Britain's Mark Cavendish claims his 31st stage win at the Tour
First Tour stage win for Cavendish since 2016
Belgium's Eddy Merckx holds record at 34 stage wins
Mathieu van der Poel wears the leader's yellow jersey
Geraint Thomas races despite dislocating his shoulder on stage three
Stage four: Redon - Fougeres, 150.4 km
The intermediate sprint in Vitre is not far off now. It's about the distance of a Parkrun away from the two men at the front of the race.
But will what happens behind offer some early indicators for the finale?
Image source, Getty ImagesJust watching pictures of Mark Cavendish being pushed off by his team car at the rear of the peloton.
Apparently he has swapped bikes because he lost his saddle on the last one. Well that would have made for a pretty uncomfortable run in.
He's regained contact now along with several other riders who stopped to answer the call of the nature, including yellow jersey holder Matnieu van der Poel.
Around an hour of racing left.
Movistar's main GC rider Enric Mas drops off the back of the peloton, was he just having a natter with his team car? Or was it a mechanical?
Either way it doesn't look like anything too sinister.
Image source, ASOThe action on the road is pretty sedate today. The two-man break are holding steady at around one minute and forty seconds but that sort of advantage is nothing really.
Once the sprint trains start to ready themselves it'll evaporate in the space of a few kilometres. If that.
Nothing quite like the visual banquet that is the Tour de France
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty ImagesMark Cavendish managed just two race stage wins between 2017 and 2020.
In 2021, he's taken four on the Tour of Turkey, plus one at the Tour of Belgium, which came just under two weeks before Le Tour.
Some resurgence isn't it? But can the Tour de France's most successful ever sprinter, win today?
The stage three winner Tim Merlier said this morning that Jasper Philipsen is Alpecin-Fenix's main man on the sprint today: "Ee're going to do the sprint for Jasper, so today I do the lead-out for him.
"The team came here to try to take three victories with three different riders, so we'll try today."
Alpecin-Fenix, Groupama-FDJ and Lotto Soudal are among the teams sitting just off the front of the main bunch.
The breakaway duo has been pegged back to around 90 seconds.
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The peloton are slowly increasing the pace.
The gap to Brent van Moer and Pierre-Luc Perichon is a smidgen over two minutes.
Lots of children out waving polka-dot flags as the riders sweep through Janze.
Great seeing the streets lined with fans.
Image source, Getty ImagesI need to remember for Thursday, to just write an entry well in advance about Tim Declercq driving the peloton.
Standard stuff for the Belgian engine.
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Image source, Getty ImagesFour time Tour de France winner Chris Froome speaking to ITV4: "I'm doing okay. Yesterday was hard. I am still really sore.
"I am surviving. I should be able to make it through these days and the time trial will be another opportunity to recover before we head into the mountains.
"I think what happened yesterday is really unfortunate, especially given that quite a few teams before the race, raised concerns with the UCI and asked for a rule change for GC to be taken earlier and remove the stress from the situation and remove the need for guys to fight for that final the way they did.
"That request for a rule change was denied by the UCI, which is unfortunate in a season where they are introducing so many other rules on riders, like on our positions, which actually don't have much of a bearing on safety at all.
"So then when we go to them with a real safety concern like yesterday it is denied. It leaves us wondering do they really care about our safety?".
Seven-time green jersey winner winner Peter Sagan has been adding his two penn'orth to the discussion on rider safety.
Speaking to broadcasters before the start of stage four, the Bora-Hansgrohe rider said: In every race crashes are happening all the time.
"At the Tour de France everyone is a little more motivated and want to be at the front. There is more pressure to get to the front. What can we at this Tour de France change? I don't know. I think we have to change some mindsets otherwise it will get only worse in the group."
Image source, @primozroglic
Image source, @primozroglicAs you can see. No mountains on the agenda so no need for Ide Schelling to blast off the front again.
Pierre-Luic Perichon (Cofidis) and Brent Van Moer (Lotto-Soudal) are the men flying the flag for the baroudeurs, zipping off to build up a two-minute plus advantage.
Image source, ASOWith no categorised climbs and barring the unlikely success of a breakaway, the flat terrain should see another stage decided in a bunch sprint finish.
But you'd have already known that if you'd been ready out stage-by-stage guide.