2012 Tour de France: super Peter Sagan makes it two@Boulogne

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Peter Sagan showed today that he is currently the best 'puncheur' able to deal with the tough uphill finish to the heights of old Boulogne. Sagan was well clear at the finish and able to dance his way over the line. With five kilometres to go there was a brave attack by Sylvain Chavanel at the top of the 3rd category Côte de Saint Lambert. Chavanel didn't quite get enough distance to go all the way being caught some 450 metres from the line.

For the third successive day the amazing Michael Morkov was out in the break and mopped up a good number of mountain points, so will wear the Polka Dot Jersey for a good few more days at least until the stages in the Vosges and the Jura. Morkov has 9 points with Ivan Basso and Peter Sagan on two each.

In the Green Jersey Sagan has a very compfortable lead with 116 points from Cancellara on 74, Mark Cavendish on 73 and Evald Boasson Hagen on 67.    

Crashes, mechanical problems and the lumpy terrain caused problems on this difficult finish with the peloton well split up and sadly three riders had to abandon the race after crashes: Jose Joaquin Rojas (collarbone), Kanstantsin Sivtsov (knee) and Maarten Tjallingii (hip). Rojas was second in the Green jersey to Cavendish last year.

Fabian Cancellara remains in Yellow seven seconds ahead of Bradley Wiggins and Sylvain Chavanel. Wiggins was delayed by a big crash about 300 metres from the line. Under Tour rules riders do not lose time if a crash occurs within three kilometres of the finish. 

Race standings here.