Spectators place a mannequin sporting a yellow jersey in a window before the start of stage four in Villers-Cotterets

Yellow jersey holder Fabian Cancellara prepares to start the 193 km stage alongside Jens Voigt and Aliaksandr Kuchynski

Stephane Auge will hope to retain the polka dot King of the Mountains jersey after the stage's four category four climbs

Overcast skies greet the peloton as it winds its way through wheat fields near the town of Chezy-en-Orxois

A group makes a break as the Tour heads through Champagne country with the sun beginning to emerge

Gorka Verdugo, Juan Antonio Flecha, Christian Knees, Sylvain Chavanel and Matthieu Sprick lead a breakaway after 52km

Sprick remains in the leading group although the peloton starts to whittle down the gap from minutes to seconds

Fields of sunflowers provide a riot of colour as the Tour heads towards the climax of stage four

The peloton swallows up the leaders with less than 10km left as the sprinters start to emerge from the field

The riders enter Joigny with Norway's Thor Hushovd leading the sprinters home from Robbie Hunter and Oscar Freire

29-year-old Hushovd is thrilled to claim his fifth career stage win in the Tour in four hours 37 minutes and 47 seconds

Belgium's Tom Boonen finishes a disappointing eighth but still keeps hold of the green jersey as the race's best sprinter

Switzerland's Cancellara retains the leader's yellow jersey after finishing the stage safely in the main pack