Frederic Moncassin had a great day for a Frenchman.
He rode into his wife's hometown wearing the Tour de France's yellow jersey that every French cyclist dreams of, and carried his daughter onto the podium.What else could Moncassin ask for?
"I want to keep the yellow jersey for as long as I can," said Moncassin, who held his young daughter in his arms after donning the yellow jersey.
"I had to stay with (Mario) Cipollini in the sprint. It was the only chance to win the yellow jersey," said Moncassin, who won the Tour's first stage Sunday for the GAN team.
"My daughter's only 19 months old. She doesn't even realize that I have the yellow jersey."
The top riders finished with the main group of racers. Five-time champion Miguel Indurain (Banesto) is in sixth-place, 19 seconds back.
In Tuesday's finish, Erik Zabel (Telekom) pulled away from Cipollini and Moncassin in the final 50 yards in the tour's third-straight sprint finish.
"I didn't lose my morale and came back today, and it's a wonderful win," said Zabel, who won two stages in last year's tour.
Cipollini, who won Monday's stage and had a second-place finish disqualified Sunday, couldn't stay with Zabel when the 25-year-old German rider made his final push.
"Last year, it was easier for me and nobody knows my name and I can race without stress. I wanted to win a stage this year and I am happy," Zabel said.
It was another spectacular field sprint, with the challengers beginning the dash in the final stretch. Classic sprinters such as Cipollini (Saeco) prefer to start their sprint between 600-800 yards from the finish, and the longer distance worked to Zabel's advantage.
Moncassin hung on just behind Cipollini's tire to take third, leaving Jeroen Blijlevens (TVM) and Jan Svorada (Panaria) to scramble for fourth and fifth.
The sprinters are enjoying the early, flat stages. With the Alps, the Massif Central, and the Pyrennes awaiting on the Tour de France menu, the first week is sprinting season.
The 21-stage, 2,418-mile Tour de France continued today with another flat stage of 143.8 miles from Soissons to Lac de Madine. The flat, early stages present little challenge to the top riders angling for the overall lead.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Tour de France at a glance
NOGENT-SUR-OISE, France (AP) - A quick look at Tuesday's stage of the Tour de France:
STAGE: The third stage from Wasquehalto Nogent-sur-Oise 120.9 miles, a flat stage with no major climbs and three point sprints.
WINNER: Erik Zabel of Germany edged Mario Cipollini of Italy in the final sprint.
YELLOW JERSEY: Frederic Moncassin took the overall lead with bonus seconds from his third-place finish. He ended the day in his wife's hometown, wearing the yellow jersey of the Tour leader with his daughter in his arms.
THE NEXT STAGE: Wednesday's fourth stage is from Soissons to Lac de Madine, 143.8 miles.