American Farrar wins 3rd stage
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Shanghai Daily, July 5, 2011
Tyler Farrar became the first American to win a Tour de France stage on July 4, dominating a sprint finish in the third leg as teammate Thor Hushovd of Norway kept the yellow jersey.
The first Tour stage victory by the American, one of the world's best sprinters, showcased the dominance of the Garmin-Cervelo team over the past two days at cycling's greatest race.
"It's a dream come true," Farrar said in French on France-2 TV. "It's incredible."
Yesterday's 198-kilometer flat route from Olonne-sur-Mer to Redon in western Brittany favored sprinters like Farrar, Mark Cavendish of Britain, Italy's Alessandro Petacchi, Tom Boonen of Belgium and Hushovd.
Cavendish's HTC-Highroad team lined up to escort him to the finish from near the 4-kilometer mark, but by the last few hundred meters Hushovd and Farrar had zoomed ahead.
At the line, Farrar nosed ahead of France's Romain Feillu, who was second, and Jose Joaquin Rojas in third.
Hushovd, the Norwegian world champion, took the leader's shirt after Garmin-Cervelo won the team time trial on Sunday.
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