McEwen wins Tour third stage

Australian champion Robbie McEwen outsprinted the rest of the Tour de France bunch to snatch the 174.5-kilometre third stage in Reims on Tuesday.

The Lotto rider, winner of the Tour's final stage three years ago in Paris, beat German Erik Zabel and fellow-Australian Baden Cooke to win in the world champagne capital.

"The greatest day in my career was on the Champs-Elysees in 1999, but this is my best win this season," McEwen said immediately after the finish.

Zabel, who has been on the podium on every stage of this year's Tour without winning one, still had reason to celebrate after snatching the leader's yellow jersey off Switzerland's first-stage winner Rubens Bertogliati.

The German Telekom leader, who was three seconds behind Bertogliati at the start, earned precious seconds in intermediate sprints and earned a 12-second bonus on line.

He now leads McEwen by eight seconds in the overall standings.

Before the sprinters had the final say, Frenchmen Jacky Durand and Franck Renier embarked on a long breakaway, staying out in front for 160 kms and at one stage holding an 11-minute lead.

But they were gradually reeled on the flat approaches to Reims and were overwhelmed by the peloton seven kilometres from the finish line.

Australian Stuart O'Grady had serious problems towards the end of the stage when a raised heartbeat forced him to receive treatment from the Tour doctor and contemplate quitting.

It was yet another setback for O'Grady's Credit Agricole team whose leader Christophe Moreau crashed twice in the first stage while Norwegian Thor Hushovd struggled to finish in the second stage with leg cramps.

The Credit Agricole team won last year's team time trial but are currently last in the team standings and look unlikely to be a threat in Wednesday's 67.5-kms team effort between Epernay and Chateau-Thierry.

The fourth stage, with Lance Armstrong's U.S. Postal and Spanish ONCE teams as favourites, should be the first big moment of the Tour.

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