Ben De'Ath:‏, external #saffronwalden #bbccycling #nowork

Green Jersey
Classification

Mark Cavendish would have been one of the favourites to win today's stage had he not had his moment of madness in Harrogate.

He would also have been looking at today's intermediate sprint in Epping because one of his ambitions for this year's Tour was to win the green points jersey. For those new to the Tour, there are four main jerseys. Yellow is for the race leader, green for accumulating most points, polka dot for the best climber and white for quickest U-25 rider.

The green is usually won by a sprinter, with big points on offer for a stage win and in intermediate sprints. Cav won the jersey in 2011 but the last two have been taken by Peter Sagan. Our stage-by-stage guide, written by Team Sky's Geraint Thomas, has a full breakdown of the points on offer at the end of each stage.

Image source, BBC Essex

BBC journalist and photographer Laurence Cawley on Twitter:, external The get well soon messages in Essex for Mark Cavendish.

Cavendish is out of the Tour de France after he dislocated his shoulder and suffered ligament damage in a crash near the end of stage one in Yorkshire.

The race is well and truly inside the Essex borders now, where it will stay for a while, going through Braintree and skirting Chelmsford before heading over to Epping for an intermediate sprint, where the men chasing the green points jersey will come out to play.

Then it's down the A104 into east London, over to the Olympic Park before swinging down by the River Thames and along Embankment, taking in Tower Bridge, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament before finishing on The Mall.

The race appears to be around 30 minutes behind schedule - they were supposed to be going through Saffron Walden at 12:30 and they did so around 13:00. I wouldn't leave the roadside though, there should be plenty to keep you entertained with the promotional caravan preceding the racers.

Image source, Tour de France

Tour de France on Twitter:, external "Let's go for 155kms."

There are people on roofs, hanging out of windows and there are about a couple of thousand crammed into a side street who have been unable to get any closer, but they are cheering just as loud as the lucky ones up behind the barriers. Amazing.

Our leaders are going through Saffron Walden and the whole of the town appears to be bunking off work and school today. I need to find some more superlatives to accurately describe the level of enthusiasm that is greeting the Tour.

The peloton is four minutes behind and still heading into town but the crowds are several deep a mile into the countryside. I have been reporting on this race for 10 years and for a flat stage, I've never seen anything like it.

I reckon we might be getting the Tour back on these shores in the not too distant future.

Image source, BBC Sport

Rukmini Raghu:, external Tour de France passing Pembroke College.

Mike Geoghegan:, external Two hours to go and Epping high street is already packed for the intermediate sprint.

Image source, Other

"Beetroot has high nitrate content, which helps the muscles to use oxygen more efficiently."

So says the chef for Team Belkin as BBC News goes behind the scenes with the Tour de France outfit,

Their supplies include 11 mattresses, 36 aero suits, 45 bib shorts, 54 race jerseys, 250 podium caps...oh, and 63 bikes.

We'll have a little time to discuss all things Tour de France today because the next couple of hours are going to be a little less hectic than they were over the weekend, purely because of the terrain the riders are tackling.

So, if you've got any questions, or need anything explaining, send them in via text to 81111 or via twitter to #bbccycling, external and if I can't answer, I'm sure one of your fellow readers will oblige.

You are continuing to send your pictures in of stage three of the Tour de France, the above comes from @Lukeydrizzle on Twitter. , externalKeep them coming.

Danielle lmao:, external Wish I could take off work this arvo and go and see the end of Stage 3 of the #TDF2014 on The Mall. Pretty sure that'd be epic.

Ben De'Ath:, external Saffron Walden is ready for the #tourdefrance.

Image source, AP

The majority of the riders in the peloton are having a chat with each other and it looks like a leisurely Sunday morning amble at the moment. The Astana team of race leader Vincenzo Nibali is leading the peloton. They do so, chiefly because their man is in the yellow jersey and they want him near the front so he can avoid crashes and so the fans can see him. It will also please their sponsors.

Image source, BBC Sport

Tom Arnold:, external Thousands of spectators have lined the streets of Duxford in anticipation of the #TDF2014.

Image source, Chris Mann

Cambridge could hardly be a more appropriate venue to feature cycling's most famous race.

The city is famed for its association with students, tourists and commuters on two wheels.

According to the last census, the total number of people using a bicycle to travel to work in Cambridge increased from 12,759 in 2001 up to 17,755 in 2011.

Image source, Richard Abraham

Richard Abraham, Journalist and writer for Cycling Weekly and Cycle Sport, on Twitter: , externalChapeau Cambridge. Don't let Yorkshire take all the glory.

And there you go, the duo out front are already nearly three minutes clear of the peloton. The teams of the main sprinters will allow them to get a couple more minutes' advantage before taking over the pace-setting to keep them on a manageable leash before reeling them in, in the final 50km to set up a big sprint on The Mall.

BBC Radio 5 live

BBC Radio 5 live's Stephen Chittenden: "The atmosphere at this roadside in Cambridge has changed. People put their drinks down and toes lined along the edge. A Mexican Wave is going along and I'm guessing this could be a 100-miles long wave because so many parts are lined by the crowd. The Mexican Wave should reach London in an hour."

Jenny from Nottingham on text: After watching most of the live tour coverage this weekend and being there on the road just outside of York, being in work today is feeling sadly anticlimactic.

The two hardy souls with the legs to get in the break are Jan Barta, a Czech rider from the NetApp Endura team and Frenchman Jean-Marc Bideau, of the Bretagne-Seche team. The peloton are pootling along untroubled and have already allowed the duo to open up a lead of 30 seconds. Expect that advantage to climb rapidly.