Stage 3 | Verviers / Longwy | Tour de France 2017

Peter Sagan’s victory at the top of the hill in Longwy was not a surprise, but the manner of it was exceptional. The world champion seemed to toy with his rivals on the climb, closing down a move by Richie Porte, then teasing Greg Van Avermaet and still having enough to win the race even after pulling his foot out of his pedal and calmly clicking it back in again.

In this episode of The Cycling Podcast, Richard Moore, Lionel Birnie and François Thomazeau discuss Sagan and ask if there’s anything left to say about the enigmatic Slovakian. We hear from Sagan’s Bora-Hansgrohe sports director Enrico Poitschke about how the team tackled the final kilometres of the stage.

We also assess who of the general classification contenders looked good on this stage, which can be seen as a warm-up for Wednesday’s more serious test at La Planche des Belles Filles. And there’s the long-awaited return of the Friebos Files.

The Cycling Podcast is supported by Rapha and Science in Sport.