frenchman found himself on his own up the road.

Despite the length of the stage, the Fortuneo-Vital Concept man forged on alone for a long day up the road – the Tinkoff-led peloton happy to let him go as they bedded in for a slow, steady stage.

Fonseca took the day’s only King of the Mountain points, but the peloton was always in control – Sagan, in the yellow jersey, on the front and enjoy a laugh with the other riders.

Well behind the slowest predicted time schedule for the stage, the peloton was clearly happy to use the stage as a transition day with a sprint finish always expected.

Finally, with 87km remaining, Thomas Voeckler (Direct Energie) decided enough was enough and bolted off the front of the bunch in pursuit of Fonseca.

The two Frenchmen linked up less than five kilometres further down the road and worked well together, talking to each other as they came through and off with a 4’40” advantage over the bunch.

Lotto-Soudal were on the front as they rounded the final bend, and Andre Greipel opened up his sprint first with Cavendish on his wheel looking to pass him on the left.

Kittel picked the wrong line and was out of contention as Greipel and Cavendish went wheel-to-wheel in a fiercely-contested sprint.

As they crossed the finish line, both men punched the air to celebrate victory, but the replays showed it was Cavendish by the smallest of margins after delaying his bike lunge slightly longer.

Peter Sagan, who finished fourth, retains the yellow jersey.

Tour de France 2016: stage three – result

1) Mark Cavendish (GBR) – Dimension Data – 5.59.54hrs
2) Andre Greipel (GER) – Lotto-Soudal – ST
3) Bryan Coquard (FRA) – Direct Energie
4) Peter Sagan (SVK) – Tinkoff
5) Edward Theuns (BEL) – Trek-Segafredo
6) Sondre Holst Enger (NOR) – IAM Cycling
7) Marcel Kittel (GER) – Etixx-QuickStep
8) Christophe Laporte (FRA) – Cofidis
9) Dan McLay (GBR) – Fortuneo-Vital Concept
10) Dylan Groenwegen (NED) – LottoNL-Jumbo

General classification

1) Peter Sagan (SVK) – Tinkoff – 14.34.36hrs
2) Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) – Etixx-QuickStep +8”
3) Alejandro Valverde (ESP) – Movistar +10”
4) Chris Froome (GBR) – Team Sky +14″
5) Warren Barguil (FRA) – Giant-Alpecin – ST
6) Nairo Quintana (COL) – Movistar
7) Roman Kreuziger (CZE) – Tinkoff
8) Tony Gallopin (FRA) – Lotto-Soudal
9) Fabio Aru (ITA) – Astana
10) Daniel Martin (IRL) – Etixx-QuickStep