Peter Sagan has collected another prestigious placement at Tour de France. After finishing second on stages two and three, the Slovak champion of Cannondale Pro Cycling placed third yesterday after the bunch sprint of stage five behind Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) and Boasson Hagen (Sky).

Even though he didn't win, Sagan reinforced his leadership in the quest for the green jersey as he now has 111 points while Cavendish and Kristoff (Katusha) sit at 76.

“Today [Wednesday] it's ok,” said Sagan. “I did a good sprint, I wasn't involved in any crash and I scored important points for my goal. Of course I'm trying every stage to win but I still don't feel in my best condition due to the effects of the crash. Day by day I get better and I hope to be able to celebrate soon. Tomorrow is a good chance, but not the last one. Cavendish? He has proved to be the best sprinter in high-speed sprints and also a strong competitor for the green jersey. I never thought it would be easy but I'm here to win it.”