In the finale of today's stage of the Criterium du Dauphiné, it seemed that a late breakaway would deny the sprinters the chance to sprint for glory but a concerted effort by the Katusha team ensured a bunch sprint finish. The team had hoped to see Alexey Tsatevich take the win but the Russian had to settle for seventh in the hectic finale.

The longest stage in this year’s Critérium du Dauphiné ended in a group sprint with Team Katusha’s Alexey Tsatevich in the hunt for a win. The 24-year old Russian rider earned 7th place on the stage.

"It was a very hot day but in general the stage went very wellm" he said. "First of all I would like to thank all of my teammates for the support they provided me today. In the final of the race, the team did very good work. The guys moved to the front, took the race under control and did everything to catch the break. 

"Within the last kilometers Iurii Trofimov provided a lot of help for me. For the sprint my position was not bad, perhaps it could have been better, but I did my best to get the highest result possible. At the moment my condition is still coming along so in the next stages I will try again."

Speeds were high in the final few kilometers as the teams of the sprinters tried to organize the trains to lead out the fast men. But tight turns, roundabouts and narrow streets made the run-in chaotic and disorganized. Giant-Shimano’s Nikias Arndt launched his sprint from 200 meters and managed to win in a photo finish to Kris Boeckmans of Lotto-Belisol. Third place went to Arndt’s teammate Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg.

It was another warm day in eastern France with temperatures near 35oC. At 194 km the route began in Ambert and ended with a flat finish in La Teil. A breakaway comprised of three riders went clear from the beginning, but were brought back with 25 km to go. The early catch set up a flurry of additional attacks, including an 8-man effort headed up by Jens Voigt of Trek. But with four men from Team Katusha on the front, the 40-second advantage dropped away to nothing and the main field was together at 6 km and preparing for a mass sprint.  

With the finish all together, there was no change on the classification. Christopher Froome (Sky) still leads Alberto Contador of Tinkoff-Saxo by 12-seconds. Daniel Moreno is 22nd with +2.42.

Tomorrow’s stage 4 brings the race to the halfway point. The stage begins in Montélimar and ends in Gap after 167,5 km.