Yellow jersey wearer Alejandro Valverde of Spain and green jersey holder Kim Kirchen of Luxembourg prepare for stage three

All manner of views are taken of the third stage, which is a 208km route from Saint-Malo to Nantes

Some of the 1,267 inhabitants of French village Le Minihic Sur Rance sit behind a road sign as they wait for their heroes to pass

Cadel Evans of Australia, one of the favourites to win the race, rides with his team-mates

A selection of the merchandise available at the Tour de France shop at the third stage in Saint-Malo

France's Romain Feillu (centre), riding for Agritubel, leads a four-man breakaway group in the first five kilometres of the race

The gap to the chasing pack stretches to nearly 15 minutes, but Alejandro Valverde and his group threaten to reel them in

The leaders finish more than two minutes ahead, with Samuel Dumoulin pipping William Frishkorn and Roman Feillu to win it

But it is fellow Frenchman Feillu, riding for Agritubel, who takes the leader's yellow jersey at the end of the third stage